RETURN TO HOMEAn Author Wednesday Interview with Ed Wolkis, author of “How To Take Photos That Move Houses, An Easy-Reading Guide for Real Estate Agents, Brokers, Architects, Designers, & Anyone Who Needs to Show a Property in its Best Light”
A picture is worth a thousand words and great photography can help to increase your sales by thousands of dollars. Author Ed Wolkis, award winning Atlanta based photographer, shares his knowledge and expertise in this fun, classy, easy to read How to Take Photos That Move Houses, An Easy-Reading Guide. You will learn step by step how to produce photos that will stop potential clients in their tracks; what photography equipment you will need, and how to use your camera. Dramatic before and after photos demonstrate the difference between great photos and ones that go unnoticed. This is a must have for those who want to captivate a prospective audience and to learn how to reel customers in.
Read more for the rest of this great author interview and to learn how you can grab a free copy of Ed’s book!
Q. Thanks for the interview. Can we begin by having you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been working in and writing about this topic?
A. I’ve been doing commercial and architectural photography for, let’s see, what’s today, Wednesday? About thirty years. I started writing the book because my daughter was taking Karate lessons, and she was embarrassed to have me sitting there watching, so I hung out at Starbucks and started typing. Five years later I had my book.
Q. What’s your new book about? Why did you write it? What main message will readers take away from it?
A. “How To Take Photos That Move Houses” teaches about general photography, and how to use your equipment. The guide explains what all the dials and numbers mean, composition, lighting, and how to create photos that will show a property in its best light. It also gives you a feel for working with a pro.
I think that most real estate professionals understand the importance of good marketing. They blog, tweet, network, drive nice cars, and know what they need to know about tax law, contracts, negotiating, etc. But, it seems to me that none of that will help sell property if they don’t have some good looking photos to entice buyers.
Q. What inspired you to write this book?
A. Several years ago I was looking to buy a house, and while scrolling through MLS listings, I realized that there might be plenty of houses I would be interested in, but I was passing them by because the photos were either lousy or, in some cases, there were no photos!
Q. What were some of the greatest discoveries, lessons, or findings you came across while doing research and writing this book?
A. I think that the most important thing that I realized is that many real estate professionals are not aware of the importance of good photos, until they see in front of them the difference between a great photo and one that is ineffective.
Q. What do you feel sets your book apart from others in the same genre?
A. I haven’t seen any other book about photography written specifically for people in the real estate business. Most of the books I’ve seen are more technical and geared towards photography professionals.
Q. What are 6 things everyone should know in your area of expertise?
A.
1. Good photos can easily make the diference between selling a house and having it sit on the market indefinitely.
2. Invest in a camera that will give you the best looking images.
3. Spend the time to learn the camera to be able to take advantage of all of its functionality. This will pay off with better looking photos.
4. When you arrive at a property, take the time to wander around, check out different angles, evaluate the location, and put some thought into your photography before you start shooting.
5. “The three rules of real estate photography: Tripod, tripod, tripod.” Using a tripod will give you photos with better composition, the photos will be sharper, and you can shoot in lower light. When your skills are more advanced, you can combine several images with different exposures together if they are all taken from exactly the same position with a tripod.
6. Photoshop is a phenominal program and can work wonders, but it does take a long time to learn. You can get simpler programs including Photshop Elements that will go a long way and get you started in learning digital image enhancement.
Q. What does your typical day look like?
A. Much different than ten years ago! It used to be that when I was getting ready for an architectural photo shoot, I would have to guess how much daylight film to buy, how much tungsten film, and how much Polaroid (we’d shoot Polaroids to get an idea of the composition and lighting, then shoot the real film.) Then I would pack up my truck with what seemed like a ton of lighting equipment… hot lights (tungsten), and strobe (flash) daylight balanced. Light stands, umbrellas, spot lights, etc. Today, obviously with digital, there’s no film to buy. And most of the lighting (admittedly not all of it) can now be done in Photoshop. I can take different exposures, combine them together, and it looks like I spent hours lighting. My laptop computer now takes the place of the Polaroids, and it’s much more accurate.
Q. If someone were a complete noobie when it comes to the topic of your book, what are some steps they could take to dive in and get more educated in this area. (Besides reading your book of course!)
A. Get online and look at good architectural photos. Awareness of what makes a good photo is the first step.
Q. If you could write 1 Golden Rule to take away from your book, what would it be and why?
A. Creating a photo that will help you to sell property is a process. It involves investing in the right equipment, and learning how to use that equipment. It involves learning what makes one photo better than another. All of this comes together to help you produce a photo that will make someone really interested in the property.
Learning how to produce good photos is something that can have an immediate positive effect on the success of your business. Plus, it’s fun.
Q. What other resources in addition to your book would you recommend to people to learn more about this area?
A. I would spend time on the internet looking at good photography. It’s the best way to start training your eye.
Q. What are some of your current projects you’ve been working on in this field?
A. I just recently finished a project for St. Ives Country Club, a golf/ tennis/ clubhouse in John’s Creek, GA. A very fun project… beautiful environment, wonderful people, and great food!
Another interesting project was for “The Big Ass Fan Company,” (yes, that’s the real name of the company), maker of large industrial ceiling fans. In one of my favorite photos, I had them bring in a horse and handler to pose in the photo, which showed the scale of the huge fan.
Q. Thank you for the interview, Ed. Would you like to share where we can find you on the web and how we can buy your book?
A. Sure. My website is: www.wolkis.com. The book website is: www.photosthatmovehouses.com. In addition, I am working on an online continuing education photography course for realtors. If you’d like information on that, feel free to contact me at ed@adphotographers.com. You can also find the book on Amazon.
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About the Author: Ed Wolkis is an Atlanta based commercial, architectural, and editorial photographer. He has earned over twenty local, national and international awards while working for such clients as: Owens Corning, Delta Air Lines, General Electric, Turner Broadcasting Systems, ABC-TV, CBS, Dupont, Kodak, Coca-Cola, IBM, The Home Depot, CNN, Nokia, Tribune Entertainment, and as well as architectural and design clients such as Sterling Trust, The Lane Company, Colliers Spectrum Cauble, and Atlanta Fine Homes/ Sotheby’s International Realty.
Ed’s work has appeared in publications including: The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, National Geographic, Audubon Magazine, Town and Country Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and TV Guide. His subjects have ranged from President George Bush to yak herders in Tibet.
Contact Ed: ed@adphotographers.com
For more information about the author: www.wolkis.com
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