Susan Schein Automotive - Pelham AL Google Business Photos Virtual Tour by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

Susan Schein Automotive in Pelham (just outside of Birmingham, Alabama) is a rarity amongst independent pre-owned car dealerships. As a former new car dealership, it’s quite a bit bigger than your average buy here, pay here operation. It’s also quite a bit nicer too. You can tell the moment you walk on the lot that this operation is a cut above its competition.

Unlike most other used car dealers, Susan Schein boasts a full service and parts department. As a NAPA service center they have parts and expertise to work on all makes and models. This allows them to fully inspect and service all of the cars they sell, both before and after the sale. So unlike other pre-owned dealers, they have a vested interest in keeping you happy. They want you to continue to service the car you purchased from them, with them.

For this reason I was quite excited to be able to create a Google 360º tour for them. As an independent and family owned local operation they need all the help they can get in marketing. They don’t have the full resources of a large international corporation sending them business. They must earn all that they accomplish. This is one of the things I love about the Google Maps Business View program. It does so much to level the playing field for the small, independent, and local business.

I’m proud to show off the conventional commercial still photography and 360º virtual tour I created of the dealership. Check them out below and go here to learn more about the dealership!

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4958 Crystal Cir - Hoover AL Real Estate Photography by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

I recently had the pleasure of photographing this amazing house in Hoover for agent Christina James of Realty south. I was amazed how much larger it was on the inside than it appeared on the outside! I especially loved the high ceilings and all the detail work in the fireplace and woodwork! Check out the photos below. If you want to learn more about the home check out the listing here. Or contact Christina James directly: Christina James Cell: 205-965-6483 Office: 205-822-2364 Fax: 205-877-6085 Email: cjames@realtysouth.com

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2250 Highland Ave - Birmingham AL Residential Real Estate Photography by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

One of the things I enjoy most about real estate photography is that every job is different. Each home give me new challenges and opportunities to stretch myself technically and creatively. Different construction materials interact with light differently. The time of day and the direction the property faces can have an enormous impact on the final image quality. Understanding and accounting for that is what truly separates the professional photographer from the amateur and great photographers from good ones.

When I photograph a house I virtually scout the location to see where the sun will be in the sky given a specific time and day. I plan my shoots around this to maximize my light. For the interiors I bring my own lighting in. Each space is illuminated by up to three flashes. These are mixed with ambient artificial lighting (lamps, etc) and the natural sunlight. This helps me control the light to showcase the home in the best possible manner.

I look for details such as interesting light fixtures, plumbing, appliances, fireplaces, doors, etc to pay extra attention to. All of this means that I’m not the fastest at photographing a house. I will take time to make sure everything is just right.

You can see how this all comes together with this property I recently photographed for Jimbo Kidd and Lee Marks at Realty South. This condo on Highland Ave in the Highland Plaza is amazing. It has one of the best views and best kitchens I’ve ever seen. The style and feel is truly unique and I wanted to make sure I conveyed that in the photos. Click the thumbnails below to see the photos and you can see the full listing here.

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Interested in learning more about the home? Contact Jimbo Kidd jkidd@realtysouth.com

205-870-5420 and tell him I sent you!

Doctor Doug Lewis, DMD - Birmingham, AL - Google Virtual Tour by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

Recently a popular business category for the Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour has been dentists. I recently completed tours for Shelby Pediatric Dentistry and Canales Orthodontics (click the links to view those tours).

We all know that it can be a little scary going to the dentist. You want to make sure that it’s a good practice. That’s why the Google Virtual tour is such a great fit. Potential patients are able to see inside the office and treatment rooms. They are able to get a feel for the environment. Then, once they do come in for an appointment they’re more comfortable. There is a higher level of familiarity, like they’ve been there before.

Last week I was able to create a tour and conventional commercial photography for Dr Doug Lewis in Birmingham near UAB. Dr Lewis and his wife, Nancy, are a great team. They are the nicest people you could ever want to meet and you can tell that the entire staff feels like family. The office itself is near downtown but has its own large parking lot (an amazing thing if you’ve ever been down there. Each treatment chair has it’s own TV so you won’t miss your soaps. Most impressively, they have a special machine that allows you to get permanent crowns right there in the office in one day!

So if you are in need of a dentist, and you are close to downtown, I highly recommend checking out Dr Doug Lewis and his team! Learn more about them on their Google + page and website. Be sure to check out the still photography and virtual tour below!

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Sundown Window Tint & Design - Google 360º Virtual Tour by nikonic1976@yahoo.com

You may be thinking a window tinting business is a place to get your vehicle’s windows tinted. And you would be correct in that assumption. But Sundown Window Tint & Design is not just your average, run-of-the-mill window tinting operation. Nay, Nay. When I arrived at their business to get my car’s windows tinted (by the way, great job there), I was amazed at what all else I learned they could do. If you want your company’s logo tastefully printed on the side of your car, Sunbelt can do that. Or if you want to promote your business by transforming your entire vehicle into a rolling billboard, Sundown is the place to go. If you have a retro VW van that you wish to be recreated into an exact copy of Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine, then Sundown can hook you up. Even if you want to change the entire exterior color of your vehicle - say you’ve got a plain Jane gray SUV, Sundown can transform that bad boy into flaming, atomic orange SUV if you so desire, and I swear it will look as good if not better than if it had arrived from the factory that way. But not only does Sundown offer these amazing creations, custom created by their resident graphic designers, their store is a cheery, brightly colored place to do business with. I was excited to have the opportunity to create their Google Virtual Tour photos so I could showcase to the world just how awesome this place is. So go by and take advantage of their free 30 minute consultation, and tell them I led you there via Google’s virtual tour.

Now, to decide if I want to take my wife up on her suggestion that I should have my blue Honda Fit transformed into the Doctor Who TARDIS. Um, I don’t know. What do YOU think?

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