Residential real estate photography in the Bay Area takes many forms. Three-sixty tours and super wide views are good for some markets but here in San Francisco for higher end homes and those in Belvedere, Ross, Hillsborough and Atherton I prefer the well framed photo that is well styled too. Discreetly show the view, convey the sense of the place and be welcoming. Buyers in this echelon are accustomed to seeing home photography on the covers and pages of magazines like Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and Traditional Home. These shelter magazines shun the use of stylised HDR effects, casino like lighting and distorting wide angle lens. The more natural the feeling the architectural photo is the better. I shoot with the daylight adding lighting when needed and seek to capture natural drama as day turns to dusk or dawn opens up. At the high end it is better to be an intriguing storyteller with photos than a forensic documenter.
