Preparing Your Home For Photos

Exterior

Front Of Home

CARS

REMOVE VEHICLES FROM DRIVEWAYS, AND STREET IN FRONT OF THE HOME

YARD

 Yard should be mowed, edged, and grass blown/removed between three and four days before the shoot. DO NOT mow the yard within two days of the shoot as the grass will not have had time to heal from the cut, will appear more yellow, and may still have mower track marks in photos. The cameras we use are super sensitive and may pick up on tracks from mowers that the human eye cannot see if yard is cut too close to the shoot date.

SIGNAGE

 Please remove any and all signage from the front yard. This includes alarm (ADT) signs, school signs, and the agent sign if it’s already been placed in the yard.

PORCH

 Porch should be cleaned thoroughly, and power washed. Any furniture that is on the porch should be in good working order, and appear clean and undamaged.

DRIVEWAY & SIDEWALKS

Driveway, and sidewalks should be power washed no more than two days before the shoot is to take place.

TREES, BUSHES & FLOWER BEDS

All trees, bushes, and flower beds should be freshly mulched.
All bushes, trees, and plants should be neatly trimmed.
Ensure that you trim any bushes or trees a week in advance of the shoot to allow a little time to heal.
REMOVE DEAD PLANTS. All dead plants should be removed prior to the shoot. This includes flowers, bushes, shrubs, and trees.
Ensure that you allow the yard time to properly heal after removal of dead plants or cover with mulch if possible.

HOSES, GARDENING UTENSILS, ETC.

Disconnect and remove garden hoses from all areas of the home.
Remove all gardening utensils (shovels, etc.) and materials (bags of soil, etc) from yard.

Rear Of Home

YARD

Yard should be mowed, and edged between three and four days before the shoot.
DO NOT mow the yard within two days of the shoot as the grass will not have had time to heal from the cut, and will appear more yellow in photos.

PATIO

Patio should be cleaned thoroughly, and power washed. Any furniture that is on the porch should be in good working order, and appear clean and undamaged.

POOLS & HOT TUBS

Pools and hot tubs should be cleaned, and shocked no more than two days prior to your shoot.
Preferably the day before your shoot is scheduled. All pool furniture should be in good working order, and clean.
Wash any cloth covers no more than two days before your shoot to ensure they remain clean until the shoot.

REMOVE THE CLEANING SHARK PRIOR TO YOUR SHOOT.

TREES, BUSHES & FLOWER BEDS

All trees, bushes, and flower beds should be freshly mulched.
All bushes, trees, and plants should be neatly trimmed. Ensure that you trim any bushes or trees a week in advance of the shoot to allow a little time to heal.
REMOVE DEAD PLANTS.
All dead plants should be removed prior to the shoot. This includes flowers, bushes, shrubs, and trees.
Ensure that you allow the yard time to properly heal after removal of dead plants or cover with mulch if possible.

DOGGIE LAND MINES

Please ensure that all doggie land mines are removed from the back yard.
Believe it or not, they can show up in photos.
Also, your photographer will be photographing your back yard, and we don’t want to track any doggie oopsies into the home.

DOG / PET HOUSES & FEEDING BOWLS

Dog houses are an extension of your home, and should be clean and in good condition. Ideally, the dog house should be painted to match the home if possible.
Ensure that all feeding bowls and food is stored out of sight during your shoot.

HOSES, GARDENING UTENSILS, ETC.

Disconnect and remove garden hoses from all areas of the home.
Remove all gardening utensils (shovels, etc.) and materials (bags of soil, etc) from yard.

SHEDS

Sheds are an extension of your home.
Sheds should be in good repair, and doors should be closed.

Interior General

 

CHILDRENS NAMES

REMOVE ALL REFERENCES TO CHILDRENS NAMES (INCLUDING JUST INITIALS) FROM EVERY AREA IN THE HOME.
DO NOT HAVE CHILDRENS NAMES APPEAR ANYWHERE IN THE HOME!

SCHOOLS

REMOVE ALL REFERENCES TO CHILDRENS SCHOOLS FROM EVERY AREA IN THE HOME!

PETS

REMOVE ALL PETS FROM THE HOME DURING YOUR SHOOT!
PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE HOME WHILE THE SHOOT IS TAKING PLACE.
Remove all pet bowls, foods, toys, and other pet related items from the shooting area.

MEDICINES

REMOVE ALL MEDICINES FROM VIEW!

CARPET / FLOORS

All carpets should be vacuumed and/or professionally cleaned prior to your shoot.
All wood / tile floors should be mopped and dried on the same day of the shoot.

