A few months ago we were commissioned to provide a complete package of promotional imagery of a stunning new-build property in Fleet, Hampshire. Our client, Elsmore Homes, wanted us to provide a set of interior photographs, exterior photographs, a Matterport virtual tour as well as a walk-through property video – or as we call it, “the works”!
On our first ‘lap’ of the property we took the internal photographs. The most time-consuming element of interior property photography is finding what we like to call the ‘sweet spot’ of each room – the point in space where the room looks its absolute best. This is rarely a point where a person will ever stand, but it’s the point that maximises the variety of features visible in the photographs – for example, doors into and out of a room, windows with attractive views and central features like a fireplace, bed or cooker. Sometimes rooms have several of these sweet spots (like large living areas) and so several photos would be taken, and other times there might only be one (like small bedrooms or bathrooms).
All our interior photographs are taken with natural light, and each photograph is comprised of multiple RAW exposures which capture a huge range of detail, from the very dark to the very bright areas of the scene. During post-production, specialist editing software then blends these separate exposures together, and any remaining differences in brightness or colour tone are manually corrected and all vertical lines are straightened. The result of these various processes are images which feel bright and airy, and look very similar to the way the human eye would perceive the room.
You can see a selection of the interior photographs that we took here:
Architectural photograph of a stunning new-build 5-bedroom house in Fleet, Hampshire. Click to enlarge.
As well as these general wide-angle photographs, we are often asked (mainly by property developers) to take close-up shots of fixtures and fittings, and if a property has been furnished with temporary furniture, close-up photos of the furniture are also often requested. Below are a few samples of the close-up shots we took for this client:
Close-up architectural photographs of a stunning new-build 5-bedroom house in Fleet, Hampshire. Click to enlarge.
By the time we had finished taking all the interior photographs, the sun and moved around to a suitable point in the sky to take the external photographs. Properties always look their best when then sun is shining on the facade(s) of the building facing the camera – and because the sun moves, it’s critical to plan property photo shoots to coincide with the optimum time of day for taking the external photographs. To do this effectively and reliably, we use a very clever smartphone app which superimposes the angle of the sun onto satellite imagery of the property, showing how the angle of the sun changes throughout the day. With this information we can plan exactly when the property will look its absolute best.
You can see some of the external photos we took here:
External architectural photograph of a stunning new-build 5-bedroom house in Fleet, Hampshire. Click to enlarge.
Once all the photographs had been taken, we started the next ‘lap’ of the property – visiting very similar viewpoints again to the first ‘lap’, but this time taking stabilised video footage!
Starting outside as the sun was still in a good position relative to the property, we took a mixture of ground-level video using a stabilised hand-held gimbal as well as elevated footage using our state-of-the-art drone – which itself carries a stabilised camera. We then continued on inside taking subtly moving footage in different parts of the property, ensuing footage was taken from a sufficient variety of angles to allow the viewer to be taken on a logical video ‘tour’ around the property – starting outside, entering the hall and then progressing through the various ground-floor and first-floor rooms.
You can watch the short promotional film we produced for this property here. Click the play button to start watching the video and be sure to click the rectangle symbol at the bottom right of the player to watch the video full-screen:
Promotional properrty film of a stunning new-build 5-bedroom house in Fleet, Hampshire. Click the play button to start watching the video and click the rectangle symbol at the bottom right to watch the video full-screen.
Last but not least we then walked around the entire interior of the property with our Matterport 3D scanning camera, creating a 3D model of the entire property. To explore this beautiful property yourself, follow these simple instructions:
- Click on the play button to load the Matterport Virtual Tour
- Click the full-screen icon at the bottom right of the viewer to enter full-screen mode
When in the ‘Walk-Through’ (default) viewing mode
- Click and drag using the left mouse button to look around, and left-click within the room to move in that direction
- You can jump to the 3D ‘Doll’s House’ model by clicking on the 3D building icon at the bottom left of the viewer
When in the ‘Doll’s House’ viewing mode
- Click and drag using the left mouse button to rotate the model
- Click and drag using the right mouse button to shift the model horizontally and vertically
- Click once in any part of the model to jump to that part of the model
Matterport Virtual Tour of a stunning 5-bedroom new-build luxury property in Fleet, Hampshire. Click the play button to explore the tour, and don’t forget to click the full-screen icon at the bottom right.
And here are two quick behind-the-scenes photos from the drone shoot and Matterport scanning parts of this shoot! Click to enlarge.
What Do Our Clients Say?
Our client, Elsmore Homes, were delighted with the imagery we produced for them and recently sent us this kind testimonial:
“Following a recommendation we contacted Horizon Imaging for a video and photo presentation of one of our newly built houses. As house builders, it is vitally important to present the property in this type of platform to enhance enquiries. We have been delighted with David’s advise, professionalism and the wonderful images that he has produced.”
“David from Horizon Imaging Ltd was instructed by HUF HAUS to photograph two HUF houses, exterior and interior, daytime, dusk and night-time shots, telescopic mast and drone images – as well as the post-production editing for marketing.
The results are spectacular, especially in view of the extremely tight timeline – and we can only commend David and his professional expertise.”
So ask yourself…
- Are you launching a new property, function venue or office space and need it to be professionally captured for inclusion in your marketing material / website?
- Are you looking to refresh your marketing literature by getting a ‘fresh set of eyes’ behind the camera to capture your latest projects?
- Do you want to start working with a single company to provide all your architectural photography, videography and virtual tour requirements to simplify shoot bookings, reduce the number of site visits required and ensure consistency between imagery?
If so, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on the contact details below.