As a professional home stager, I can't think of anything more important than a great portfolio; one that highlights your work, showcases your style, etc... In fact, our before and after pictures of the homes we stage are perhaps the single greatest opportunity we give to our prospects in helping them to make a decision as to 'which' stager to use.
And while I'm proud of how the rooms came out and love the 'after' pictures of this home we staged, these won't be added to my web site.
Why?
Let's review. In this first before picture, you can see that there's an abundance of light, in fact, so much that it's rather distracting. The picture is also a little blurry.
Before Staging:
Now here's what the room looks like 'after' we staged (see below). I rather like this picture for a number of different reasons: 1) it's crisp and clear; it showcases our work. However, because it's not the same angle as the before picture that we had taken.
Here's another example:
Here's the 'before' picture of the kitchen. Again, blurry and as you'll see, it's a different angle.
Here's the same room after we staged. This picture is also nice and crisp and looks good. However, because it's a different angle and because the before picture is so blurry, it's not getting added to the site.
And while I'm thrilled with the 'after' pictures and truly love how the home turned out, I want my before and afters to truly represent what I did and not what the camera did (or didn't do)!
Thanks for reading.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market. Kathy Nielsen, Owner and Principle Design Specialist is considered an expert in the field of home staging. Her expertise has landed her on the pages of Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta Home Improvement; Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal Constitution and will soon have one of her homes appear on HGTV's Sleep On It With their extensive home staging portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make your home and/or listing appeal to the prospective buyers. 
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Whether your home is vacant or occupied, this Atlanta Georgia Home Stager, Kathy Nielsen, understands what it takes to sell a home quickly. Her homes have graced the pages of several publications, appeared in TV commercials as well as on HGTV's hit program Sleep On it.
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Kathy - this happens to me all the time. I started using a monopod to help with the shake so no more blurry pics and I try to use the Jackson West method when taking before pictures. He takes 4 befores of every room, one from each corner that way it is easy to take the afters from the same angle. I often take the before facing the stuff in the room as it (facing the bed for example) - then rearrange the furniture and take the after picture facing the bed again - but now the bed is in a completely different place and it looks like a different room. Most of my staging requires painting, ripping up carpet etc so many times the before and after are weeks apart so I can never remember where I took the befores.
I feel your pain, I hate when a good staging doesn't result in good pics. :(
Hi, Maureen - I'm going to follow that Jackson rule more closely, that's for sure. And you're right, a room can come out so different looking depending on how we're re-arranged. And maybe, just maybe, I'll add the "after" pictures in a completed projects page on my site. We'll see. Thanks for commenting.
Kathy
Kathy-
I couldnt agree with you more, I am STILL trying to slow down when I snap the befores, usually I would just walk in and snap, then carry on to the next room. Now I am just as bad at taking so many pictures before and after, I sometimes have 500 shots to choose from lol.
Heather
very good blog ,gret info I eed to remember that ;) thanks for sharing
Kathy ~ I have been taking at least 4 different angles of each room when I do my pictures now (having learned about that on AR). I think its a shame you can't use yours though because the afters are just beautiful. The first one, I don't see the blurriness, but I am due for a new prescription on my reading glasses! I do see it in the second "before" and I wouldn't use that one either.
Heather - I typically take so many after shots that it takes a long time to go through them and select the ones I like best. And now, I'll have more to go through for the before pictures as well. Perhaps it will a good problem to have (smile).
Mr Jean-Marie - Thanks for commenting.
Kathy P - I too think it's a shame I can't use them. As for the first set of pictures - given how crisp and clear the after picture looks, I think it makes my before picture a bit blurry. If only all of them came out great!
Kathy
One last thought. You could take an after, after picture when you destage the first house. It will probably end up looking pretty close to the before. Maybe?
Maureen - It's a great idea! I'll do it, for sure!
Kathy
Thanks for this post. It's nice to know I am not alone. :)
I also try to take pictures from every corner and middle of every room for my before pictures. One problem I have is sometimes the Home Owner or Realtor will start talking to me at the same time and then I forget where to go next. Ha ha! Obviously I can't walk, talk and take pictures at the same time!!!