MATS, RUGS & SMALL CARPETS

All mats, rugs, small carpets, and other non-permanent floor coverings should be removed from the floors.
Floor mats and similar items make the floor look smaller which will in turn, make the home feel smaller.

DE-PERSONALIZATION

All personal items such as photos should be removed from the walls, and any other places where they might be visible.

LIGHTS / FANS

TURN ON EVERY LIGHT IN THE HOME (ALMOST)!
TURN OFF EVERY CEILING FAN INCLUDING THE LIGHTS!

BLINDS / CURTAINS

Ensure that every blind will open, and that it is accessible for the photographer to open.
Open ALL curtains as wide as they will open.

TELEVISIONS / COMPUTER MONITORS

Ensure that every television and computer monitor is turned OFF.

Living Areas

 DINING ROOM

Centerpieces should be no more than 18 inches tall at its tallest point. This includes the flowers themselves.
Centerpieces should be no bigger than 12 inches in diameter at its widest point including the flowers themselves.
If all of the parts of the centerpiece will fit inside the dimensions of a standard “charger”, or just a little larger than a standard dinner plate, then you should be just fine. We don’t want the centerpiece blocking any of the views of the photo being taken. Remove high chairs, and baby seats from table.

STUDY

Turn Off Computer screens Remove papers / bills, work related materials from view.
Books and magazines on display are fine, but please ensure that books and magazines that might end up in the photos will not be generally offensive.

KITCHEN

Ensure that all dishes are removed from counters, sinks, and drainers.
Remove ALL appliances from counter tops. This includes the coffee maker, toaster, etc…
Heavily clean all surfaces including any parts of appliances that are visible.
Wipe all visible appliance & counter surfaces with surface / glass cleaner.
Remove all non-permanent items such as magnets, papers, calendars, stickers, etc. from the refrigerator, stove, cabinets, and any other surfaces in the kitchen.
Remove trash can / Trash receptacles
Remove all soaps, and cleaning supplies such as sponges, scrubbers, etc, from the viewable area of the kitchen.
Close all pantry closets and ensure that all drawers / cabinet doors are fully closed.

DINING NOOK

Ensure that any centerpieces are small, and unobtrusive.
A small bowl of apples, oranges, lemons, etc. make a great centerpiece, and you can eat them when your shoot is over with!
Remove high chairs, and baby seats from nook area and table.

LIVING ROOM

TURN OFF TELEVISION.
CLEAN FIRE BOX IN FIREPLACE.
Straighten and fluff all pillows.
Remove all non-essential items from the living area such as toys, blankets, etc.

Bedrooms & Bathrooms

 PRIMARY BEDROOM

 Fresh sheets & linens on bed. Remove all trashcans from bedroom.
Remove all items except lamps from the tops of dressers, nightstands, etc.
Close all closet doors.

PRIMARY BATHROOM

 REMOVE ALL MEDICINES FROM VIEW!
This is extremely important. Some drugs (especially prescription) that appear in photos could attract an unwanted criminal element to your home.
Remove ALL soaps, shampoos, tooth brushes, etc from bath tubs, showers, and sink areas.
Remove ALL items from counter tops except decorative items.
Remove trashcan(s) from bathroom.
Remove any weight / scale devices from bathroom.
Remove ALL bath mats, and carpets from bathroom.
Close all closet doors. (We do not shoot the insides of closets)
Close door to toilet room if there is one.
Close all drawers and cabinets.

OTHER ROOMS / CHILDRENS ROOMS

 REMOVE ALL REFERENCES TO CHILDRENS NAMES (INCLUDING JUST INITIALS) FROM EVERY AREA IN THE HOME.
DO NOT HAVE CHILDRENS NAMES APPEAR ANYWHERE IN THE HOME!
Remove clutter from floors.
Fresh linens on beds. Remove all family photos.
Remove ALL items from underneath the bed.
Remove any personally identifying materials from the room including any school memorabilia.
Hide / Remove games from view, especially those games that might be played with others online.
Close all closet doors.

OTHER BATHROOMS

 REMOVE ALL MEDICINES FROM VIEW!
This is extremely important. Some drugs (especially prescription) that appear in photos could attract an unwanted criminal element to your home.
Remove ALL soaps, shampoos, tooth brushes, etc from bath tubs, showers, and sink areas.
Remove ALL items from counter tops except decorative items.
Remove trashcan(s) from bathroom.
Remove any weight / scale devices from bathroom.
Remove ALL bath mats, and carpets from bathroom.
Close all closet doors. (We do not shoot the insides of closets)
Close door to toilet room if there is one.
Close all drawers and cabinets.