by Alex Brown | Feb 25, 2018
How good real estate photography can turn showings into a sold sign.
The thing I love most about Real Estate and architectural photography is the fact that it serves as a silent salesperson. After working in real estate marketing for a little over the last five years, I’ve grown to see the importance that real estate photography has when selling a house. My motto is that good real estate photography gets showings and showings get offers!
3029 Marblebrook was a great example of how good real estate photography transformed a house with little showings to a sold sign out front. Before, the real estate photography was dark and didn’t showcase the to photographing this property, the real estate photography was dark and didn’t showcase the tons of natural light that the house had. Furthermore, it made the spaces look smaller and the open-concept floorplan enclosed and less open.
Here are three different photos taken of 3029 Marblebrook by another real estate photographer in the area:
The Result After: A bright, open concept floorplan filled with natural light featuring it’s transitional and contemporary design. After being called in by the agent, I wanted to showcase the natural light that flooded this home, the tall ceilings on the main floor and the beautiful hardwood floors that flowed throughout the main level.
To see more tips on how you can go about hiring a real estate photographer, check out this article on Placester. If you are looking for a Salt Lake Real Estate Photographer, contact me today and your first listing is free!
by Alex Brown | Jan 20, 2018
Turn your smartphone camera snapshots into beautiful fine art photographs
Over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday break, I took a trip through Island Park, Idaho on my way to northwestern Wyoming. I have driven through Island Park numerous times, but never before in the winter. The snow covered pine trees were beautiful against the gradient blue to white sky, and I knew I had to capture a picture of this!
I prefer to take any picture with my DSLR, however, in this case it was in the back seat and just barely out of reach to grab it and still get the shot in time. So, I went to my pocket and pulled out my smartphone camera on the iPhone X! After a few clicks of the shutter, I ended up with some shots.
Let me be completely honest… these smartphone photos are absolutely terrible! You probably are thinking to yourself “I could have gotten a better shot than this professional!”
Am I embarrassed about this photo I captured with my smartphone camera? Absolutely not! People typically underestimate how powerful a smartphone camera can be for fine art photography. All we have to do is extract the image’s potential!
The middle man: Edit your smartphone photography with Snapseed!
I should preface this section by saying that I am in no way sponsored by Snapseed at all, but am totally up to it! Snapped is an amazing photo editing app that you can use to edit your smartphone photos. Before I found Snapseed, I totally believed that you could never get an amazing photo out of your smartphone camera. In order to get a photo from your smartphone that rivals one from your DSLR, it has to be edited! Here’s a quick screenshot to show you the individual steps I did to edit this smartphone photograph. While the number of steps may look overwhelming at first, treat it just as if you were editing a regular photo in photoshop. If you’re an everyday shooter, I’d recommend using the presets in the curves edits for maximum results.
The Final Product: A Beautiful Winter Fine Art Photography Scene
After finishing my editing, the final product is a beautiful winter fine art photography shot, this take taken by smartphone. No matter what smartphone you have or what skill level you shoot at, anyone can become a smartphone photographer! For more tips on how to master smartphone photography check out this great guide by DigitalGuide.
by Alex Brown | Aug 26, 2017
My favorite shots during totality of the total solar eclipse over Rexburg, ID
On August 21, 2017, a rare phenomenon happened from the coast of Oregon to the coast of South Carolina: the total solar eclipse.
Throughout history, light has been seen as symbolic for goodness. However, for a total of two minutes, darkness from the total solar eclipse was seen as a symbol for peace and goodness.
While attending BYU-Idaho, I have enjoyed living in the small college town of Rexburg, Idaho. When word started going around that the center of the total solar eclipse would occur over our town, I knew I had to be in Rexburg for the total solar eclipse. Living in the path of totality meant that the moon would cover 100% of the sun (an eclipse), and that I was going to get some great shots.
With this in mind, I was surprised to find how empty the location I chose to shot at (Webster Flats) compared to all the people who had come to Rexburg. I knew I wanted to shoot the eclipse here because it’s iconic to the area and it’s one of Rexburg’s best kept shooting secrets. Plus, it has some awesome foreground elements and would give me a nice and open landscape.
