Setting up for a photo shoot takes time and preparation for both the photographer and model unit. Photographers want to be as quick and efficient as possible, since they are commonly paid by the job and not by the hour. While trying to be quick, they can accidentally make mistakes along the way, and those mistakes can impact the finished photos that you’ll have to post on your apartment website. Many marketing directors are responsible for taking photos of their apartment complexes. While working alongside a photographer for a series of photo shoots for apartments in Gainesville FL, there are a few tricks I picked up when it comes to common errors in apartment photography.

Don’t forget your reflection in the bathroom mirror

A very common mistake is to catch your reflection in a shot. You may find a great angle and snap away, only to later notice that while you’re editing photos, you’re in the shot! To avoid this error, be sure to examine your area and double check what you see in the mirror. Clutter, other standing mirrors and sunlight are all culprits that can ruin a good photo.

Put down the toilet seat lid

When taking bathroom shots, step one is to check angles and reflections in the mirror(s), and step two is to put down the toilet seat lid. The toilet can often be the focal point of a bathroom photo, and if a prospective renter is scrolling through beautifully staged photos, and then falls upon the bathroom shot with a toilet seat or toilet seat lid up, it could throw off the whole impact of your apartment photo gallery.

Don’t shoot apartment photos on rainy days

Shooting interior photography on rainy days is difficult when trying to avoid using camera flash. The camera can capture a broad range of light ranges, and more natural lighting leads to better details in the final apartment photos. If it’s an overcast day, there might not be enough lighting.

Don’t take too many photos and don’t take too few

Taking too many photos is overwhelming to edit and not taking enough photos of the apartment could result in the possibility of a re-shoot—which takes time and can be very expensive. You always want to try to get the right shots, plus a few more from a different angle, just in case.

When taking apartment photography, there are tricks of the trade. Whether you’re going into someone’s home or shooting vacant units, you want to be as efficient as possible. These are just some quick tips to share that can often be overlooked.