How it started
Aerial photography is a technique of photographing the Earth’s surface or features of its atmosphere or hydrosphere with cameras mounted on aircraft, drones or Earth-orbiting satellites, or spacecraft aerial photography. Felix Tournachon is the first person to take aerial photography in 1858. The photo was taken from a tethered balloon over the Bieyre Valley in France. Those photographs no longer exist and the oldest surviving aerial photograph is the one in Boston, taken by none other than James Wallace Black in 1860.
The concept of using aerial photographs is to compile maps, it was to prove much more effective than the time-consuming ground surveys. The process has been the most commonly used method of the national mapping organizations that developed throughout the 19th century. George Lawrence took aerial photographs of San Francisco in 1906 following the devastating earthquake. The systematic process of taking aerial photographs would become key to the development.
Does aerial photography really help?
How would aerial photography help boost your real estate listing online? Your listings would stand out from the competition out there if you will use aerial photography and videography. Nowadays, social media lets spread and increase buyer interest in your products. It’s a better idea to find a real estate agent who uses a drone rather than a go pro resulting in quality, non-distorted shots. Through aerial photography, prospects will gain a better perspective of their land size. In addition, you can mark the boundaries of listing on bird-eye-view shots. You can showcase your property location if it is near a popular dining strip or a beach.
This is beneficial if you’re marketing to buyers who don’t live close by and aren’t really familiar with the area. If you are selling a farm home, you can easily show other important features such as crops and windmills. Usage of aerial photography is a great way to attract those actually serious about buying. At inspection time, you’ve already screened out buyers who aren’t really interested in the location. The more angles and detail your photos, the better-suited viewers who are inspecting your property.
Things you should know about aerial photography
Though it seems easy, just taking shots using a drone from the sky is more complex than it seems. There are several different kinds of aerial photos in each of the three main categories. The choice of a particular kind of aerial photography is typically based on the subject and the purpose of the imagery. The camera axis is one of those that have three types. First is Vertical photographs, the axis of the camera is in a vertical position. This results in little to no relief visible in the photos and a smaller amount of area covered. Professionals most often use vertical photographs like a map. Second is Low oblique photographs, unlike with vertical photographs, you tilt the camera axis more than 3 degrees in a manner that the horizon and the area where the earth and sky meet should not be visible in the images.
High oblique photography would be last on the list, the camera axis has a higher degree of tilt-approximately 60 degrees, which covers a large area. Unlike low oblique, the horizon is visible in the photograph. In contrast with vertical photographs, this level of tilt creates a great deal of relief. That allows you to better identify natural or manmade features in all aspects. The choice to use vertical vs oblique photographs is partially dependent on the flying circumstances. It is difficult for you to take vertical aerial photographs in turbulent and unstable conditions, therefore, many photographers opt to take aerial photographs with a tilted camera axis most of the time. Always remember that the image is labeled oblique if the camera axis is tilted more than 3 degrees. Those tilted less than 3 degrees are still considered to be vertical photographs as opposed to oblique images.
Key points
Image Scale is an important piece if you choose to use aerial shots in your real estate photography. There will be two kinds of aerial photography based on scale. First is the Large scale aerial photographs, it is when the airborne aircraft or drone is flying at a lower elevation, the camera captures images of less area. The objects are seen in a bigger dimension. That means that the ratio of the photo distance to the ground or representative fraction- is of higher value. Large-scale photographs are more useful for mapping land features purposes and measuring objects. The second part is small-scale aerial photographs. When an aircraft or drone is flying at a higher elevation, there is a large area that can be covered in a single photo. The ratio of the size of objects in the photograph relative to the ground dimension is actually smaller.
This is why the professionals call these types of aerial small-scale photographs. Small-scale photographs are used mostly for studying large areas with features that don’t need to be mapped or measured in detail. If there is a positive and helpful side to aerial photography, there will also be disadvantages and risks. Some of the disadvantages include the fact that weather conditions can be a factor in why a shot can be canceled. Additionally, it can be difficult to identify land features that can be obscured by environmental features, such as trees, etc. Moreover, detailed variations in terrain features can be difficult to see without overlapping photographs and/or stereoscopic viewing devices. In poor light, a lack of contrasting colors and tone can render an aerial image useless.
Let’s do it!
You can provide 360-degree views of your properties, giving your buyers the opportunity to appreciate the work that goes into the entire build. Aerial photography will give you the sense of providing a vivid representation of the worth of what you are selling by providing detailed angles. You can provide a huge value-add to your business with the ability to showcase surrounding neighborhoods and amenities. These little details add up and provide buyers with a much wider and better picture than they would have seen with just standard real estate photography
As you noticed most of the listings out there in the market, use aerial photographs. We can say that aerial photography is appealing and trendy to millennials. The last thing you want to do when it comes to real estate marketing is to miss out on famous trends. Take social media, for example. When real estate agents share pictures of their available properties, it is usually the same old, same old trend. If you want to make more money, think of a better strategy, so you should be taking full advantage of any opportunity to close more deals. For one, research has shown that homes that use aerial photography as opposed to standard photos close at a 68% faster rate versus the properties that didn’t. That is really huge in this business!
If you consider aerial or real estate photography to boost your properties, call us today!
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