MY RESPONSE TO COVID-19

April 3, 2020

With Governor Parson's announcement today of the Stay-at-Home order for the state of Missouri, I have made the difficult decision to suspend traditional real estate photography services through April 30, 2020.

No matter how strongly I feel that great photos sell listings or how much I enjoy the work and the extra income, it just isn't worth the risk to myself, my family, to the realtors and home owners. Each person that steps inside that home may have coronavirus and they may unknowingly spread the virus.

For the last few weeks, I have continued to do real estate photography, however under certain guidelines and safety protocols. But things have gotten more serious.

With that said, I can still provide the following services:

Exterior Photos - $50
Drone / Aerial images - $150, add video for $50
Your photos / my editing - $25 per listing up to 10 photos, $2 for each additional photo (includes basic exposure, clarity, straightening and color correction)

How to take good photos of your listing.

I'll edit your photos. A little editing can make a world of difference. Obviously there is a limit to what I can "fix" but if your photo is sharp (not blurry) you'd be amazed at what a good edit will do.

Follow these tips for good photos with your phone:

Hold your phone horizontally (landscape or sideways) to take photos.
Do not hold your phone away from you with arms outstretched. It is hard to hold steady. Instead, bring your phone toward your chest, stable your elbows against your body and use the volume button to press the shutter. The phone should be at chest level.
Watch your vertical lines. You can enable gridlines on an iPhone to help.
- Launch the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on Camera. You have to scroll down a bit to find it.
- Tap the switch next to Grid to turn it on.
Use exposure lock. If you have a room with a bright window and a dark interior, tap and hold your finger on the screen over an area that is somewhere in between the darkest part of the room and the brightest part of the room. Then press the shutter (use volume button).
Set the scene.
- Remove clutter
- Close toilet seats
- Remove rugs from bathroom, kitchen. You want to show off the floors!
- Hide trash cans and pet food bowls, litter boxes, etc.
- Lights on
- Ceiling fans off
- Blinds / curtains open (depending on view)
- Shoot several angles of each room... Ideally shooting into the corner of a room
- Show transition doorways, entries. If you are in the master bedroom, have a photo that includes the doorway to the master bath.
- In addition to trying to show the whole room, take a few detail shots as well ... a beautiful fireplace, kitchen appliances and cabinetry, elegant carpentry features, etc.
- When shooting bathrooms with your mobile phone, unless you have a wide angle lens on that fancy new phone, here you can shoot in portrait mode, vertically. You may also want to experiment using the pano shooting mode.

Thank you for understanding as we navigate through this time of uncertainty and for your continued support. As always, let me know if you have any questions! Call me at (314) 591-1280 or email [email protected].