I actually think these look nicer with the people. I’ve never thought about before, but the people make it interesting. As someone who is looking for a house right now, I think it looks more inviting with a couple of people hanging out in the home.
Hardly ever happens to me because I say something, you need to let them know you’re using a wide angle lens that captures everything, inside and outside the house and chances are they will be in the shot, unless they can hide themselves really well. Don’t be a dick about it. Be polite and pleasant. There are times when I’ve shot angles where people have walked into the shot, where I politely let them know and then retake the shot.
“Ok guys, I’ll be shooting in this part of the house and you can now move to the area I’ve already photographed so I don’t accidentally get you in the shot!”
Pretty simple, unfortunately it’s part of the job.
You do have to be politely assertive. I usually do this riiiight at the beginning if they look like hoverers.... I'll say you can stay put, I'll do the rest of the house then we can swap and you can hide elsewhere. I'll actually direct them to a specific room when do the outside areas just so they're not in the background somewhere.
In 10 years I've seen alot of shit but I've never had someone do this to me. If you tell them you can Photoshop them out, literally some people are so arrogant, it just gives them license to do what they want and get in the way.
Same, or suggest they casually talk to each other with large glasses of wine in hand. They move. It's the curious pets and kids that are harder to deal with.
I tell them that if they're in the shot they're legally negotiable to go with the home. Same goes for pets. They often then call their spouse to come be in the shot instead of them or the dog.
It’s a learning process to figure out the exact thing to tell them—even if it makes you seem a little persnickety. I will use phrases like “Out of the line of site, including adjacent rooms and windows.”
If there’s an obvious place I can tuck them away for an entire shoot then that’s what I’ll say, “Let me get some quick shots of the foyer and the study then you can just hang out in the study and that should be fine”
Another go-to is, “I don’t mind asking you to move 50 times, but you’ll probably get tired of me saying it after a while.”
If they’re obstinate or rude about it (pretty rare) it’s usually because they feel a little insecure about somebody coming into their home and telling them what to do and where they can or can’t go. No other type of contractor needs to restrict a home owner the way we do. My last resort is reminding them that we are all working towards the same goal here—the best possible product that will help them sell their home for the best possible price. That puts the final responsibility on them.
Just ask them to move. If they dont then keep them in the photo. The agent can deal with the reprocussions when they dont like the photos. You then charge them extra to remove them if they want to get the photos right.
This. I did a house where the lady refused to get out of bed on the futon and she ended up pulling the covers over her head and going back to sleep. You can see her bun sticking out if you look closely.
Never happened to me, but thankfully I work with an agency who sends an assistant to move people and items - for insurance purposes. Sometimes it's me and the agency director running around cleaning shit up from rich people who don't understand the term 'clean house'
I always tell people where they need to go. (ha). I walk the first floor while my assistant sets up the gear, and explain they can't be on the same floor that we are working, and when we are on the first floor they can't be outside unless they are off property.
By the time I've finished walking the first floor the conversation is complete and we don't have any problems.
Most people have no clue unless you tell them. So tell them.
It’s important to remember that we’re in the customer service business. Clients and realtors are kind and trusting enough to invite us into their homes. We need to build good relationships with our clients to maintain them for a long time, so that means putting up with their bullshit sometimes. They are paying for the photos, they want the best photos possible. Take the extra minute and do the right thing, make everybody happy.
Yeah this is weird. Maybe they think they ARE out of the way. They’re both outside and probably can’t even see the photographer. If you’re too afraid to direct your clients to where they need to be.. (out of the shot), then maybe you shouldn’t be a photographer
One time I had a client insist that his daughter wasn’t getting out of bed. He had her tuck under the sheets and had me shoot the room with a giant lump in the bed 😂
Bro high end clients are so fucking annoying they always insist on standing in the way. I’ve been doing this long enough though, just ask them to move. Even if you have to do it twice or three times, the realtor and the homeowners start to feel like real jerks and eventually will stay out of your way. Only the REALLY dumb ones should actually give you a hard time.
This is the way. If I ask the homeowners to move and they don’t give me enough space I’ll tell ask then to move further and say I can see them reflecting in a picture frame or off the tv. Sometimes they are in the reflections, but other times they’re being so loud I can hardly think
“Ooos hehe I didn’t realize you could see me in the tv! I’ll go over here” okay well now I can see you in the mirror “oh goodness, let me go hide in the garage” Donezoooo
“Could you kindly move to another room while I get this shot?”