BTW your home staging and after pictures are fab! :)
Kathy, I feel your pain. Some of my most dramatic transformations cannot be used for that very reason. Or often in existing homes I neglect to take photos before I start moving things around. (That is usually when it turns out to be one of my favorites.) Your after photos are georgeous as usual!!
Janice & Michele - Glad to know I have company!
Thank you both for the kind words regarding the staging and after pictures.
Kathy
Kathy, Love seeing your work -your photos are beautiful. Even the blurry before shots look better than many I have seen online. Your professionalism really sets you apart from everyone else. Right now, I am happy if my best photos look as good as your worst! It's something I am working on improving with photography classes and upgrading to a better camera. Thanks for your insight.
The pictures often just don't seem to translate the beauty of the room, do they? It has to be a common frustration.
I would like to try the video montages that some stagers put together - Joelle in Vancouver has posted some fab ones. Then exact angles are not an issue - the feel of the room is.
In some situations, standing high and shooting down captures the footprint of furniture placement and traffic flow (stand on staircase, kitchen counter or a chair). This avoids shooting the back of furniture, which obstructs viewing the conversation area created around the focal point.
You created a very gracious and inviting home, Kathy. The pics may not be deemed website worthy, but I would certainly encourage you to show them to a client in person. Your enthusiasm for the end result will overcome any blurriness. Great work.
Kathy: I take at least 4 pictures of every room for my before pics. I print out those pictures 4 to a page so I can explain to my assistants what we will be doing and to help jog my memory when selecting the accessories. I take those photos with us when we stage and I refer to them when I am taking my after shots. If I can, I take the same angle, if it shows the room to its best advantage. If I take an after shot that I really like, but don't have a corresponding before pic, I wait until we destage then take a before photo (which is actually after-after):o))
good photo advice for thought! featured in the group "Real World Home Staging for Newbies"
I like Michelle's advise. Taking the time toPrint out the photos and having them at the staging is a great solution! Good post and good food for thought Kathy!! Thank you!
I usually take pictures from each corner and from the middle of each wall. The problem comes when there is someting in the way such as a picture that I don't want to get a reflection or a flash in. After the room has been staged, the picture or obstruction may be gone and I'll forget where I stood to take the picture. In one case the homeowner took the before pictures and emailed them to be because the job was out of town and I need to see what I was dealing with ahead of arriving there. In that case, I printed the pictures and made sure I was in the same place where the pictures were first taken. However I did take some extra pictures and didn't think to do that before I got busy that day. There is just so much to remember!!
I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one who forgets the before photo angles! This past summer, I started using a process similar to Michelle... I will print an index of the before photos for that particular job and take it with me to staging. So far, its been very helpful in achieving the same angles for the after shots. Oh... and sadly I can admit that I've also forgotten my camera and had to take after-after shots. No one was the wiser!
Thanks for all the great advice on the "before" pictures. And... thanks for all the kind words regarding the "after" pictures. FYI - I made an executive decision to add the "afters" to my web site as a completed project.
Karen - Thanks for the feature.
Kathy
I have this problem all the time! I've started just using my afters. I'm sure there would likely be a better impact for consummers visiting my website though...I'll have to try harder and perhaps review my befores right before taking my afters!
BTW, beautiful job!
Kathy - No matter what I still feel you take great photo's. Can you please tell me one more time what your camera is. If I purchase this camera, is there anything special I need to do to get a great picture like you do. How difficult is it to learn how to operate the camera.
You do amazing work!
Very good point Kathy and I admit I'm still not the best 'before' photog in the world although I try and get the right perspectives. My mantra is let the professionals do what the professionals do best, and a photographer I ain't.
Thanks, Dane. I use to review the "before" pictures too. It's actually a very effective way to ensure you're getting the same angle. Thanks for the reminder!
