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A property management boss has been saving thousands of dollars a year by doing his own photos and videos - and he says the quality hasn’t suffered.
Kingscliff Sales and Rental principal David Preston has been taking his own photos for 10 years, and has many of his staff take photos for their own listings, too.
According to Mr Preston, good photography equipment is an initial investment that could last years and potentially save thousands of dollars.
“You can buy yourself a good, mid-range, semi-pro digital SLR with everything you need to go for about $5,000,” he told RPM.
“I was given good advice on which camera, lens, flash and tripod I needed, and I’ve still got the same gear now.
Mr Preston learned all the necessary skills from a website called Photography for Real Estate, which shows amateurs how to master the art of photography.
There’s a common belief that property managers can’t take good photos, according to Mr Preston, but he believes they can.
One key skill that Mr Preston learnt online was to lighten shots and correct concave verticals through post-editing software.
“Since we need a wide-angle lens in real estate to capture every room, you’ll notice that the verticals go crooked with that lens,” he said.
“A lot of people thought they couldn’t afford Adobe Photoshop because it was $1,400, but for $10 per month you can get Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop together. Every agent should have it.”
Mr Preston also noted that those who invest the time and resources in learning photography can then move on to video and greatly improve their listing material.
“I’ve been doing my own videos since 2011 and it was also self-taught,” he said.
“If I want to get a video done, that’s $600 to $700, which is ridiculous. I can go out and photograph and video a property within 20 or 30 minutes. Once you know how to do it, it’s pretty easy.”
[Related: Why you should go the extra mile with professional photography]
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