We are honored to be featuring Kai Lenny for The Wall Street Journal Story

We are so grateful for the opportunity to be the photographer and drone videographer for The Wall Street Journal featuring their story on the world famous surfer Kai Lenny and Ridge Lenny. We are so stoked to be filming them on hydrofoil in the North Shore.

Feature Story on 6th November 2021 in Transportation section:

“Surfers Want to Transform Your Commute With Hydrofoils”

Entrepreneurs are seeking to make so-called foil boards as ubiquitous on the water as electric scooters are on land

View Article Online:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/surfers-want-to-transform-your-commute-with-hydrofoils-11636210841

Online Version:

Video Online Version:

Print Version:

Need a Photographer? Here is what they need to know: Tips for hiring Maui Real Estate Photographer

I came across an article recently that covered things the writer thinks your photographer needs to know before hiring them, and I thought I'd give my take on this list.

1. Factor in the time of day when scheduling a photoshoot. This is a big issue that a lot of businesses, and photographers, don't give enough consideration to, but it’s worth considering the time of day for when you book a shoot to ensure that the sun is in the best position for taking your ‘hero shot’ outside.

Having said that, my experience with businesses in various industries, and I've heard this from a lot of photographers as well, is that it's usually the clients booking the shoot who aren't interested in making themselves available for a photoshoot at the time that best suits the location.

A lot of business owners expect the photographer to do some magic and create wondrous images in any situation, and they don't understand the important role that the light plays when shooting outdoors. A truly professional photographer will do the best they can regardless of what's happening, but they can't truly replicate what the great big light in the sky can achieve.

2. Drone shots aren’t always the best shots. I totally agree and I think this is important, especially with the rising popularity of drone shots (no pun intended). Now don’t get me wrong, elevated shots really can work well. Having said that, drone shots can sometimes make things worse, not better. You can check samples of different drone shots below.

The reason why very high exterior shots don't always work, especially when shooting homes in high-density residential areas, is because they'll show the roof and the yards of surrounding homes, and that's a look that is not necessarily appealing, especially if it makes the home we are shooting seem closer to neighbors than it really is. I have discussed a brief snippet for using drones for listings here.

3. It takes skill to make a twilight shoot work well. A lot of buildings look their best either just before sunrise or just after sunset. However, what's important here is the choice of photographer. A photographer with very little experience or the skill to shoot twilights will not necessarily create an amazing image.

A twilight shoot is something that takes a lot of work because the timing is so limited. The photographer will have maybe 10 to 15 minutes when the light is just perfect, and in that time they'll need to get enough exposures, and often multiple angles. That takes planning and a knowledge of what lighting is needed. Only the best photographers should be trusted to do this with a high degree of skill. You can also check my previous writing about adding a twilight photo to your listing here and on this feature property article.

4. Say no to excessively dramatic skies. The skies in your photos should look good, but they shouldn’t be too dramatic, such that they draw attention away from the focus of the image.

When an inexperienced photographer learns how to do a sky replacement in Photoshop (where they remove the sky that was there on the day and replace it with a different sky) they can get a bit too excited. That's when they go crazy, bringing in the most dramatic skies they can find.

What they forget is that the real estate agent or the business owner is not selling the sky, but the home or the business. The attention then needs to be on the building, not what's going on up above.

5. Don’t edit the images too much. As a professional photographer, I've had clients ask me to remove all sorts of items from a photo, and on many occasions, I've had to explain to them that it would be against the law to misrepresent a home or business in that way.

A good photographer should be familiar with the rules regarding editing an image in Photoshop, or they could get themselves and their client in a lot of trouble.

6. Have extra lights available to photograph indoors. A photographer should have some lights with them when taking interior shots and in a lot of situations, multiple lights are very helpful like this set-up or a simple one can be handier at certain times.

Sample shots with the help of extra lighting are shown below.

Having said that, some photographers can create wonderful images using purely natural light. However, even then it can be a good idea for them to carry a few lights with them so they are prepared for any situation. There are times when only an extra pop of flash will fix the situation.

7. Use a wide-angle lens when appropriate. Any experienced architectural photographer will have a wide-angle lens in their kit bag. We need to talk about the photographer or the client who feels that every photo needs to show the entire room, no matter how wide that might be.

This is a big problem for two reasons:

Firstly, showing an excessively wide room will make the room seem larger than what it really is. That kind of thing can be very damaging to a client’s reputation. In fact, I've had quite a few conversations with consumers who express their frustration with businesses, and photographers, who shoot far too wide.

