The Amateur Property Photographer

Is it just me or does Canberra only get two different types of days during winter in:

1. Foggy mornings followed by majestic sky blue days
2. Cloudy days with only fleeting moments of sunshine

View - Scattered Cloud Day, originally uploaded by Evan Walters - The Learner Property Photographer.

1. Experience
2. Luck

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Seneca (Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)

My Kitchen - Perspective One, originally uploaded by Evan Walters - The Learner Property Photographer.

This is the other perspective of my kitchen. My mother in law has said she prefers this one (thanks Mum!).

Let me know your thoughts...

My Kitchen - Perspective Two, originally uploaded by Evan Walters - The Learner Property Photographer.

This is the a photo that I took after wrapping up my photo session. I've been challenged to find nine different perspectives from which to photograph a room, and as a last minute thought I thought I might try a high shot looking down into the kitchen. Turns out it is one of my favourite shots from the day.

This photo was taken on an overcast day late in the afternoon (about 4.30pm, about half an hour of light left outside, but already very dark as seen in the kitchen window). This photo was lit using an on-camera speedlight (flash) bounced off the roof.

What I learnt from this photoshoot:
1. Always learn from your mistakes - I didn't learn from lesson one last week (establish a pre-shoot checklist) so most of my images were again shot at ISO 2000.
2. Watch reflections. The kitchen and bathroom have to be the worst rooms in the house for reflections. This photo has had a lot of manual editing to remove some ugly reflections and there are still many reflections in the shot I wish were not there.
3. Make sure you can fit it all in. Sadly this room does not show the breakfast bar at all and gives the impression that the ktichen is lacking storage and bench space. It is, to a degree, but not having the breakfast bar in the shot is a real shame
4. When taking a three-wall shot (from the middle of the room showing three walls) stand in the middle of the room. I find the angle of the floor a real distraction in this photo.
5. I need some more basic equipment. Gels for correcting colour temperature (the fridge, stove, rangehood, and blind should alll be white in this photo, they aren't). And a diffuser to avoid over exposing parts of the photo with the flash.
6. Always save your finished work. I did a quick edit of the other photo I have posted to flickr and did not save my changes. Big mistake. I ended up correcting the perspective of the photo and have to compress it to JPEG twice (the quality of the photo has suffered as a result).

To view the EXIF Info please click the image as I have posted these details on Flickr. I have also posted a second photo on flickr which shows my kitchen from a different perspective. As always I'd love to have your feedback on my work.

Q1. Who will photograph my property?

Evan Walters - The Learner Property Photographer

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Q2. What do you charge to photograph my property?

At present I have two pricing options:

1. $150 (including a 100% "love your photos or don't pay me a cent" guarantee).
2. Free!

Q3. Why offer a free photo package?

Right now, what I need more than anything is access to different properties so that I can learn how to shoot great looking photos in a variety of different settings. I am prepared to offer a free package in exchange for access to your property. The free package may only available for a limited time.

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Q4. What's the difference between the two photo packages?

The $150 photo package is a little different to the free package for several reasons:

• The $150 package includes as many photos as required to properly capture your property. The free package includes 8 - 10 photographs.
• The $150 package includes a "love your photos or don't pay me a cent" guarantee. With the free package you still get my best work.
• The $150 package allows me to maintain, repair and upgrade my equipment and allows me to further my education. The free package provides me with access to your home.
• The $150 package guarantees you your time and date at the time of your booking. The free package is offered on a "stand-by" basis and your booking date and time will be confirmed three days prior.

Q5. What's common to both packages?

With either package:

• You will receive your photographs delivered on CD within 24 hours.
• Your images will be ethically edited in Adobe PhotoShop to improve the overall image quality (ethical editing refers to editing non-permanent features of the photo only).
• I reserve the right to use one of your photographs in my portfolio of work, to post the photo to my blog, and to post details of what I have learnt from your photography session.

Q6. Are you only taking bookings for after September 1st 2009?

I am available now. September 1st is when my personal challenge (52 Canberra-region properties in 52 weeks) starts. I am happy to photograph your property prior to the challenge if this suits your needs better.

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Q7. When will you be able to photograph my property?

At present I am available all day Saturday, other times can be also arranged by request. The best times of the day are early morning and twilight (sunset).

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Q8. I live in outside Canberra, are you still available?

Yes! I am prepared to travel up to one hour in a single direction from the ACT border. I am also available for photographing South Coast properties by request.

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Master Bedroom, originally uploaded by Evan Walters - The Learner Property Photographer.

This is the first photo I took on the day. It was about 3.30pm in the afternoon (an hour or two of sunlight remaining at this time of year). The room faces north (which means that it gets the sun all day). The sun was starting to set so there was strong sunlight being bounced off a cream-ish coloured wall to the right hand side of the shot.

What I learnt from this photoshoot:
1. Establish a pre-shoot checklist which includes checking the camera settings. There was plenty of light in the room so this shot shouldn't have been taken at ISO 2000. I just didn't check and didn't realise until after I reviewed my photos.
2. Always always always check the viewfinder before taking the shot. Most of my other shots from this session show the clutter under the bed. Additionally, shots taken from the window side of the room showing the wall to wall wardrobe feature a closed door (trying to keep the cats out) which has the result of making the room feel small and closed in.

To view the EXIF Info please click the image as I have posted these details on Flickr. As always I'd love to have your feedback on my work.

"I had the pleasure of working with Evan for a number of years. He was a key member of the team I managed and was always willing and able to get in a do what was required. His positive approach, easy manner and ability to think outside the box were amongst his many strengths. I would be more than happy to work with Evan again anytime."
Richard Batka, Vice President -Operations, Cards Etc Inc.