Photography by Linda Sabiston
View, view, view. The old real estate adage (“location, location, location”) applies with even more clout when a view is involved. No other feature helps a property hold its value in declining markets and sell quickly in buoyant markets. Builders and architects love the challenge of incorporating landscape features—ancient trees, an expressive rock face, or stunning view—into their designs, and expert photography is increasingly sought after to capture their efforts.
Linda Sabiston has been specializing in interior and architectural photography here on the Sunshine Coast for nine years now, and she’s got it down. View properties are her favourite challenge because a lot of skill is required to do them justice. She says getting an interior shot that also highlights a view is the most difficult part. “Do-it-yourselfers will find that the interior is well lit but the windows are just a bright white blob.” And standing on the balcony with your average camera, photographing the view as a separate shot, often leads to disappointing results, because there will still be dark and very bright areas. A balanced exposure is the key, and it can be tricky to achieve without the right equipment and training.
Realtors say that older properties that have views, or view potential, present challenges not always that easy to resolve. Sometimes the view is compromised by an awkwardly placed chimney or an ugly shed. These things can be taken care of (though the expense varies). But sometimes it is a neighbour’s tree or newly built house, in which case passions can run high.
“Much of the way I shoot is based on what I have to work with,” Sabiston says, “whether I shoot head on, off to the side, or what have you. There’s no hard-set rules, just trial and error to create the most appealing image.”
Words | Nancy Pincombe
