Helpful Hints Before You Click:

1. READY!

  Make sure the camera battery is fully charged and you have room on the memory card for numerous pictures. The key is to take several photos of the room from different angles. This way, you can review the photos at your leisure and choose the best images for your List And Shout Site.

2. SETTINGS!

 Camera settings – Remember that these photos are for the web and small means better for the Internet. If your camera has an adjustable resolution, then a setting of 640 x 480 or one step up will do fine. Yes, we optimize your photos so that they load quickly, but taking photos at a larger resolution will just mean bigger files clogging your hard drive and more time to email them.

 Turn off the date and time feature on your camera.

3. LIGHTS!

  Avoid any glare or reflection from a window. Pay attention to how the sunlight is reflected in the room. If the sun is coming directly in the window, aim at an angle so your photo won’t be washed out.

  If you are going to turn on the overhead lights, make sure the light is not featured in the picture to avoid a glare. Shut off any lights, lamps or nightlights that cast a glow in the picture.

4. AIM!

  Take your time and plan your shots. Before you take the shot, make sure that the room is free from clutter. Close all closet doors, empty countertops and make sure there are no messy areas. Remove all cleaning products, vacuum, mop, etc. from the camera’s view.

NOTE:  Make sure all jewelry and other items of value are not in your shots.

  Notice what’s in your viewfinder. Check to make sure that the camera frame is filled with the room you are looking to photograph. When looking through the viewfinder, make sure that you are not including the door frame, as this will make the room appear smaller.

5. SHOOT!

 Make sure that you take the picture HORIZONTALLY not vertically. List And Shout Sites look best when all of the photos are the same size and orientation. This is another good reason not to crop your photos.

  Room with a view. If you wish to take a picture to show the view from a window, make sure to open the window and do not shoot through the screen.

  For outside shots of the home, remove any unnecessary objects (parked cars, toys in the yard, garden tools, neighbor’s yard, etc.) Make sure the sun is behind you. It should shine on the subject and not on the camera lens.

THAT’S A WRAP!

Remember that your pictures should tell the story of the home. Internet consumers expect to see a variety of images that depict different features of the home. Include the major rooms of the home such as the kitchen, family room, and master bedroom. Since you have the opportunity to include more images in a List And Shout Site, go crazy and capture many of the rooms and views of the home. Once you get back to the office, you can piece the story together.