While most were getting their eclipse glasses and solar filters for their telephoto lenses, I wanted to take a complete different approach when shooting the total solar eclipse. Instead of getting an up close shot, I wanted to get a shot that showed the landscape and the environment under the total solar eclipse. Here’s my favorite shot that I got of the total solar eclipse:
When shooting the solar eclipse, I was told I need to wear solar eclipse glasses and have a solar filter (ND filter that is a minimum of 16 stops) for your camera lens to prevent it from melting. During totality,
Both of these are true, but only in certain situations: You only wear solar eclipse glasses to look at the sun when it is not in totality; You only need a solar filter if you have a telephoto lens and plan to photograph the entire stages. During totality, it is safe to photograph the corona without a filter (you are actually supposed to take it off) and you can look at the sun with the naked eye.
During the solar eclipse itself, I was able to hear everyone from Rexburg (about 5-7 miles in town) cheer and hollar. Towards the end of totality, I captured this shot which shows the ground looking almost mars red. The coolest thing is how the sunset gradient remained in the sky while the foreground and the buildings were still spotlighted by the sun… natural light painting!
To see more of my solar eclipse photos and videos of the amazing 360º sunset, check it out on my instagram at http://www.instagram.com/calexbrown. I have posted a video that shows the 360º sunset in addition to a time-lapse that shows the light falling on the building.
For more information on the science behind a total solar eclipse, visit TimeAndDate.com. Also, check out awesome pictures of solar eclipse from National Geographic.
by Alex Brown | Aug 1, 2017
See some of my favorite photographs from my recent engagement photography shoot with Marissa and Connor.
There is something magical about engagement photography… even in Rexburg! Engagement photography marks the beginning of the moments that will be captured to be saved for eternity. This is one of the main reasons why I love doing engagement photography.
When it comes to shooting engagement photography, my style is different from most photographers, in the fact that I believe in capturing the candid moments. While posing is important during an engagement photoshoot, the moments of natural affection and love between the couple is what I strive for.
I’ve known Connor for a while now, and we were actually roommates when he was dating Marissa long distance. After hearing many FaceTime calls and long talks, it was nice to finally meet her in person and see the love in their relationship.
Here are some of my favorite shots that I captured from our recent engagement photography shoot with Marissa and Connor:
by Alex Brown | Mar 30, 2017
How spreading out my creative versatility and skillset in a booklet turned my resume into a creative resume. How it all comes together.
I wanted my creative resume to be different enough, yet still be mainstream. I love booklets. I think they scream professional and they are so fun to work with especially because of the spread design.
My original creative resume plan wasn’t able to come to production because of unforeseen changes in what has been going on lately. The very essence of my original creative resume plan was a booklet that tied into something that you can eat. It was witty and original.
I went ahead and continued with doing a booklet for my creative resume. I wanted the size to feel more custom, more unique, so I made it an 8.5×5.5 landscape. Using a landscape design allowed me to make the design breathe, allow for more white space and increase readability.
The design is very simple and minimalistic with bold design elements and placement.
When designing a booklet, flow is critical to the overall experience. I arranged the content and spreads in the book that parallels my process and design cycle.
As a versatile designer and visual communicator, I have gained a lot of experience already, and I wanted to showcase my strong suits. The nature of a booklet follows something called the Gestalt theory. This theory suggests that the design as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
While there were certain areas of expertise I did not include in this book, the areas in which I highlight are all interlinked, making it nearly impossible to communicate the same message if they were separated.
If you want a copy of a printed booklet, feel free to reach out to me on my about page. I would love to send you one and answer any questions you might have. Plus, it’d be great to get to know you!
To see another awesome creative resume booklet, check out Gerardo Sumano’s on his blog post Creative Resume Handout.
by Alex Brown | Mar 25, 2017
Time to go through and pick my personal best from the amazing time I’ve had photographing for COMM 316.
Since January, I’ve been privileged to spend a lot of time learning more about photography and the business of photography in my COMM 316 class at BYU-Idaho. I cannot start to tell you how awesome and meaningful this class has been, and how wonderful everyone is in it, especially Sister Caryn Esplin. Words cannot describe the energy, tenacity and love she has for me and every other classmate of mine. Furthermore, her testimony and love of the gospel has inspired me to be a better person and further come unto Christ. One of the most special things at BYU-Idaho is the harmony between the learning model and how the spirit teaches.
Photography has become an outlet for me. It is another way that I can express myself, my feelings and save the memories in my life. It’s been interesting to see a transition throughout this semester in my photographic style. At first, my images were strongly low-key, with a lot of black. As the semester continued on and as I began learning new light techniques, it subtly and slowly changed, becoming more reminiscent of my true photographic style, which is bright and bold.
Here are my personal best from COMM 316. Even though these might not be my top photos, the memories behind these photos is why they are on my list.
For more amazing images that have influenced my style and techniques, visit Caryn Esplin’s website.
