Up There

It’s amazing how aerial video and photography alter your perspective.

We humans weren’t made to fly. But we figured out how to in a myriad of ways. First, it was getting off a sand dune; now, it’s figuring out how to get to the next planet over.

Not everyone is meant to get on an airplane or a rocket ship. But drones now give us the ability to take off and see the world in not only a new perspective, but a perspective we control.

For filmmakers, it adds another dimension to their overall vision. A dimension you the viewer are privileged to experience and be entertained by it. For realtors, it highlights the property you are featuring in a whole different light.

The interior photos are the crux of the sale: the buyer NEEDS to see what their possible home will look like day by day–what they see when they get up in the morning, when they go about the day, when they get home from work, when they entertain, and when they hit the lights at the end of the day.

The exterior is what the “Joneses” see. Like how a new or nice car appears to define our success, what our homes look like on the outside gives the first impression about us. The initial interior and exterior shots in and of themselves INFORM.

The aerial shots INSPIRE.

It’s amazing what a little elevation can do. To get that wide shot at thirty feet gives the whole property a new feel because it includes LAND. How much land is related to the location, of course. A suburban plot is obviously different from a five-acre spread! But you see the plot, whatever the size, that is to be yours. You see where the grass begins and ends for you, where the trees are (or could be), the yard for the kiddos, and how much space is yours to settle in. To me, the aerial shots are the icing on the cake. You see YOUR space, plot, crib, nest.

As a real estate photographer, my job is to make sure your client is given as much info as possible to make an informed decision. That’s why I like to include two-tone boundary shots that isolate the property. Also, pinning locations relevant to the property is a big help for buyers concerned about their proximity to local attractions. These are all special features that enhance any listing.

But let’s stick to the fundamentals: a photographer must be careful to use such shots in conjunction with images that give a favorable view of the house up front. What I mean by that is, don’t highlight the ROOF. Highlight the HOUSE. You want to show a different perspective, yes. But there’s a fine line where you start missing the front yard for the shingles.

As a general rule, when I photograph the front of a house, I only go as high as 25-30 feet. Thereby I’m able to get a unique angle that shows the house, the features of the yard, the surrounding neighborhood, and the horizon, as it aids in establishing location. There’s a progression: Yes, I do go higher and show more, but first I see the most important details and focus there at the outset.

Drone images take us where we normally can’t go. Those wings we were not created with are suddenly ours, albeit in the form of a sophisticated tool that we can utilize with our fingertips. For real estate, aerial photography will enhance the overall image of the property and give your client a fuller, more informed perspective that will hopefully speed the closing of the sale. Make sure your photog includes aerial photos with any listing!