Pretty Houses (for sale)

For as long as I can remember, Real Estate has been a part of my life. When I was 8, my mom decided to get her Real Estate license.  It allowed her the flexibility to be home for me when I wasn't in school while my dad worked full time. Thirty-two years later, she's still a Realtor, going strong, still fabulous at her job.  Now, I know I'll be biased when it comes to my mom, but she's really, really, really good. So good, in fact, that more clients than I can count have become friends of hers. She's the epitome of professional and knows her stuff, backwards and forwards.  She's also taught me quite a bit along the way.

One thing I've always known though, is that I didn't want to be a Realtor. I think it happens with many kids and their parents' chosen careers, whatever they may be.  However, as a photographer on my current journey, I'm more than happy to photograph said houses and listings for other Realtors (including my mom). So, Real Estate continues to be a part of my life and I'm truly enjoying it.

The realtors I've worked with have told me how stressful taking their own photos can be for them.  They take a over 100 photos and then spend so much time going through them, choosing this one and that one, getting their spouses opinion and making decisions and trying to edit them.  Here's where I come in.  Suddenly, all that stress disappears. Big sigh of relief.   No more having to take your own photos, trying to figure out how to get the best light and the right angle so you can see the entire room.  Let me take care of that for you. Tell your client  you are having a professional photographer take photos of their home - extra value you that you bring to the table.   

You'll end up with 1-2 beautiful photos of each room delivered to you within a day or two, via Dropbox.  You can spend your time doing other productive things while I shoot, such as meeting with your clients, entering your listing into the MLS or anything else you need to get done to help market your listing so that it sells quickly, making both you and your client very, very happy.  Photos do make a difference. 

Let me help you sell your next listing!

First Impressions

I'm one of those strange people that enjoys being in front of the camera as well as behind it.  It always feels odd to say that, but it's true. So, I embrace that about myself.  I think there is something really special about having an image of yourself that you truly love, that makes you feel good about how you look.  And now, as a photographer, I get to provide that for others!

Me at 19. My first ever headshot. I still love it.

In my "former life", as I like to refer to it, I was a dancer.  (There was an earlier blog post on this not too long ago).  And, as a dancer who auditioned for various companies and shows and other performance opportunities, I needed headshots.  Man oh man did I ever love the days when I had a photo session.  I had great photographers and couldn't wait to see my proofs.  Above is my first ever headshot, done by Tom Fezzey.  He did several of them for me.  Tom eventually left the business and my last official headshot was done by Suzanne Plunkett.  One of my friends would always give me her magnifying glass you set right down on the page, like a little dome, and we would pour over the proofs to narrow it down to the very best one.  In those days, you got a proof sheet with about 30-40 small images per page (and perhaps you had 3-5 pages of those) and decided from there.

I'm sad I don't need one of these anymore for auditions, but I'm thrilled that I now get to take them for other people.  Things have really changed since my days of needing a headshot.  It sounds like black and white has gone by the wayside in favor of color now. That kind of boggles my mind as headshots for anyone I knew were ALWAYS black and white.  But, as with everything, things change.

I recently did headshots for a couple of girls headed to LA for a great Acting Camp! They will be needing them for the second week of the camp.   Both girls were so much fun to work with and were willing to do whatever I asked of them.  One of the girls told me at the end of the shoot that it had always been her dream to have professional photos taken of herself!  How fun is that?!  The images were pretty straightforward as there isn't too much variation allowed for the types of photos you need for auditions.  Vertical shots - always - and mostly just from the chest or shoulders up.  Even with those fairly tight parameters, it's still a fun challenge to vary up the images.  

I was so happy to be asked to take these images for the girls!  I'm wishing them the best of luck during their time in L.A.!

If you are in need of a new headshot, whether it be for auditions or perhaps just a good professional photo of yourself for your business, I'd love to hear from you! We'll have fun. I promise!