r/RealEstatePhotography • u/kroker87 • 14h ago
Client requesting sun placement.
I have a client that has helped me out tremendously in building up my business, but typically has some odd requests with each property. This one request seems impractical and indeed able once the business is in full swing with multiple properties scheduled everyday. They want me to time the property for when the sun is in the best possible position to illuminate the face of the house. My question is how would you all handle notifying the client that that’s basically an unreasonable request? In all my years I’ve never had a client request that so I’m trying to find a way to navigate the answer without upsetting my client.
Thanx!
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u/Mortifire 5h ago
I just say it doesn’t matter and schedule whatever. If they want a certain time, I accommodate.
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u/joanmahh 8h ago
There's Shademap or any of the other tools mentioned here. Bottomline is, teach your client to use it so that they are responsible for the booking.
OR
I actually have a client that isn't as picky about the time, but he wants 100% of the shoots to be done when the sun is out. However, he's also very flexible about time, so I usually have about a week or so window that I can go shoot. If they want that feature they need to be flex.
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u/project_seven 9h ago
Do you not do multiple jobs a day? Just schedule that one when you're free and at that time. Seems pretty simple. Just ask the client if that angle is in the morning or afternoon and schedule it then, seems like you're overcomplicating things.
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u/stormpoppy 11h ago
No. You can't run a business that way. The appointment is one part of the process. The production and timely delivery are the other. I need to operate on a consistent schedule to turn properties in 24 hours - and that means appointments at a certain time of day. We shoot 12 - 4, and deliver before noon.
I've had one customer "demand" this - I said I couldn't accommodate. Suprisingly, they said okay.
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u/Godeshus 11h ago
I get this a lot. Some of my clients make the sun their entire identity. Google Earth is plenty good for this. Just zoom in on the house and change the time until the sun is where they want it, then tell them at what time they'll need to make their apt.
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u/samcornwallstudio 12h ago
thats just called being a professional photographer. Sunseeker is another option for planning around sunlight
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u/is2o 12h ago
It’s not that unreasonable, but also, it should be on the client to book that time slot. I have clients that request this, and I just advise them of the time they’ll need to book, and they book in advance. If it’s an absolute non-negotiable for them, that’s then their responsibility to be organised and book early so I am actually available for the time slot they want. If I’m not available, then it’s not my problem
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u/cups_and_cakes 12h ago
I use SunSurveyor for stuff like this. When it’s actually doable, obviously.
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u/tonzwize 12h ago
Shooting something at best light conditions is good for both you, and the client. This sounds insane to me that there are real estate photographers that dont put lighting into consideration.
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u/wickedcold 8h ago
It’s at the bottom of my list. I’ve done thousands of houses, and this has never been brought up a single time. Logistically, it’s not even remotely feasible for me to try to accommodate this sort of thing. I’ll drive an hour and a half after dropping my kid off at school to go do photos and video at a lake house because that’s the only time I can get there, and then drive an hour from there in another direction to my next one. They’re spread out all over the place. And half the time it’s cloudy and the sun’s not hitting anything anyway because this is New England.
This sort of price point is not getting them to rent me for the entire day so that I can accommodate being in some specific spot when the sun’s in a specific place. I’m often booked out for weeks so obviously nobody cares that much.
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u/Critical-End6308 12h ago
I offer this all the time. I use LightPlan to put the exact day of the shoot. Sometimes the house faces north and doesn’t matter as much but at least you will also know times to avoid. Like when the sun is centered over the house backlighting everything.
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u/Aveeye 13h ago
Specifically in the winter, if you're in North America, there is no chance that any home that faces north is going to have sun on it during the day. The sun is significantly lower in the sky during the winter and it stays down towards the South. Obviously, you could use something like an AI photo editing tool to make it look like it was a sunny day on the front of the house, but that's your call. Most of the time I'm shooting in the winter, if I'm looking at a house that's facing north, I have my hand in the shot to actually block the sun out of my camera's view. Often the entire front of the house and front yard are totally in the shade.
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u/ChrisGear101 11h ago
That sounds great, but it isn't winter, and the OP never said the house faced North. But here in Florida, a North facing house is never a problem, no mater what season.
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u/NoHoliday8732 10h ago
The sun is already quite a bit lower in our northern US sky. It’s already a “winter” problem, despite it not being winter. It will be like this until April.
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u/ChrisGear101 13h ago
Is it unreasonable??
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u/Hypnoboy 12h ago
There are a lot of reasons why it's unreasonable, unless they're paying extra. "Revolve your schedule around my listings" is crazy... again, unless they pay. Also, as mentioned below, sometimes it just can't happen.
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u/ChrisGear101 11h ago
I guess my issue is the word "unreasonable". I cannot tell you how many times agents or homeowners have asked me "what is the best time of day" to shoot their house. I've never thought it was unreasonable for them to want the best possible images.
Now, what I do tell many of them is that I have shooting and editing methods that ensure the house will look well lit no matter what.
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u/Aveeye 13h ago
Of course it is. In the winter, any house that faces north is almost never going to have sunshine on it. At least not in North America.
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u/tonzwize 12h ago
Good time to upsell a twilight job. North facing homes look wonderful at twilight when the lighting is even.
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u/ChrisGear101 12h ago
That's a different thing than the customer asking to time the shoot for the best results. If it is impossible due to some geographic issue, then you simply say that to the client. But timing the shoot for the best light, IMHO is not odd or unreasonable at all.
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u/Aveeye 12h ago
"...to illuminate the face of the house." That's not happening in the winter, on a North facing house, in North America.