Debbie - Thank you! It's a Nikon D80. I also purchased an attachable flash (which can really make a big difference). As for the difficulty in learning how to use it, well.... it's not that hard, really. If I can do it, you can do it.
Karen - I love photography and always have. To me, it's a wonderful opportunity to show-case my work so, I spend a lot of time and take lots of pictures. Now, all that said, this particular home WILL be shot by a professional photographer. I believe he/she is scheduled to shoot the home today.
Kathy
sometimes when I cannot get before photos I just use after photos to illustrate my staging work- you still are showing clients what your staging looks like and it is a great shot. Wonderful work! kh
Kathy Love it. I hate it when I don't get a great before shot. I try to take photos from every angle and then sometimes later I see that I missed a great shot! Especially when I have a fantastic after!!! Kym
I'm subject to the not great "before"...I always wonder, How did that happen! Maybe, I have been trying hard!
Good luck and I'll call you soon.
Confound it when I pre-thought it all and believed I was taking the before photo from the spot I would do the after from. then on staging day I had that AHA moment and placed the room in a better and different way! So taking multiple BEFORE Shots and printing them out helps in so many ways. BUT i think something Yvonne Root shared with me one day will always stick.( it's more about occupied homes than about vacants) Keeping the BEFOREs confidential ( at least out of PR materials) keeps the focus on professional results, not on how magical and creative we are as stagers. I do agree that we need both shots but not so much for public consumption.
Lovely work Kathy. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kathy,
Actually I think your before pictures look a lot like the typical photos taken by the agent; and you should use them for that very reason.
Staging not only improves the appearance, but the stager usually knows how to get the money shot.
Thanks, Kate. I am going to add the "after" pictures to the web site; which, by the way, is going through a slight transformation of its own. Thanks for commenting.
Kym - Part of the challenge for me, especially in living rooms, is that I'm not always sure of where the furniture will land when I'm done. So... I'm going the Jackson route with 4 photos (one from every angle) to see if that helps.
Renee - I hear you! Try using your great after pictures somewhere on your site (if you're not already doing that).
Thanks for commenting, Paula. I remember that post from Yvonne!
Susan - you may be right and how unfortunate is that? (smile).
Kathy
Photos are one of my downfalls, the light is always blasting through, it's hard to get really great pics.
They say the best time to photograph is early AM. However, I dont do midnight staging so thats out! A friend of mine told me that if you are shooting towards a window make sure your flash is off, because that dosent help. You can also change the setting on your camera to I think its daylight, and that helps the window glare.
I started shooting rooms in a house when they were finished depending on the light. I keep walking past the finished rooms and when the 2 second window of no direct light appears, I quickly snap away a zillion shots. I tend to do the rooms with west facing windows earlier in the day so the direct light isn't flooding in.
Great pix btw!
Been a real learning experience for me...I don't think I took a good set of photos the first two years I was in business...mediocre camera, bad shots, wrong angles, etc. I have learned a few must do's-take before pictures from every corner, invest in a good quality camera, think about were the furniture will go up front.
I also print the them to keep the home fresh in my mind when making selections and bring them when were staging. (forget sometimes)
But that said, I have found most people really want to see the afters anyway. You can judge a Stagers competence, experience, and staging style without the befores. I can easily see that a talented person put your room together through furniture placement, color, and accessorizing. Even though the before picture of the family room is best quality and a slightly different shot it is still easy for us to see where you started.
Always nice to see your work, Margaret
Cindy - The "after" pictures, I have no problem with, it's those pesky "before" pictures that are the problem. I need to take more, from different angles and need to slow down.
Karen - I've always heard that the best time is at dusk but, I could very well be wrong. I'll have to scoot over to the photography group and see if I can find a post or two on this subject.
Thanks, Margaret. I think you're right that the prospective client will study the after pictures in greater detail. Thanks for your kind words.
Kathy
Great post and you are right, everyone wants to compare the before and after with the same angle.
Great points, Kathy. You get better 'wow factor' when utilizing the same angle for the before and after, for sure. BUT, angle, no angle, you still did a fantastic job...those rooms look amazing!!!