Photography Day Prep for Brisbane Sellers
What to do in the 48 hours before the photographer arrives
Download PDF · 5 pagesPhotography day is the single biggest visual decision in your campaign. Almost every buyer who walks through your home has already made up their mind about whether to inspect based on the photos. The good news is that the work is not complicated. It is mostly about clearing surfaces, fixing the small things you have stopped noticing, and giving the photographer a calm, well-lit home to work with. This guide walks you through the 48 hours before the shoot, the morning itself, what to brief the photographer on, what to do during the shoot, and what to expect after.
48 hours before
Use the two days before the shoot to do the deeper tidy and the small repairs. Anything that takes longer than ten minutes belongs in this window, not on the morning.
- Mow the lawn and edge the borders. Sweep the front path, driveway, and any decks or patios.
- Wash front-facing windows inside and out. The hero shot of the facade lives or dies on clean glass.
- Replace any blown light bulbs, especially in pendants over kitchen islands and dining tables. Match the colour temperature across the room. Mixed warm and cool bulbs in one ceiling read as careless.
- Run a load of fresh white towels and crisp white linen. Set them aside for the morning.
- Move anything you do not want photographed off-site or into the garage. Spare furniture, exercise equipment, ironing boards, drying racks, kids art on the fridge.
- Touch up scuff marks on skirting boards and walls. A small jar of paint covers a surprising amount of the home.
- Book a clean if you have not already. Bathrooms and kitchens benefit most from a professional clean the day before.
The day before
The day before is for finishing touches and making sure nothing has been missed. Treat it like a dress rehearsal.
- Walk through the home with fresh eyes, ideally from the front door inward, as a buyer would.
- Photograph each room on your phone. Photos reveal clutter and crooked frames that the eye glides past in person.
- Reduce the number of items on every kitchen, bathroom, and bedside surface by at least half.
- Stage the dining table with a simple centrepiece. Avoid full place settings, which read as artificial in a photo.
- Hide all chargers, remotes, tissue boxes, pet bowls, and bins. They will be the first thing a sharp buyer notices.
- Confirm the shoot start time, access details, and any drone or twilight component with your agent.
- Park your car off the property if the front facade is being shot from the kerb.
The morning of the shoot
The morning is for presentation, not cleaning. Start two hours before the photographer arrives so you are not rushing in the final fifteen minutes.
- Open every blind and curtain to the same height. Symmetry across windows reads as care.
- Switch on every interior light, including lamps, cabinet lights, and rangehood lights. The photographer will balance natural and artificial light.
- Set the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature. Photographers spend hours in the home and warm rooms produce rushed work.
- Make every bed, including spare rooms. Smooth the linen, plump the pillows, fold a throw at the foot.
- Clear all kitchen benches except for one or two considered items. A bowl of fruit or a single board with a loaf is enough.
- Wipe stainless steel, glass splashbacks, and bathroom mirrors with a microfibre cloth. Fingerprints show in photographs.
- Move pets and pet bedding off-site for the morning. Even well-behaved pets disrupt a shoot and pet bowls cannot be edited out cleanly.
- Hide bins, washing baskets, and laundry from every room. Check inside the laundry too.
Room-by-room polish
A short list for each room to run through in the final fifteen minutes. The aim is one clean surface, one source of light, and nothing personal in shot.
- Living rooms: cushions plumped and angled, throw folded, remotes in a drawer, rug straight, no power cords visible.
- Kitchen: benches almost empty, tea towels removed, fridge magnets and notes taken down, sink dry and empty.
- Bathrooms: lid down on the toilet, fresh white towels rolled or folded, soaps and shampoos out of the shower, bath mat removed.
- Bedrooms: bed made tightly, bedside tables clear except for a lamp and one book, wardrobes closed, no clothes on chairs.
- Outdoor: cushions on outdoor furniture, BBQ cover off, pool toys removed, hose coiled and out of sight.
- Garage and laundry: tidy if they are being photographed, closed if they are not. Confirm with your agent which spaces are in the shoot.
- Hallways: nothing on the floor, art straightened, runners flat.
What to brief the photographer on
A short conversation when the photographer arrives saves a lot of time. They are professionals, but you know the home and the buyer the agent is targeting.
- The hero shot. Most homes have one angle that sells the property. Walk the photographer to it first.
- The features that matter. Original timber floors, the river glimpse from the deck, the recent kitchen renovation, the established garden.
- Anything that is not part of the sale. A specific piece of art, a built-in that is leaving with you, a fridge that is not included.
- Any awkward angles or quirks you have learned to work around. Photographers will find a better solution than you expect.
- Whether twilight, drone, or floor plan are part of the package, and what time those components are scheduled.
- Where you and any family members will be during the shoot, and how to reach you if a question comes up.
During the shoot
A photography shoot for a typical Brisbane home takes between two and four hours. Stay out of the way and let the photographer move through the home.
- Leave the property if you can. Photographers work faster and make bolder choices when the owner is not watching.
- If you stay, move ahead of the photographer and stay in rooms that have already been shot.
- Do not move furniture or decor without checking with the photographer first. They may have already lit the room and a small change can ruin a frame.
- Keep pets off the property for the entire shoot, not just the start. Photographers often re-shoot rooms after walking the rest of the home.
- Resist the urge to ask to see images on the back of the camera. Final images are edited and look very different to the in-camera preview.
- Have a key plan for lockup if the photographer finishes after you have left.
What to expect after
Final images usually arrive within 24 to 48 hours. The first time you see your home as a buyer will see it can be a strange experience. Most vendors are surprised by how good their home looks.
- Your agent reviews the images first and selects the order in which they appear on portals. The hero shot is almost always first.
- Minor edits are normal. Photographers correct vertical lines, balance light, remove temporary marks, and clean up reflections. Removing permanent features such as power lines or neighbouring buildings is not standard practice.
- If a room did not photograph well, your agent will tell you and may suggest a re-shoot or an additional angle. This is not a failure, it is a normal part of campaign preparation.
- Floor plans and any drone or twilight images often arrive separately and slightly later than the main set.
- Once the images are signed off, the campaign is locked. Changes after launch are possible but disruptive, so review carefully before approving.
- Keep the home in shoot-ready condition until the first round of inspections. Buyers compare the photos to what they see in person, and any drop in presentation is felt.
Good real estate photography is the result of a calm, well-prepared home and a professional left to do their work. The vendors whose campaigns launch strongest are almost always the ones who treated photography day as the most important morning of the campaign.
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