My first thought is that your grounds are so stunningly beautiful, I wouldn’t distract from them. I might stage one simple outdoor dining table, and maybe a couple of kayaks by the water? What do others in your area do?

Anyway, this is moot. The house is mine. Save your time.

:D

I like the idea of the kyacks in the water. I also wouldn't mind seeing the outdoor set for lunch for dinner.

I wouldn't over do it, no giant beach balls etc.

I would throw a nice beach towel over a lounge chair in your indoor pool.

Just a few light touches to create the mood of how it would feel to live there.

I wonder if the photographer is privy to what is the norm?

For listing? Which property? I’m sure the kayak type matches the body of water. (ex: You Don’t want to stage a pond area with a white water yak.)

I think a staged dining area (With a set table) is OK if the photos do not concentrate on the table setting. I think about it like seeing a bed in a listing. It may be a beautiful bed but I want to see how the bed fits the room.

In the minority most likely, but I'm not a fan of staging. They say it helps sell. What you own and may sell to me is beautiful and enough just as it is.

A few colorful Kayaks by the water would look lovely. Maybe write a house story and send it to your local newspaper before listing it, it would help with marketing.

Depends on how artsy you want the photos to be. If you want real artsy photos like you showed us on that web site, then to have a colorful kayak in the foreground of a pond shot or something would be nice. But then when I see them in real estate ads, I think they're looking to distract from the house rather than sell it. But it what you're selling is a lifestyle, then having them would be helpful...like the images of horse in the places with stables...

Kayaks to me indicate - this is a nice place to kayak. So if it's a big enough pond, I think it's nice. Not so much me, but my husband and FIL are really drawn to the lifestyle stuff being spelled out for them.

I would include kayaks simply to show that the body of water is usable. Pretty outdoor dining set-up? Yes! Show the space as you enjoy it.

Robo, and Annie, Maddie, Yes, it is, and we own the kayaks and use them. So I will leave them out, they are in nice condition.

Maddie, CT. For listing next year. I think I will set a table, we will see if he wants to photograph it... our house is surrounded on 3 sides by stone patios so lots of places to shoot.

Eld - I would throw a nice beach towel over a lounge chair in your indoor pool. (he is only doing exterior)

I wonder if the photographer is privy to what is the norm? He photographs landscapes for magazines and does other commercial work, not RE; that was why I wanted him, his photos have a totally different feel to me

Jinx, a delayed close work for you? Sept 2023?

Next year?!

*kicks toe in dirt*

Ok, ok. The kayaks are part of the deal, though!

“Maddie, CT. For listing next year. I think I will set a table, we will see if he wants to photograph it”

Light the candles! There’s a special look at the perfect dusk when there are flickering candles in the background. Hope you get the perfect golden hour dusk.

I think I must be particularly immune to fantasy/lifestyle/merchandize shots in listings. They actually kind of annoy me as in "they are showing me a set table. the HVAC system is probably on its last legs".

LOL Pal!

I think there is a fine line between "they are showing me a set table" and "oh that is a nice outdoor dining space." I wish I had some nice large outdoor lanterns ... I think something would be better than nothing but lanterns are better than a set table.

Definitely include the kayaks:

I would have the kayaks by the side of the pond, turned over . (unless that looked really bad.) That way, they wouldn't scream "staged", just waiting.

Lanterns AND outdoor lighting is a big deal. We just started. We took a few photos at dusk....not enough outdoor lights around the foliage, plenty on the house itself....and...the landscaping needs..."more" polish. Take a few shots....everything shows up in photos....then decide if you want to modify....redirect....refocus. We were told by a realtor friend to include photos of a clubhouse if one is included in your area...a gate if it's a gated community, we have stocked fishing ponds, an equestrian area...anything provided by the HOA.

Sounds good, mtn. You know I love your stone wall flush with blooming orange daylilies (in bloom now).

Pal, too funny.

Things not to feature in landscape and real estate photography:

-

* Fire pit with burned tires

* Poison ivy patches

* Cars up on jacks

* Target riddled with bullet holes

Just trying to help.

