Luxury villa sales do not come from simply looking at a list of specs on paper. A photograph creates a visual sales pitch that when taken professionally, can accelerate the villa’s position in the market, increase visibility, and lead to a rapid sale with the potential to attract the desired selling price or higher.
A word of warning: A poorly shot photograph can damage your chances of sales success. Not only does an unprofessional-looking image not show your villa in the best light, but it also reflects on a villa owner. Potential buyers may doubt the owner’s ability to appreciate quality and to understand the finer points of luxurious villa specs.
1. Quality equipment
A good-quality brand DSLR camera or a semi-automatic is the best choice for your villa photo album as you have more scope to achieve accurate shots. With property photography, a tripod is essential so that rooms do not slope and shots are steady in composition. You can also shoot some fantastic angles with a tripod too. A camera light is a must-have as well.
2. Empty rooms
While the rule-of-thumb for holiday snaps requires people, the opposite is true with villa sales photo portfolios. If you were showing a viewer around to see the property being sold, you would hardly expect them to walk into a living room where someone is lounging on the sofa; so adopt the same approach with your villa photo album.
Keep spaces tidy and clutter-free too, that way you are not imposing any preconceptions about what type of person lives in the villa and the lifestyle they lead.
3. Lighting and exposure
Many villas are designed to let natural light in. Backlighting and sunspots can blow out the details within a photo, while low light results in underwhelming images. Low light can give even the grandest of villas a downgraded appearance. Use a camera light, the villa lights, and any blinds or shutters to create just the right balance. It is also a splendid idea to get some night shots, especially if your villa has alfresco dining and lounging spots, and what about a sunrise or sunset photo too.
4. Weather
Sun sells. Make sure the sun is out, and the skies are blue to help light up the inside of the villa and also for those all-important outdoor shots. While the stormy weather may be dramatic, it is not the right backdrop to a villa purchase dream. Cloudless skies, even on a cold day are uplifting.
5. Wides, MCUs, and CUs
A shot list needs to include wide shots giving an overall picture, as well as panoramic views, while medium close-ups and close-ups reveal greater details. You need a wide shot of the entire villa, medium shots showing whole rooms and living spaces, with tighter images picking out the finer details.
6. Different perspectives and POVs
When you walk in a room you are looking at it through your eyes, in your own way. The beauty of photographs is that you can change the point of view (POV) and use different angles such as shots looking up or down, as well as fish-eye or wide-angle lenses to create compelling images.
7. Depth and Framing
Every photograph is a portrait, so composition is vital within each frame. You need to think about what is at the center of the picture and what feature is being focused on. Images with many layers create depth, such as a view through to a different room, and add a sense of space and movement to a still.
8. Mood and tone
If your villa is a hideaway oasis highlight this with shots of stone features, nooks, and crannies, as well as lush foliage. If your villa is a prime example of minimalist design with a light and airy feel, open shots up to express that expansive air.
9. Artistic expression
On the whole, you want the majority of shots to be well lit, framed, and composed. However, there is room to include a few images with a more creative flavor too. Add a few experimental snaps into the mix and any to your villa album which create some extra special quality or expression.
10. Context
Your villa is connected to not only its setting but its location. Photographs need to reveal where your villa is situated, the wider locale, whether right on the beach, in a lush tropical landscape, or dramatically looking out from a clifftop.
