Photography
(see also: Websites | Print Design | Video Production)
Much of my 20-plus year career in print production was spent working with photographs to make them look as good as possible for print. The skills that I learned there serve me well in website and graphic design. Those skills have been extended and refined by my work as a Real Estate photographer.
Property Marketing
A few years ago, I was mentored by one of Texas’ premiere Real Estate photographers, Craig McCasland. Craig taught me much of what I know about Real Estate Photography, including lighting, color correction, and perspective control/correction. I have honed these skills serving several Realtors in the Dallas and Austin area.
It is especially satisfying when I can photograph a property for display on a website, as I did when I built a website for the Steitz family and their rental home: The Invincible Lodge. This sumptuous home is nestled in a high mountain valley at 10,000 feet, above Idaho Springs, Colorado.
Creative Techniques
While Real Estate photography affords many opportunities for creative Photoshop techniques, such as sky-replacement and grass-greening, there are definite limitations. For example, properties cannot be misrepresented by such things as cloning out power lines or structural imperfections.
That’s why it’s especially satisfying to apply creative techniques to portraying properties that are NOT for sale. Such was the case as I built a website for the Foundation at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas. Their impressive sanctuary, ArtReach Gallery, and Shepherd’s Garden were perfect candidates for 360-degree photos and the fun little videos I produce from them.
And a Little Self-Promotion
You may also enjoy a mostly-for-fun animation that I did based on a photograph I took in downtown Dallas. For this one, do yourself a favor, and turn up the sound!
Slideshows for Events
Once photographs are in digital format, there are unlimited opportunities for re-purposing them. Examples include scanning and repairing old family photos for a wedding anniversary or memorial service slideshow, or re-casting an entire website for a trade show booth (as I did for my website client Test Technology Associates). Given the original purpose of the presentation, it is not exactly “riveting.” You may enjoy a section toward the end where I embedded video supplied by the client. That part is fascinating, as it shows how quickly an automated test probe can move around on a circuit board!