The broken toilet in the neighbor's yard...

Luckily, you cannot see anyone else's property from ours. It's one of my favorite things about our home. And if you could, they are as nice ... if not nicer, alas.

Petal, they just came into bloom about 2 days ago, and I took a photo but i could not recall who wanted to see it!

Nicole, are you selling? I didn't. know that? Or maybe you mean selling an investor property?

We could not be less HOA-y if we wanted; circa 1904. The only features we have are ours, LOL. We added some outdoor lighting a few years ago but it really gets swallowed up, I'm not even sure if it will be visible. The Photog. was focused on natural light, which is why he shot 2.5hr at sunset and 2.5hr at sunrise.

It's all over now so I just have to wait and see.

Petal, Here are your daylilies. I have to say, every year when they bloom, I go "oh no" because I really don't like orange. But they go for quite a distance along our frontage, about 500 feet between gates, so it would be quite an undertaking to switch out. This is standing at one gate looking down the road; you can't see all the way because of the curvature. Everyone seems to like these but me, LOL.

Here is my table --- to be clear I would not want any photo where the table was anywhere near this prominent. A couple of big lanterns would have been far better; maybe i will do that for staging IRL next year. Also remove the sunshade!

Ahhh. Beautiful. 😍

Mtn, what about my little stone house? Is it still a guest cottage?

My youngest DD uses it as her office for asynchronous classes; i will post the latest pic if i can find it.

Thanks, mtn. Beautiful. Your home is lovely and you have a great eye.

I like the ”ditch lilies,” common as they might be. As I mentioned last year, they bloom as summer heat arrives, they naturalized by direct spreading, they look good and do well in the part sun and dappled light of country and wooded roads. They remind me of warm summers and walks through wooded paths and across various cottage yards to the village store where my friends and I would buy those orange popsicles that came wrapped in paper and melted as we ate them. A double hit of summer orange.

I just went looking for a photo and found a kindred spirit with similar memories.

Here is an essay about the old fashion, two-stick orange popsicles of summer.

🍊http://astatisticianwalksintoagrocerystore.blogspot.com/2015/08/popsicle-pete-and-friends.html

Nicole, are you selling? I didn't. know that? Or maybe you mean selling an investor property?

Photography is a hobby of ours. But....yes...The HOA is run by a few old men that constantly run out of money, then want a "special assessment". I'd like THIS house built in an area without an HOA.

Your photos are gorgeous! I do admire your property!

Your home is so gorgeous it will be sold before viewers get to the last photo in the listing. 😊

Lol at your orange daylily aversion…we are on a 1/2 ac lot. So we have neighbors. Y’all know I am partial to my blue and pink landscape flowers. We have next door neighbors (lovely people) who apparently aren’t as into their yard flowers as I am. (they haven’t changed or added anything since building their (lovely) home 6 years ago.) Sigh. Their landscape architect made this bed that is adjacent to our front/side yard that is very close to my pink roses AND my 💕blue hydrangeas that is slap full of orange daylillies! 😂 Fortunately they bloom too late to offend my pink azelias but they provide an annoying (to me, and surely only me😂) color wheel conflict with the hydrangeas that gives me a twinge of annoyance. Of course, this is a ridiculous 1st world annoyance!! 😂 But I am what i am….

Enjoy your visual seclusion! 😂

Nicole, I hope you are not selling the new home that you just moved. HOA is a pain indeed.

That patio is beautiful!!

Love your house and grounds and can't imagine it taking long to sell. I don't think you need much staging, but I like Jo's idea of turning the kayaks over and your daylilies look great on your stone wall. I, too, dislike orange, but I love the common orange daylily in the right setting. I have always admired your enclosed vegetable/flower garden and your little stone house. Did the photogs get good pictures of those areas?

@summersrhythm_z6a....there's a dog @ the Humane society, high kill shelter....need your advice. PM me please.

Lizbeth, dunno, i've not seen the photos yet!