Preparations are one of the most important elements of a home photo shoot. This guide will give you perfect instructions for preparing your home for the photoshoot. Read these instructions carefully, you can also check the reference images to get the general idea how your home should look in the photos.

General thoughts:

In home photography, less is often more. You're not selling your possessions or furniture in most cases, you're selling your home, so it's a good idea to hide some things from the photos to convey the atmosphere and qualities of your home instead of drawing attention to unimportant things.

The preparation for the shoot will always take some time from the client, but it will have a big impact on the result. It is therefore definitely worth taking the time to prepare the photos so that they attract as many potential buyers as possible.

The photographer is not the cleaner and the default assumption is that the scene is in good condition when they arrive. The photographer may to some extents do some minor tidying up of the site, but it must be taken into account that there is a limited amount of time available for the shoot and that there may not be time to do the cleaning, negatively affecting the final result of the images.

The entire home does not need to be wiped clean, but visible dirt, dust and clutter should be removed. It is still worth cleaning the home as well as possible so that the home is properly tidied up for the future use when the realtor shows the home for potential buyers.

Often the house is shot and 3D-scanned with a Matterport 3D camera. It is absolutely crucial that all excess furniture and clutter needs to be hidden away in closets or storage rooms behind closed doors.

The 3D-camera takes 360 degree pictures of the house, so everything that hasn’t been put away will be visible on the photos and the 3D-scan.

COMMON THINGS:

Here are a few tips on how to prepare the whole home:

Open all blinds and clean the windows if they are dirty.

A little dirt or pollen doesn't matter in the pictures, it won't show up since the resolution on final images will be reduced.

  • Open all curtains and set them neatly.

  • Turn off all lights unless the house is very dark. The scene will be filmed with natural light using artificial lighting for the best possible results.

  • Plants really do a lot for your photos. If possible, bring a few houseplants into the home for the shoot.

  • If there are any small but easily fixable problems in the home, they should be repaired before the photos are taken. Cracked or stuck cupboard doors in the kitchen or in the hallway can leave a sloppy impression in the photos. Small spots can also be patched and painted if they are noticeably visible.

Hide the following items out of sight, preferably in wardrobes or storage:

  • Clothes and shoes. You can leave some coats and shoes in the coat rack and shoe rack if you feel that they enhance the decor.

  • Excess items from shelves, tables, TV stands and other furniture. Decorative items can be left in place, but empty drinking glasses or PlayStation controllers lying around can draw attention away from what's important in the pictures.

  • Children's toys, outdoor clothing, potties, and other items. Children's items may be displayed to some extent, but it would be a good idea to hide most of them from view and only leave some items neatly displayed, e.g. in the children's room.

  • All the pet's items. Although furry friends are close to our hearts, it's a good idea to remove all pet accessories such as food bowls, sleeping pads, scratching posts, and climbing trees for photos. Some buyers might skip the listing since not everyone cares about animals. Pets can be present for the photo shoot, but preferably always in a closed room if they are very curious.

  • Identifiable photos and portraits. It's nice to have memories of friends and family on the walls, but in photos they draw attention elsewhere.

  • All objects and decorations referring to dates and holidays. If there are Christmas lights in the pictures, it is easy for the buyer to deduce the date when the item came up for sale, which is not always advantageous for the seller. It is important to make the pictures timeless and neutral.

KITCHEN

  • It is a good idea to keep the counters and work surfaces as empty as possible. A clean coffee machine or knife set can be left on the shelves.

  • Moving the dishes out of sight is essential. The dishes are visible in the pictures even if they are lying in the sink.

  • Check that all the lights are working.

  • Wipe the surfaces clean. The kitchen is the heart of the home for most people and will provide many photos, so it's a good idea to keep the overall appearance tidy.

  • Remove fridge magnets, bills, and kid’s drawings from the fridge door.

  • Hide the calendar.

LIVING ROOM

  • Hide extra items.

  • Hide cords and other electronics (remote controls, controllers, iPads, etc.)

  • The living room is a very important room in your home and it's important that it feels spacious. Try rearranging the layout by moving furniture around.

BEDROOM

  • Make the bed and set the pillows and blankets neatly.

  • Move chargers, clothes, photos, and other items away from sight.

  • Organize office supplies and hide the cords.

BATHROOM & SAUNA

  • Hide all shampoos, conditioners, soaps, washing products, clothes, and towels.

  • Don't leave laundry in the washing machine, it will be visible in the pictures.

  • One clean soap dispenser and hand towel can be left in place.

  • Hide everything in the sauna except the scoop and the bucket. Items stuffed under the boards can be seen in the pictures.

  • Wash glass- porcelain and acrylic surfaces, unfortunately chalk stains are visible in the pictures.

ENTRANCE

● Hide most of the jackets and shoes

● Hide items on counters and tables

CLOAKROOM, STORAGE ROOM & GARAGE

  • As a rule, wardrobes are never photographed, unless it is particularly large or otherwise important. In this case it must be in very good order for the picture to be usable.

  • Storage rooms are also not photographed but they are often pictured for the estate agent's own use.

  • The garage can be photographed if it is in good order. However, it is advisable to hide valuable items from the pictures such as mountain bikes, motorcycles, valuable hobby equipment, gun cabinets, safes, etc.

GARDEN

  • Move all garden tools such as rakes, shovels, water hoses, etc. to a storage room. Homes are often photographed from above so it's not enough to have things hidden around the corner as they can still be seen in the photos.

  • Move all toys away from sight. Trampolines can be left in place.

  • Rake leaves, mow the lawn and tidy up the garden as much as possible. The garden area is important to many buyers and should be shown in the best way possible.

BALCONY AND TERRACE

  • Move all toys away.

  • Move boxes and other extra items away.

  • Hide ashtrays.

  • Clean the balcony glass if it is dirty.

  • Set tables neatly.

  • Hide all excess items, like shoes, tools etc.

AWESOME, YOU ARE READY FOR THE SHOOT!