What to Expect from Your Photographer
When selling your home, first impressions matter. High-quality photos and video play a crucial role in attracting potential buyers, increasing interest, and enhancing your property’s market value.
This guide outlines the key steps you can take to prepare your home, ensuring a smooth, efficient, and stress-free visit. Your photographer will guide you throughout the process, but preparing in advance makes a big difference to your final results.
Preparing for the Photographer’s Visit
Our photographers will make small adjustments on the day, but preparing in advance will dramatically improve how your home looks in photos and video as well as making the process more efficient.
General Preparation
Declutter and Depersonalise
Put away personal items such as family photos, paperwork, and everyday clutter. This helps buyers imagine themselves living in the space. Storing items in cupboards or drawers is perfectly fine — interiors of storage areas are not photographed. Many people utilise garages or even their cars to store "stuff" they don't want in the photos.
Maximise Natural Light
Open all curtains and blinds fully to let in as much natural light as possible. Bright spaces photograph best. If it's cloudy this is better than bright blinding sun - the photos all have the sky replaced in any case so no need to worry if it's a bit grey, it's Scotland after all.
Clean and Tidy
Make beds, straighten cushions, and wipe down surfaces but no need to go over the top. Buyers expect homes to look lived-in when the images are being taken so it needs to be tidy but not sterile.
Arrange Furniture Thoughtfully
Position furniture to highlight space and flow. Removing excess furniture can make rooms appear larger and more functional. This is particularly relevant in home offices where large desk chairs often block the view of a room.
Driveways
The exterior is often the first image buyers see. Please move cars or vans off the driveway before the photographer arrives, as exterior shots may be taken first. Remember not to park them right in front of the house and park them a few doors down or ask a neighbour to borrow their driveway for an hour.
Pets
I'm your pets' number one fan but not everyone has the same view. It's generally better to remove dog bowls, cat litter trays etc and put them in the car or hide them in the garage for an hour. As for the pets themselves, I work around you and your pets so no need to take them for a walk, I might even bring a treat.
Room-Specific Tips
Kitchen — Clear worktops of large appliances, dishes, draining boards and personal items. Minimal surfaces look more spacious. Remove tea towels and oven gloves as they don't add to the aesthetic of your kitchen.
Living Areas — Remove excess items from tables and shelves. Arrange cushions neatly.
Bathrooms — Store toiletries, remove extra towels, and clean mirrors thoroughly. Remove bath mats and cleaning products.
Bedrooms — Make beds neatly and keep bedside tables clutter-free. White or neutral bed linen is great but not essential.
Windows & Views — Clear window ledges and clean glass to maximise views and light.
Exterior Spaces — Mow lawns, tidy gardens, and remove loose items. If possible, store bins out of sight but again buyers understand that every house has bins, sometimes they have many bins!
What Happens on the Day?
Your photographer will introduce themselves, answer questions, and walk through the property to familiarise themselves with the rooms to be captured and plan the visit.
Lighting
To create a warm and inviting feel:
- All lights and lamps will be switched on - please do this before arrival to help your photographer.
- Curtains and blinds may be adjusted to let in as much natural light as possible.
Please leave lights on throughout the session.
Photography
Exterior Photography
Exterior images are usually taken first if the weather is changeable but your photographer will judge when is best.
Interior Photography
Most rooms take around 2 -3 minutes to photograph. Larger rooms may take slightly longer.
Flash Use
Flash may occasionally be needed. Please mention in advance if anyone is sensitive to flashes.
Floor Plan
Floor plans are created on arrival and before the photography and require all lights on and doors to be open (including cupboards). Don't worry this is just to get dimensions and no photos are taken inside your cupboards.
Aerial Photography
If your package includes aerial images or video, these will be captured if conditions are safe to fly.
Video
If video is included in your selected package, smooth footage will be filmed to showcase the property flow. This usually takes place after the photos and each room is filmed individually and the clips are edited together.
360° Virtual Tour
If included in your package, the Matterport virtual tour is created after photos and video. This usually takes around 30 minutes depending on property size.
How Long Should I Allow?
As a general guide:
- 1 - 2 bedroom property with 2 reception rooms - 60 minutes
- 3-4 bedroom property with 2 reception rooms - around 60 to 90 minutes
- Larger properties with multiple reception rooms, 5 or more bedrooms and large gardens can take up to 2 hours.
Please allow enough time in your schedule.
Weather Considerations
Weather is the main factor that can affect property media. Rain or high winds may prevent drone usage. If this happens, we will still take video and photos from the ground level.
Grey skies aren’t a problem — they can be enhanced during editing so your property still looks its best. Overcast skies actually prevent bright patches in the photos and your property will photograph better so there's no need to always hope for bright sun.
After the Shoot
Once your session is complete:
- Files are securely backed up
- Images are professionally edited
- Videos are polished and produced (if included)
- Floor plans are finalised
Our goal is to deliver a polished media package that showcases your home at its best and helps it stand out in a competitive market. Images are typically delivered to your estate agent within 48 hours and they will be in touch once they have processed your schedule.
Final Thoughts
Selling your home can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Our job is to make the photography and video stage simple, efficient, and stress-free.
By preparing your home using this guide, you’ll help ensure the best possible results — attracting serious buyers and maximising your property’s appeal.
If you have any questions or special requests, just let your photographer know on the day. We’re here to help you present your home in the best possible light.