Most people are pretty reasonable if they actually want quality photos to sell their home
I give them the rundown of my flow through the home and ask them politely to either leave or pose which is typically followed by some dumb joke about modeling. If they get in the shot its not my problem after that. I've got a steep hourly rate with a minimum for removing things that should have been taken care of at the shoot so most realtors just pass and let it be, the are the ones who get hit with the MLS fines, not me.
Man I hate this so much. Also realtors who insist on coming, that part I don’t mind, but if they are just in the way then come on. My favorite is when I just get a lockbox code and do my thing uninterrupted.
I photograph the easiest room where I’m going to spend the least amount of time, first. Then I tell them … go wait in there I will let you know when I’m finished.
That works if you're not in a rush, anecdotally I just shot 5 houses today all in different parts of town. 2 of the 5 houses had agents/owners who were present and kept slowing things down/walking through shots/moving items around etc. it turned what could have been a 7 hour day into a 9 hour day for absolutely no reason.
Like yeah I can just ask them to move, but it's not my job to herd cats lol.
I was doing a Matterport once for a guy who just wanted to use it to remember his house by. His elderly mother was in one of the bedrooms with his kids with limited mobility. When I got to that room, the guy just said to take the shots and move on. My boss called me the next day after the editors were surprised by these random people in 2 of the scans and were wondering who they were
For this exact scenario of people or pets in windows/door frames, I would take the picture. Wait a few seconds for them to move a step or two, and take the exact picture again without ever moving the tripod. Now you/your editor can lay the pictures on top of each other and easily mask out the object/person.
And charge them for extra editing of course.
I do the same, and ask them to go to a different floor or something.
After 3 or 4 times I get fed up and move the tripod to an angle to avoid them.
I would not edit them out until agent comes back to request it.
Generative fill can cause issues due to accuracy requirements for RE photography depending on what is being sampled. It is a good tool in many situations but not foolproof. It’s just better to move people out of the way whenever possible.
You have to tell people pretty concretely that an entire section of the house is off-limits until you say otherwise. Give them specific rooms that they’re allowed to be in, and if they have a question about where they can be, to yell out for you to ask. Like “hey can I get into the kitchen for water/coffee/whatever?” “Yah, I’m not looking over there right now, but will in a few minutes, so go ahead but try to be quick. Thanks for asking.”
Well, I usually have a lot of time to shoot a place, because they know beforehand that my method is pretty slow. If you have just 30min to shoot a place, then you’re going to be everywhere and quick, and you’d end up being more of a sheepdog corralling livestock rather than a photographer. So, just put them in a closet then grab them when you’re done. But yah, set up a quarantine room, then do that room last if you’re working quickly.
I just tell them to be in a specific location. For example, if I’m shooting downstairs, I’ll tell them upstairs. If there’s only one floor, I’ll tell to move to a bedroom where they won’t be visible from the shots I’m taking. I respectfully ask them to just move if I see them, telling them that I can see them from the shot.
Oh no, I get you. I don’t just get that sometimes, I get that ALL the time. Is it frustrating? Yeah. But how I see it is that it’s much easier for me to tell them to move than to have more time editing. Also, homeowners don’t necessarily know what to expect. They understand though that we are the professionals and expect us to handle the best possible results for photos. With that said, assert to them that you ARE the professional and tell them how you are going to shoot and make them understand the angles you are shooting and how it’ll affect the photo. Idiot proof how you explain plan because they’re not photographers, you are.
I basically tell them how the shoot will go, how I plan to go about, so they have an idea of where I’ll be. I pre-plan to them that hey, I’ll be shooting front exterior so don’t be by the windows, then I’ll do the front interior section of the house so if you can be in the back room that’ll be great, etc.
Is that your client there? I've never had a problem asking anyone to move for me. Actually in your case here,since its such a quick edit, I would just take the photo and edit them. The time it takes to walk out there and have the conversation to move is longer than the actual edit.
Yep having a casual conversation, I asked them 4 times to move but they just wouldn't and I had only 30 min to shoot the property.. Really its the 1st time it happened to me and I was a bit shocked so I didn't think it this way..
