Admittedly I'm not as techno-savvy as many of my counterparts, but I'm always open to learn something new. I was excited to discover how to enhance photos easily for my marketing strategies. This is simple enough for even the beginner to perform.
The photo on the left was taken late one Saturday afternoon. It had rained all day, but finally slowed to a drizzle. With my client holding an umbrella so I wouldn't get soaked (more importantly, so the camera wouldn't get wet!), I snapped a few photos since I had to have something to put into MLS.
The second photo shows the home after enhancements through http://picnik.com, a site I discovered through ActiveRain. You'll note I cropped the photo to remove the date the photo was snapped and I was able to sharpen the photo and add a border.
Voila! A little effort made a visible difference. Think how much better the 
photo will appear to agents and prospects viewing this property on-line or in print. It's a time saver, too, since I didn't need to drive out to re-take the shot.
If you have any other easy suggestions, please share them with me. Thanks!
Written and Published by Pat Starnes REALTOR
Pat Starnes, a Realtor since 1988, specializes in Mississippi Residential Real Estate and can assist you with buying or selling in the Jackson MS Metro area.
Areas of service: Brandon, Pearl, Ridgeland, and the Ross Barnett Reservoir area
Search all available homes in the Jackson MS MLS
Pat Starnes, Broker; Pat Starnes Real Estate, 300 Castlewoods Blvd., Brandon, MS 39047; 601-278-4513 - Cell
When possible, I always avoid taking the main property photo straight on. Taking the photo on an angle adds dimension and depth even in a 2D medium.
Interior shots are almost always too dark. But with simple photo editing software you can lighten your images, as well as crop.
Always try to get the widest interior shots. You can always take away, but you can't add to photos.
If you plan to use 10 shots, take 50. 20, 100. 30, 150.
Measure twice, cut once.
I also try and take outside photos from an angle. I've been using Picnik for about a year and that along with Picassa make a great combination.
Pat, Picnik.com is awesome. I just have the free account but it is great. I just use it for blogging though. I don't do much Real Estate photography.
That's a good post. Another thing is re-sizing the pic. If you don't use a re-sizing progam, it gets blurry and unprofessional. I see them all the time.
HI PAT!
I was thinking that I've got to do something snazzy with my pictures (blogging). Thanks, I'm going to give it a whirl.
Great tip. I wish more people would be so conscientious.
Pat, I just want to chime in with you. I learned about picnik.com on Active Rain fairly recently and have used it and love it. I'm still learning new looks. I recommend it as well.
I like services that allow you to enhance photos. However, I draw the line at using photoshop to eliminate or hide unsightly features. In one photo, photoshop was used to remove high voltage power lines. It was a waste of time - we cancelled the showing after I went to preview the property.
Hey Pat - thanks for this post about picnik.com I'll check it out! Currently I have a free version of something called L-View that does a pretty good job. What type of camera do you use?
Diane: I just bought a new Kodak Easy Share 8.2 mp. It was reasonably priced and takes good photos. The camera I used in the post about enhancing photos was an older version, but those photos were also taken on a yucky, rainy day. I've never heard of L-view???? ~Pat