So, How’s the Weather in the Last Frontier?
Bringing the Alaska weather into mind, locals have peculiar sayings to appropriate it. One would say that, “there is no bad weather in Alaska, just bad gear.” Getting dressed and getting ready for whatever may come is part of people’s lifestyle since there is nothing we can do about the predictable weather. Speaking of unpredictable, another saying goes, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait 10 minutes and it will change.”
With that opening, the best word, perhaps, to describe the weather in Alaska would be “variable”. Like all places, it depends on where you are and the season. But we can only anticipate so much and still get overwhelmed. This year, we had our first snow in September, which was unusual. Imagine you are a photographer, all set for a sunny shoot on a golden leaf littered property but arriving at the site you are welcomed by gloomy skies and darker hues than expected.
So, how do photographers cope up with it? Especially for those who had been in the business of real estate photography for years and years, like DMD Real Estate Photography. Let’s hear it from the expert.
Clients are Always in Hurry and the Weather Does not Care
In the real estate market, clients are always in a hurry. You know, putting up your listing first to get as many ‘lookers’ as possible and make an imprint on as many people as possible. So, an agent or a seller will call in asking for the soonest slot open in the schedule so they can put the listing on the internet the soonest without checking the weather on the following days. Thus, the adjustments will fall upon the photographers to make things work.
As professionals, this is no longer a challenge, but part of the job at this point. Photographers come equipped for all possible scenarios. They have in their kit bags not just lenses, but of course, lights, diffusers, etceteras and etceteras of photography equipment in order to perfect the lighting even in the darkest moments of their careers. Sorry for being dramatic, but it’s the only way to put it, as photographers bring homes to their best light, they are the heroes we always needed to save any marketing disasters that may come.
Photographers are Masters of Light Manipulation
That’s what we do, we match lighting variation techniques to variable weather. It’s all about manipulating angles, diffusers, filters, and lenses to elevate any space. There are millions of things to be said when it comes to lighting but let us be brief so we can save each other time and get to the important parts. Bad interior lighting can be manipulated through several different tools to make the scene the most enticing, eye-catching, remarkable and realistic to put home searchers in.
Scene composition is another hurdle to conquer. Photographers can also be part-time stagers as they work with the client, focusing on the key elements of the space, perfecting it to an enhanced appeal to possible buyers or renters.
Edit it, Perfect it
Post-processing goes hand-in-hand with photography. In 2021, you cannot just take a photo as it is since the competitive market demands that every detail should be maximized to their best potential. So, let us talk about exteriors first. DMD Real Estate Photography has been a master of sky manipulation since technology gave birth to photoshop. Although there are other tools we used, let us keep our secrets.
Going back to the example earlier, photographers can be welcomed by gloomy skies upon arriving on the site. But, The-Shoot-Must-Go-On since the schedule demands it. As we said, most sellers are always in a hurry to put their listings on the market. And the answer to the challenge is light editing and sky manipulation. Making the façade look brighter is an easy feat and putting in a better background can be done in the post-processing, be it twilight skies or blue ones with happy clouds striding about.
And just to mention it, clients always ask us about the turn-around. And in DMD Real Estate, it’s a fact, we shoot today, we edit at home, and photos will be ready by morning. Curious? Get a taste of the DMD Difference by booking a photoshoot here.
To summarize it, even if winter comes, and is always coming, putting out photos of homes in the summer is just a matter of master editing for professional photographers. Bringing homes to their best light is our expertise no matter how the weather goes. We go along and come out with excellence.
