You can get a photographer to come in and shoot your home anytime, but if you want your photos to really turn heads. Then listen up, there are 3 timeslots during the day that can make all the difference in how the final photos turn out. In this article, we are going to explore what they are.
Sometimes, but not all the time, your agent may have a crazy busy schedule and will fit you in where they see it best for them and the photographer. Or, sometimes it can just be a lack of knowledge about the 3 timeslots during a day and how it can impact the photography of a house.
Myth: The best time of day to shoot is during Golden Hour.
As we all know that golden hours is the most spectacular time of day. It gives a warm and beautiful skyline as a backdrop for the subject or property. But sometimes this can work against you for a number of reasons.
Casting long shadows
When shooting during the golden hour the sun is the lowest in the sky, this means that your shadows on buildings and trees can be really long. This gives a dramatic effect sometimes but this can also create problems as the shadows can distract from showing off the features of the building. This really becomes a problem when you shoot aerial photography and a birds-eye view (straight top-down) shot as the trees can stretch across the ground and give a false sense of the property layout.
Direct sunline
Having a lens flare or a beautiful light ray come through a window can be great sometimes. Other times it becomes hard to balance the light and lens flare to create your desired shot. Most of the time this happens when you have a room that directly faces the setting sun. It is recommended that as a photographer you should change the angle or wait for the sun to pass completely before taking the shot.
Time
In the morning golden hour time is on your side with you being able to get the amazing photos first then wait for the sun to rise a bit more, then finish shooting the rest of the house. But time is not on your side when you choose a photo shoot that is on sunset as you are rushing to complete the home before the sun sets and you’re in the dark. Usually, you can get most of the work done within an hour of sunset and golden hour, but for bigger properties with a lot more to shoot, this becomes very tricky to do.
Myth: There is no point in shooting on an overcast or rainy day.
I can tell you this is entirely untrue. Some of the best photos come from overcast or cloudy days. This is because there is no direct sunlight which significantly reduces the chances of shadows on the ground and you get a very even spread of light throughout your scene.
With the above in mind, the three best times of day to shoot are as follows:
Sunrise
Sunrise is part of the golden hour and can produce some of the most amazing shots to showcase both inside and outside of your home. The biggest thing to consider when shooting in the golden hour is how is my property positioned and how does the light come into my rooms. This will determine which end of the golden hour you need to shoot to get the best results.
Sunset
Sunset is by far my favourite time of day to shoot, there is never a shortage of angles that can be taken to showcase the rooms. Some of these angles include shooting light coming through a window, a low aerial angle that showcases the view of the property in the evening, and a photo with the sun and sky in the background creating a magical backdrop for the property to be showcased on.
Overcast or Cloudy Days
If you are lucky your shoot may just land on that cloudy or overcast day. These sorts of days give the skyline a beautiful clouded background. When you combine this with either a sunrise or a sunset it can make the shoot spectacular. Cloudy days are also great for properties that don’t need to rely on the golden hour or those that just don’t work with golden hour. An example of one of these properties is one that could be overshadowed by larger buildings or facing the wrong direction.
In conclusion, it always good to have a conversation with your agent about what the think the best time of day is for your property, before getting the photographer to come out. With this conversation, you can also mention to them what you fill the best time is and give reason to why that might be.