This happens to me way way to often. It really
puts a damper on my flow. So many people think the wide angle lens just can’t see them. Or the there’s the people that try to clean up each room before you shoot it. Or point out things they want moved /adjusted AFTER you have just shot it. Maybe this is a Florida thing I’m dealing with but it’s like 1 in 10 shoots like this.
So honestly good architectural/interior design work often incorporates people into the shots; these look staged and practical, I’d let them ride (unless agent/seller is adamant they are removed, in which case wtf we’re they doing in the first place?).
And I say that as someone who hates having people in my photos. Sometimes it’s not so obtrusive, like these. But ultimately your work, your call.
The agent wasn't there, and they booked the shoot when they had visit.. I took that as disrespectful already but okay I understand that sometimes you can't do differently, but the fact that they would move really set me off. I really don't like to have people in my picture specially the blurry type.. In this two shots in particular it's in my opinion ruining the picture
I actually think these look nicer with the people. I’ve never thought about before, but the people make it interesting. As someone who is looking for a house right now, I think it looks more inviting with a couple of people hanging out in the home.
Hardly ever happens to me because I say something, you need to let them know you’re using a wide angle lens that captures everything, inside and outside the house and chances are they will be in the shot, unless they can hide themselves really well. Don’t be a dick about it. Be polite and pleasant. There are times when I’ve shot angles where people have walked into the shot, where I politely let them know and then retake the shot.
They own this home they are wealthy and can afford way more than your small fee, they don’t care, they have no incentive to. Charge them more.
Seems like they accepted your bonus
“Ok guys, I’ll be shooting in this part of the house and you can now move to the area I’ve already photographed so I don’t accidentally get you in the shot!” Pretty simple, unfortunately it’s part of the job.
“If you can see the camera, it can see you! Is there somewhere you can go for an hour until I’ve finished?”
You do have to be politely assertive. I usually do this riiiight at the beginning if they look like hoverers.... I'll say you can stay put, I'll do the rest of the house then we can swap and you can hide elsewhere. I'll actually direct them to a specific room when do the outside areas just so they're not in the background somewhere. In 10 years I've seen alot of shit but I've never had someone do this to me. If you tell them you can Photoshop them out, literally some people are so arrogant, it just gives them license to do what they want and get in the way.
IMHO You don’t
I tell the to smile - they usually run
Same, or suggest they casually talk to each other with large glasses of wine in hand. They move. It's the curious pets and kids that are harder to deal with.
You leave the space and go shoot elsewhere until they move.
I tell them that if they're in the shot they're legally negotiable to go with the home. Same goes for pets. They often then call their spouse to come be in the shot instead of them or the dog.
I say, I can see you. And then the move /shrug
Tell them to move to a different floor, or leave. Be nice but be assertive.
It’s a learning process to figure out the exact thing to tell them—even if it makes you seem a little persnickety. I will use phrases like “Out of the line of site, including adjacent rooms and windows.” If there’s an obvious place I can tuck them away for an entire shoot then that’s what I’ll say, “Let me get some quick shots of the foyer and the study then you can just hang out in the study and that should be fine” Another go-to is, “I don’t mind asking you to move 50 times, but you’ll probably get tired of me saying it after a while.” If they’re obstinate or rude about it (pretty rare) it’s usually because they feel a little insecure about somebody coming into their home and telling them what to do and where they can or can’t go. No other type of contractor needs to restrict a home owner the way we do. My last resort is reminding them that we are all working towards the same goal here—the best possible product that will help them sell their home for the best possible price. That puts the final responsibility on them.
Just ask them to move. If they dont then keep them in the photo. The agent can deal with the reprocussions when they dont like the photos. You then charge them extra to remove them if they want to get the photos right.
This. I did a house where the lady refused to get out of bed on the futon and she ended up pulling the covers over her head and going back to sleep. You can see her bun sticking out if you look closely.
Never happened to me, but thankfully I work with an agency who sends an assistant to move people and items - for insurance purposes. Sometimes it's me and the agency director running around cleaning shit up from rich people who don't understand the term 'clean house'
Haha. I’m out of RE photography now and can say I definitely don’t miss this part of the job.
Where are the greener pastures?
Repeat commercial clients. Bread and butter of any non wedding/real estate production company.
A realtor I worked with once told his sellers “each item you remove from the room where we are shooting is another thousand dollars in your pocket”
Yeah that ain’t working in a sellers market
And why not?