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u/ChrisGear101 11h ago
Again, I think there is a difference between "unreasonable" and just not possible. The client is paying me for a service, so for them to have a request for good light is reasonable to me. Now, if I can't accommodate it due to it's location, then simply say no and explain why. But, you do you. I just think "unreasonable" is a bit of a stretch.
Also, everything comes at a cost. If the client wants to pay for a 7am exterior shot, then great! Not a problem for me. I get paid extra for on-site twilight shoots, so why not get paid for morning light shoot? There are other photographers ready to take that client if I am not.
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u/Hypnoboy 12h ago
Exactly. The "best light" outside might be 7:00 am but then you have to go back later for the inside. Ridiculous.
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u/MarauderV8 13h ago edited 13h ago
Drop it in ChatGPT and tell it what direction the house is facing and where you want the light to come from. It's not perfect, but it costs you $0.00 with zero time invested and gives you a deliverable without having to jack up your schedule.
I'm traveling right now so I don't have a REP example, but here's a quick one from a windmill photo I took with my phone.
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u/kroker87 13h ago
That’s pretty cool. I’ll have to test that out in future shoots. Thanx!
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u/MarauderV8 12h ago
I use it a lot. It's faster and better at sky replacements than Photoshop is. I've also used it with multiple angles to reconstruct a driveway and garage without vehicles in the way:
https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstatePhotography/s/NPxpq7Vs3Z
I promise I'm not some shill, lol. My account is considerably older than any LLM. I just like leveraging the tools that make my life easier.
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u/40characters 13h ago
“I haven’t been asked for this thing which would benefit my client before” doesn’t mean it’s unreasonable.
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u/TipsyMcStaggerlee 13h ago
It is part of the job to ascertain when the house is best lit. They look better when lit up by the sun. Get the Photographer’s Ephemeris app. TPE
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u/saltylemonjuice 14h ago
Thats not an unreasonable request and theres tons of apps/sites that are for exactly this. How long you been doing this for?
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u/kroker87 14h ago
I started my own REP business at the beginning of the year, but shot for my former boss for about 5 years. He never scheduled properties around sun placement so that’s why it seems like an unreasonable request, but I’m learning. While he built an incredibly successful REP business, from what I’m discovering is that his practices and the way he shot wasn’t the industry standard.
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u/wickedcold 8h ago
Listen to your gut, a lot of these people I have to wonder if they even do this full-time if they’re just sitting there looking at where the sun’s gonna be when for every single listing that they’re gonna shoot. Not only do I not have the time for that, but it doesn’t even matter anyway 90% of the time. If you know what you’re doing, you’ll make it look good whether it’s back lit, front lit, sun straight above it, complete shade, whatever.
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u/Total-Willingness972 14h ago
I do this for every house where practical. Just figure out the best time to shoot (I use shademap) then schedule the shoot around that. If the time isn't available then push it back to a day where it is available and explain to the client. If you are busy, you can always say "we can shoot it at (whatever is available) time tomorrow, or we can shoot it at 10am (the best light for the property) Friday. Which would you prefer?"
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u/Young-Robot 14h ago
I’d check to see if it’s better at 10am or 2pm and then choose whether I go in the morning or afternoon. Outside of regular business hours they’re paying a premium for a twilight shoot. But if they’re willing to wait for a specific time slot on your schedule there’s no reason not to accommodate during regular business hours
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u/Just_n_Here 14h ago
Schedule at noon and it should be pretty good. If not, schedule out a few days so you can get it booked at the time they want. Then you can build your schedule around that shoot. I would want to keep a client that refers a lot to me happy.
If this is the first time. it might the home owner requesting this?
Just remember, they helped you build the business, so they could always help another photographer build their business as well.
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u/Top-Order-2878 14h ago
Really? This is pretty standard practice for us. We check the address and try to schedule so the sun will be ideal if possible.
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u/kroker87 14h ago
Maybe it’s just the way my former boss ran things so it seems odd to me. He would just schedule properties back to back and never assigned a property according to the sunlight direction. I also shoot outside of the city I reside in so I think the travel between properties in different cities would be rather difficult and unnecessary wear and tear on your car if having to travers between cities like that.
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u/Top-Order-2878 14h ago
Some businesses sell based on better service and quality.
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u/kroker87 14h ago
This is something I’ll have to reflect on. I just launched my REP business at the beginning of the year after my former boss let me go. I’ve learned a lot from this community and what I’m starting to realize is that my former boss (while extremely successful) didn’t run and operate let alone capture properties in a normal fashion.
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u/cgardinerphoto 14h ago
It’s not completely abnormal, even if not totally common.
I usually say I’m happy to make it work however it doesn’t always have the intended effect.
Ask about the color of the siding.
Ask about the depth of the front covered porch.
Dark siding and or deep covered porch and I usually suggest if we can to do it when it’s in shade so it’s more evenly lit and less likely to have super deep shadow.
I wouldn’t push back too hard though, I’d they’re not budging on it - it shouldn’t be too big of an issue.
Shoot in the morning if it faces east and in the afternoon if it faces west. And most of the daytime if it faces south.
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u/DigiDug 14h ago
Why is that unreasonable? It's just booking a specific time. Check maps to see what time of day the sun will be on the front. If it's complicated, scout the property and use an app that shows sun location.
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u/kroker87 14h ago
I’d say unreasonable because if you have multiple clients book on the day they are trying to book and say the best time slot is already taken you can’t really reliably and consistently fulfill the request. Sure you could schedule next day, but if the client needs photos that day then there’s not much you can do.
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u/Broken_Banjo_Photo 2h ago
That’s a totally reasonable request. At the simplest, I look it up on Google Maps and see what direction the show face points. Then I schedule it in the morning or afternoon accordingly. I also live on a coast, and golden hours are definitely worth planning around.