She Delivers Glamor Shots for Sellers
By Gina Dostler
Jeri Koegel loves life as a photographer, living with her husband and three children in Laguna Beach. Her subjects are homes and buildings that grace magazines and websites, prompting many to find their dream home within those pages. Though her children are now grown, her life continues on busy as ever, taking pictures and roaming the coastal towns of Orange County.
Q: How important is it to take quality pictures for real estate?
A: So many real estate agents, and we’re talking agents with million dollar plus listings, don’t understand the investment in having professional shots taken for their clients and many just snap pictures with their phone. But if you think about it, there are hundreds and hundreds of pictures buyers must shift through, whether on a website, magazine or a listing. Making the ordinary, extraordinary, or the extraordinary exemplary is the key to every shot.
Q: Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?
A: Absolutely. A picture grabs a thought, an emotion or an expectation and can be the very driving force to motivate a buyer to check out the home. It’s understandable when shooting for an agent, their focus is showing the size of the room, the view, or whatever sells the home. But taking the time to create composition, play with the lighting and go the extra mile to generate a home that says “buy me.” It draws people to visit the homes, making it one step closer to selling it.
Q: Architects and interior designers have a different view on it.
A: Their focus extends to the structure of the home. They understand the value of a great picture so will invest in a photographer to shoot the homes they’ve designed. Their intent is for websites and portfolios; and if they have great photos, magazines will certainly run them. That’s why architects hire good photographers. It represents their work and a chance to be in a magazine.
Q: Your focus has been photography for the past 10 years in interior and exterior of homes and buildings. Is this your niche?
A: In so many ways, yes, because I really love the structures with all their lines, curves, textures and colors, a perfect palette for the camera. But it’s not always the million dollar homes that make a good photo. I tend to gravitate towards the eclectic so-called “out of the norm” surroundings because of course these visuals are much more fun to shoot. Steve Jones of BetterShelter referred me to a “barn house” in the middle of an industrial street in Costa Mesa that I really enjoyed shooting.
Q: What got you started in photography?
A: Nothing earth-shattering. My boyfriend at the time was into photography so I decided to take a class with him in college and realized I loved photography. After various photography jobs after college, teaching basic photography then working for a PR firm as a photographer, I left to raise my family. Twenty years later, I came back and realized that the standards for real estate photos had sunk pretty low, where shooting for quantity versus quality was the way to make a living. By giving quality photos through utilizing Photoshop to cleanup and put the finishing touches on a photo, I got noticed and made a niche for myself in this area.
Q: Structures are your bread and butter, but what do you really love to photograph?
A: Actually, my favorite is pictures of people. I love the connections when photographing them because behind every smile, every tear, there is always a story. An empathetic part of me captures what’s inside someone, the spirit within, and at times this quality can also make my job difficult. Back when the economy caused so many people to lose their homes, photographing those homes for listings was hard. I witnessed many tears. It was heartbreaking.
Q: What are some interesting photo ops you’ve had?
A: I photographed a house for Brandon Architects where there was a wall of shoes as a centerpiece in the middle of the house going straight up to the third level. It was all lit with Louis Vuitton and other amazing shoes on display. Now that is something you don’t see every day. Then there was the barn house where the owner Corey hung a bicycle and bathtub outside his paned glass windows, casting silhouettes when viewed from the inside. So cool. Steve Jones’ totally refurbished Airstream sitting on the beach at sunset! Those are the shots that any photographer grabs at and does simply for the love of it.
Jeri Koegel Photography
449 Thalia Street
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949-584-8525
jeri@jerikoegel.com
www.jerikoegel.com
