Home Prep Tips — Elev8 Images

Whole house

Before we arrive

Turn on every light in the house, including lamps and under-cabinet lighting.
Replace any burnt-out bulbs, and match bulb colour where you can — mixed warm and cool light is hard to correct.
Open all blinds and curtains to the same height.
Turn ceiling fans off so the blades photograph cleanly.
Park cars away from the front of the house and out of the driveway.
Hide bins, hoses, cords, pet bowls and litter boxes.

First room buyers judge

Kitchen

Clear the counters — leave one or two considered items at most.
Remove magnets, notes and photos from the fridge.
Put away dish racks, soap bottles, sponges and towels.
Wipe down appliances; stainless shows every fingerprint on camera.
Push bar stools in evenly.

Where space is sold

Living & dining

Remove personal photos, remotes, chargers and stacks of mail.
Straighten cushions and fold throws.
Centre rugs and coffee tables.
Set the dining table simply, or leave it clear — heavy settings date quickly.
Consider removing one piece of furniture; rooms photograph larger with less in them.

Calm and uncluttered

Bedrooms

Make every bed with the smoothest bedding you own, ideally white or neutral.
Clear nightstands down to a lamp.
Remove items from the floor entirely, including shoes and laundry baskets.
Close closet doors unless we're photographing the closet.

Small rooms, big impact

Bathrooms

Clear every counter — toothbrushes, products and razors all read as clutter.
Hang fresh towels, folded evenly.
Close toilet lids.
Remove bath mats, shower caddies and anything on the tub edge.
Wipe mirrors and glass; we can't edit out streaks convincingly.

The first photo buyers see

Exterior & yard

Mow, edge and clear leaves the day before.
Coil hoses out of sight and move tools, toys and trampolines.
Sweep the driveway, walkway and porch.
Clear the patio, or set it simply with clean furniture.
For pool shots, run the cleaner beforehand and remove the equipment from the water.

Drone days

If we're flying aerials

Ask neighbours to move cars from the street in front if you can — it noticeably improves the shot.
Retract awnings and umbrellas.
Aerials can't be flown in any rain, including light drizzle, so we may reschedule that portion.

Twilight sessions

If we're shooting at dusk

Leave every interior light on, including upstairs rooms we aren't shooting.
Turn on landscape, porch and pool lighting.
Dusk shoots run on a short window and cannot be delayed, so the house needs to be fully ready before we arrive.

A shoot runs roughly an hour. We photograph the home as we find it — we don’t move furniture or clean, so anything left out will appear in the photos.

Worth knowing

What editing can and can’t fix.

Included in every photo

HDR processing, sky enhancement or replacement, grass greening, colour correction, vertical line straightening and pool equipment removal — at no additional charge.

Available as an add-on

Object removal and virtual day-to-dusk conversion are priced per photo. Vacant rooms can be virtually staged. See for details.

Not fixable in editing

Clutter, personal items, unmade beds, dirty surfaces and burnt-out bulbs all have to be handled before the shoot. Removing them convincingly is manual work and often isn’t possible at all.

If the home isn’t ready

We’ll photograph what we can and can return for the remainder. A return visit is charged separately — it’s worth an extra day of prep to avoid it.

Ready to get it on the calendar?

Book a Shoot