The Current State of Real Estate Photography

An amusing and informative article regarding the use of photography to present real estate listings: http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/teresa-boardman/take-better-listing-photos-or-dont-take-them-all

I like Fred Light's comment on this blog post: " 'Web Appeal' is the 'Curb Appeal' of ten years ago.
Period."

Ezra Stoller and Modern Architecture

Ezra Stoller and Julius Shulman were arguably the most influential and successful (in terms of the quality of their work and the significance of their commissions, not necessarily monetarily) architectural photographers of the 20th Century. Between them, they photographed the work of all of the top modern architects, including Wright, Neutra, van der Rohe, Johnson, Pei, Saarinen, etc..  Not long ago I found a copy of Ezra Stoller's book Modern Architecture, which was last reprinted in 1999. I had been meaning to get this book for many years.  Now I regret that it took me so long to get it. 

Shulman's work tends to get more recognition than Stoller's, perhaps because there are more books devoted to Shulman's work, some of which are still in print; and perhaps also because Schulman produced several iconic images (such as his famous photo of Richard Neutra's Kaufman house), that have received very broad exposure in publications beyond those devoted to architecture.  However, I think Stoller's work is of equal quality, and I think I even prefer it  to that of Shulman.

In any case, I think that anyone interested in architecture and architectural photography should take a good look at Stoller's work in this book.  Of course one can find examples of his work in many books on modern architecture, but I think it is especially useful to view his body of work in one place.

Are Your Single-Property Websites/Virtual Tours Viewable on an iPhone/iPad?

The popularity of the Apple iPhone and iPad continues to grow, and the iPad has really upped the game for mobile devices. Its relatively large screen makes it comfortable for reading, and it is an impressive medium for viewing images. However, these Apple mobile devices are not compatible with Adobe's Flash technology, which is what many single-property websites (aka virtual tours) are based on for their slideshows and special effects. 

While some have criticized Apple for not including Flash compatibility for its mobile devices, the fact is that Apple is highly unlikely to change its mind about this, and it is highly unlikely that this will have an adverse effect on Apple's sales of the iPhone and iPad.

Apple's market share for mobile devices continues to grow, and I would be willing to bet that its market share for these devices is especially high in the Bay Area.  More and more people are using their mobile devices for web browsing, and I believe that this is a marketing avenue that those involved  in real estate marketing should not ignore.

While my main photography website is based on Flash technology, it also offers an alternative (html mirror) site that is viewable on an iPhone or iPad. Also, I now offer non-Flash (html) single-property websites to my real estate clients, which have the additional benefit of looking very much like they do on a normal computer monitor.

The iPad in particular is a great presentation tool. Realtors, imagine using it in a listing presentation to show prospective clients how you would present their home on the Web.