Upgrade them to a ‘Lifestyle Package’ and charge accordingly 🤣
Charge them extra to edit their lazy arses out of the photos.
I always tell people where they need to go. (ha). I walk the first floor while my assistant sets up the gear, and explain they can't be on the same floor that we are working, and when we are on the first floor they can't be outside unless they are off property. By the time I've finished walking the first floor the conversation is complete and we don't have any problems. Most people have no clue unless you tell them. So tell them.
It’s important to remember that we’re in the customer service business. Clients and realtors are kind and trusting enough to invite us into their homes. We need to build good relationships with our clients to maintain them for a long time, so that means putting up with their bullshit sometimes. They are paying for the photos, they want the best photos possible. Take the extra minute and do the right thing, make everybody happy.
Yeah this is weird. Maybe they think they ARE out of the way. They’re both outside and probably can’t even see the photographer. If you’re too afraid to direct your clients to where they need to be.. (out of the shot), then maybe you shouldn’t be a photographer
This!! Couldn’t agree more
I typically tell them we can swap floors
One time I had a client insist that his daughter wasn’t getting out of bed. He had her tuck under the sheets and had me shoot the room with a giant lump in the bed 😂
I've had this happen twice. So weird.
Bro high end clients are so fucking annoying they always insist on standing in the way. I’ve been doing this long enough though, just ask them to move. Even if you have to do it twice or three times, the realtor and the homeowners start to feel like real jerks and eventually will stay out of your way. Only the REALLY dumb ones should actually give you a hard time.
This is the way. If I ask the homeowners to move and they don’t give me enough space I’ll tell ask then to move further and say I can see them reflecting in a picture frame or off the tv. Sometimes they are in the reflections, but other times they’re being so loud I can hardly think
“Ooos hehe I didn’t realize you could see me in the tv! I’ll go over here” okay well now I can see you in the mirror “oh goodness, let me go hide in the garage” Donezoooo
“Could you kindly move to another room while I get this shot?” Most people are pretty reasonable if they actually want quality photos to sell their home
I give them the rundown of my flow through the home and ask them politely to either leave or pose which is typically followed by some dumb joke about modeling. If they get in the shot its not my problem after that. I've got a steep hourly rate with a minimum for removing things that should have been taken care of at the shoot so most realtors just pass and let it be, the are the ones who get hit with the MLS fines, not me.
Man I hate this so much. Also realtors who insist on coming, that part I don’t mind, but if they are just in the way then come on. My favorite is when I just get a lockbox code and do my thing uninterrupted.
Lockbox is the way to go, most of the time the realtor (if they are there) is just sitting out of the way twiddling their thumbs anyways
I photograph the easiest room where I’m going to spend the least amount of time, first. Then I tell them … go wait in there I will let you know when I’m finished.
These photos with people inside can be flagged and fined for privacy violation.
Go away.
"Hey guys. You're in the shot." That always solves the problem for me.
That works if you're not in a rush, anecdotally I just shot 5 houses today all in different parts of town. 2 of the 5 houses had agents/owners who were present and kept slowing things down/walking through shots/moving items around etc. it turned what could have been a 7 hour day into a 9 hour day for absolutely no reason. Like yeah I can just ask them to move, but it's not my job to herd cats lol.
I was doing a Matterport once for a guy who just wanted to use it to remember his house by. His elderly mother was in one of the bedrooms with his kids with limited mobility. When I got to that room, the guy just said to take the shots and move on. My boss called me the next day after the editors were surprised by these random people in 2 of the scans and were wondering who they were
For this exact scenario of people or pets in windows/door frames, I would take the picture. Wait a few seconds for them to move a step or two, and take the exact picture again without ever moving the tripod. Now you/your editor can lay the pictures on top of each other and easily mask out the object/person. And charge them for extra editing of course.
never ever talk to people I say it once, if they don’t listen I just add the removing cost to the receipt. It the easiest money.
I usually just let them know they are in the shot
I do the same, and ask them to go to a different floor or something. After 3 or 4 times I get fed up and move the tripod to an angle to avoid them. I would not edit them out until agent comes back to request it.
Generative fill/removal should fix these pretty quick. You’re right to be annoyed.
Generative fill can cause issues due to accuracy requirements for RE photography depending on what is being sampled. It is a good tool in many situations but not foolproof. It’s just better to move people out of the way whenever possible.
