Newham Film Office

We don't necessarily expect professional quality photographs, but the pictures must be good. A film company or photographer is often working to a deadline: if it comes to a choice between locations, it may well be the quality of the images that decides one over the other. Dark or fuzzy pictures will frustrate rather than entice; a picture of a favourite vase does not impart the quality of the room it's in.

So what to do? Modern digital cameras, used with a little care, can provide excellent results. Here's a few pointers:

Wide angle lenses

Used carefully, a wide angle lens can show much more of a room than a normal lens. But there are dangers: a small room can be made to appear much larger than it really is; and the image can look distorted.

To avoid distortion, shoot with a standard lens whenever possible, moving the camera further back to get the same view. When using a wide angle lens, ensure that the camera angle is level (i.e. horizontal) so that the verticals appear upright through the viewfinder.

Wherever possible, shoot all images in landscape. This not only helps to envisage the location as it would appear on film, it also suits our website settings. Please also make sure that your pictures are the right way up - pictures rotated on their side are very difficult for us to work with!

Hold the camera steady

If you can't use a tripod, use a monopod. If you can't use a monopod, hold the camera as steadily as you can, in order to get the sharpest pictures.

Use available light

Always photograph interiors in daylight, and try to avoid using a flash. The light coming in the window is the best light possible, and your pictures will most closely resemble what the eye can see.

What to shoot

The pictures that end up on our web site will tell a story, as though we are being welcomed into your home:

1. first pictures are of the exterior as though we have just arrived (first impressions - from the street, garden path, front door);
2. we are then welcomed in to the premises (downstairs hall);
3. offered a cup of tea (living/sitting room);
4. then shown around (dining room, TV lounge, kitchen);
5. taken upstairs (bedrooms, bathroom, study, gym);
6. and finally the garden (patio, summerhouse).

Although you may not necessarily be taking the pictures in this order, this is how they will be presented in the web library.

Be sure to cover features which make your location unique - the stained glass window, the secret passage, or the folly in the garden. Sometimes it can just be a wall or a door which captures a mood, for example faded grandeur. The clearer your photographs, the better the chance they will sell your property to our clients. Don't be afraid to picture the same scene from different angles. Clients want a realistic depiction of a location, warts and all, not just the pretty angles! Don't photograph the chairs on either side of the fireplace - we need to see the fireplace too. If the roof is easily accessible, photograph the roof. If it involves climbing gear, or requires health and safety training, don't bother: if you can't do it easily, it will be ten times more difficult for a film crew.

How many pics to shoot

Shoot as many as you like, hundreds if necessary. There is no particular cost involved when using digital, and we will pick the shots that we think represent your location in the best light.

If we show your pictures to a client, and they ask "what's round that corner?", you haven't photographed the location sufficiently.