Real Estate Twilight Photography – The Pros and Cons

Twilight Real Estate Photography – Clouds are your best friends

Now that the cooler weather is here in Phoenix, AZ we are well aware that winter will soon be upon us and will inspire many in the Valley of the Sun to dance with joy. Not only has it gotten a lot cooler, but we are approaching the winter solstice (it is on December 21st) which means the days are getting shorter and shorter.

With our increasingly shorter days we are facing what one might call “a twilight zone”. What this means is that the sun rises much later in the morning and sets much earlier in the evening… which means shooting Twilight Real Estate Photography is quite a bit easier to schedule.

Real Estate Twilight Photography can be very advantageous for marketing your real estate business simply because of 1) the high visual impact a nice real estate twilight photo can achieve on the viewers perception of the subject property and 2) the professional image of the real estate agent. There is a reason why the feature shot of most higher-end and luxury homes, in print and online advertising, is most often a twilight shot. Just browse through the Luxury Home Magazine  and you’ll see what I mean.

Real Estate Twilight Photography – what exactly does this mean?

Twilight Real Estate Photography Chandler Arizona

A real estate twilight photo is usually taken at dusk or dawn, during twilight conditions.

The best lighting conditions for Real Estate Twilight Photography is around sunrise or sunset. Some people refer to it to the “golden hour” or “blue hour”. The latter term may come from the effect of the last bit of the afterglow available from the sunset, which is approximately 45 minutes after the sun has dipped below the horizon and makes a really nice blue sky.

Sunset – Park in Clemente Ranch, Chandler, Arizona

Clouds are your friend in Real Estate Twilight Photography, too and can really be that “icing on the cake” of these photographs. Westward facing homes are usually best photographed at dusk,and east facing homes are generally best photographed before dawn.

The best real estate twilight shots are taken of the front elevation of the property. However, if other features of the property are showing better, like the view to a swimming pool, a back-yard with exceptional landscaping, or city lights view; then whatever the most attractive view or feature is should be used for the “money-shot”.

What are the benefits?

Real Estate Twilight Photography Benefits

• Twilight photos look beautiful and can draw the viewer’s interest if done well.
• Potential buyers can get a glimpse of the property in the light they usually never get to see when visiting the property with the Realtor during the day
• Potential listing clients will see that you are serious about marketing their home and it will give you a unique competitive advantage over other listing agents
• Offering Twilight Real Estate Photography as a marketing service for lower priced homes can help you win over a listing client from a competing listing agent
• In the “vast sea” of listings on the MLS and other real estate websites, homes shot during twilight will stand out simply because most properties are photographed during broad daylight.

Of course there are some drawbacks to Real Estate Twilight Photography. There is this old saying “If it was easy then everybody would do it”. So you guessed right, good pictures are not easy to make and great pictures will require even more effort.

Cons of Real Estate Twilight Photography

• If twilight shots are not executed well and are processed poorly, the image of the property can look so different from reality that it might turn off potential buyers
• There are only two opportunities per day to shoot twilight real estate photograph
• One requires waking up very early in
• The other requires working late
• Real Estate Twilight Photography will take more time and effort
• There is a small window of opportunity, approximately 30 minutes to get “the shot”. The sun won’t wait to set or rise…

During the summer months scheduling a twilight photo shoot can be very challenging because twilight happens rather late in the evening or rather early in the morning.

Another thing to consider is the preparation of the home for a twilight shoot.

Photo by Kendyl Young

The seller or agent should assist in removing window coverings and solar screens from the windows prior to the twilight shoot
All exterior light bulbs and light fixtures should be in working order and turned on – don’t forget the lights that are on timers.
Blinds and curtains should be opened
Hard to find light switches and control panels for electric window screens or pool lights etc. should be turned on in advance (or their location and operation should be properly explained),

There is no doubt that Twilight Real Estate Photography comes with extra effort, cost, and can include some inconveniences. However, exceptional results require exceptional work, execution, and effort – period.

This is not different in Twilight Real Estate Photography, either.

Yes, not all of your listings will benefit from Twilight Real Estate Photography. However, for most listings the benefits of beautiful twilight and evening shots are obvious – especially when listing higher priced homes.

Marketing real estate listings is highly competitive and not an easy task. Sometimes it is necessary to pull out all the stops and go the extra mile. Well executed Twilight Real Estate Photography may very well be one of the tools which will set you and your listing apart.

Take advantage of the early sunsets during the winter time and book your Twilight Real Estate Photography shoot now.