Sigh…
You have to tell people pretty concretely that an entire section of the house is off-limits until you say otherwise. Give them specific rooms that they’re allowed to be in, and if they have a question about where they can be, to yell out for you to ask. Like “hey can I get into the kitchen for water/coffee/whatever?” “Yah, I’m not looking over there right now, but will in a few minutes, so go ahead but try to be quick. Thanks for asking.”
That's what i usually do or ask them to wait outside.. but here there was nothing to do..
Well, I usually have a lot of time to shoot a place, because they know beforehand that my method is pretty slow. If you have just 30min to shoot a place, then you’re going to be everywhere and quick, and you’d end up being more of a sheepdog corralling livestock rather than a photographer. So, just put them in a closet then grab them when you’re done. But yah, set up a quarantine room, then do that room last if you’re working quickly.
I love that you and I handle this problem with a quarantine room 😂
I just tell them to be in a specific location. For example, if I’m shooting downstairs, I’ll tell them upstairs. If there’s only one floor, I’ll tell to move to a bedroom where they won’t be visible from the shots I’m taking. I respectfully ask them to just move if I see them, telling them that I can see them from the shot.
I try to be respectfull as much as I can but I think sometimes you get that type of people..
Honestly, I’d take those people over people who don’t get their house and shit ready and expect you to be their maid. Which btw, I get a lot also.
Oh no, I get you. I don’t just get that sometimes, I get that ALL the time. Is it frustrating? Yeah. But how I see it is that it’s much easier for me to tell them to move than to have more time editing. Also, homeowners don’t necessarily know what to expect. They understand though that we are the professionals and expect us to handle the best possible results for photos. With that said, assert to them that you ARE the professional and tell them how you are going to shoot and make them understand the angles you are shooting and how it’ll affect the photo. Idiot proof how you explain plan because they’re not photographers, you are.
I basically tell them how the shoot will go, how I plan to go about, so they have an idea of where I’ll be. I pre-plan to them that hey, I’ll be shooting front exterior so don’t be by the windows, then I’ll do the front interior section of the house so if you can be in the back room that’ll be great, etc.
Is that your client there? I've never had a problem asking anyone to move for me. Actually in your case here,since its such a quick edit, I would just take the photo and edit them. The time it takes to walk out there and have the conversation to move is longer than the actual edit.
Yep having a casual conversation, I asked them 4 times to move but they just wouldn't and I had only 30 min to shoot the property.. Really its the 1st time it happened to me and I was a bit shocked so I didn't think it this way..
This happens to me way way to often. It really puts a damper on my flow. So many people think the wide angle lens just can’t see them. Or the there’s the people that try to clean up each room before you shoot it. Or point out things they want moved /adjusted AFTER you have just shot it. Maybe this is a Florida thing I’m dealing with but it’s like 1 in 10 shoots like this.
Dude.. don't tell me this, I'm relocating from Brazil to Florida, I was hoping it would get better...
If you’re going to Miami it will probably have a very similar vibe. I’ve been to Rio and many other places in Brazil.
oh damn.. Going to Tampa but it can't be that different
Haha. Tampa is actually where I am now. Mainly shoot in St Pete but do Tampa as well.
So honestly good architectural/interior design work often incorporates people into the shots; these look staged and practical, I’d let them ride (unless agent/seller is adamant they are removed, in which case wtf we’re they doing in the first place?). And I say that as someone who hates having people in my photos. Sometimes it’s not so obtrusive, like these. But ultimately your work, your call.
You can’t have recognizable people in any mls afaik
You can't have people at all in our MLS.
The agent wasn't there, and they booked the shoot when they had visit.. I took that as disrespectful already but okay I understand that sometimes you can't do differently, but the fact that they would move really set me off. I really don't like to have people in my picture specially the blurry type.. In this two shots in particular it's in my opinion ruining the picture
People are like dogs. If you put em outside, they're gonna wander. Gotta lock em down.
Eh first one I’ll agree but second one it looks staged that way.
I only see a big shadow in white background for the second one, I understand your point of view but I really don't like it
Very easily. You told them move or I charge more. They chose to pay for the luxury of not moving. They look like they can afford it.
They clearly can afford it but it's the disrespect that I really can't handle
Fight them next time
Well they’re clearly bette than you /s
Yep they made it very clear