This photo is from online source. Credit to original photographer.

This photo is from online source. Credit to original photographer.

Take for example these photos we’ve seen online, they may be fine coming from customer’s reviews but not necessarily ideal for real estate photo listings. We wouldn't want to mislead people about the real size of the space by using the wide-angled lens inappropriately.

Secondly, a wide shot is not necessarily the best shot to use in a marketing campaign. For example, a beautifully composed photograph that looks like something from a styled magazine photoshoot may do far more to attract customer inquiries than a wide shot with no soul. The goal, after all, is a sale, so the images need to be focused on that goal, not just on showing as much as they can.

8. Have a booking confirmation if you have a contract or at least something in writing that makes it clear what the photographer will be delivering so everyone knows exactly what’s going on. This contract or list of services could include:
- How long will the photographer be on site, and are there time limits?

- What will incur extra fees?

- Will the photographer style the room in any way, or will they shoot it exactly as it is presented?

- How long will it take to deliver the completed images?

- What kind of additional services / technology the photographer can provide?

Photo by FLOCUS Studio, Wailea Point

Those are all important questions, but a signed contract is not essential. Most photographers I know will include these details in their pricelist (so that the client is aware of these things before making a booking) or will communicate those issues in an email to their client before the shoot to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Be aware also that a photographer is trying to run a viable business and as such, they do need to charge more for doing extra work. A business that respects its photographer as a professional and is willing to pay extra when more is being demanded from them, will be better placed to ensure a successful photoshoot and marketing campaign.

Contact us today for your next photoshoot project.

Our Service Overview: What type of media do you need to market your listing?

Congratulations! You just got a new listing and you are excited to help the Seller to get it on the market. Now, you are searching for a local photographer to take pictures of your listing.

First, you want to think about what type of media do you need? Just photos? Drone? Video? 3D or more? Before you hire a photographer, let’s dive deeper into what you really need to market your listing.

This post will give you a general overview of the types of media you can hire a professional real estate photographer to create for your property marketing and a sneak peek of what services Flocus Studio can offer as a full-service real estate media producer.

1. Listing Photos

When it comes to real estate marketing there is nothing more important than real estate photography. In fact, it can make or break a sale very easily.

“Without a doubt, professional photography is the most critical element of your listing marketing strategy. 86% of homebuyers state that listing photography is the #1 reason why they decide to view a home, yet only 35% of Realtors use a professional photography solution,” says Michael Yates, Marketing Director at Virtuance.

According to experts like Michael, “Using professional photography is the #1 way to get your listing to stand out from the competition and puts you in the best position to get more showings, more offers, and ultimately a higher sale price.”

So number one most basic, hire a professional photographer to take your listing photo. Don’t take it with your iPhone.

2. Video

The cherry on the sundae is having some kind of video tour that buyers can sink their teeth into. The use of video has become more prevalent over the last few years as more and more buyers tell us how much they enjoy it. Again, a top-notch Realtor won’t even give a second thought to whether or not videos are an expense worth having. They understand that if a consumer wants it then it needs to be done!”

A well-made real estate video can be an invaluable resource for both buyers and sellers, since it showcases the property in much more detail than a photo or textual description ever could. It saves you time from showing the houses to numbers of the potential clients so they can see the property on their smartphones and only those who are really interested to buy will call and ask for more information. Save your time from replying to those who have no intention to buy so you can focus on other aspects of your business.

We offer basic walkthrough video service.

3. Aerial Photos and Video

The real estate business itself boils down to one basic principle: the more leads you generate the more sales you’re likely to make. Since real estate agents know this, they are constantly on the lookout for ways to help them generate leads and aerial photography is one of the best ways to do just that. It’s an easy way to make your listings stand out from the pack and that can make all the difference to your bottom line.

In Maui, if your property is in Kihei, it is close to the ocean but not as close as an oceanfront, you may want to show your buyers the proximity of the house/condo to the ocean. The drone photos can tell, “hey, the ocean is right across from the street” but a photo taken from the interior of the house will not be able to show. Usually, homes that have a partial ocean view, we can show the ocean in the interior photos but it may look very small inside the window frame. But when you add a drone photo, the “ocean part” of the photo is taken up the majority space of your photo. Which photo will catch your attention? An interior photo with a tiny ocean view from the window OR an aerial photo with more ocean?

Drone photos are a really good way to promote the location of your property. We usually will highlight the proximity to the ocean and also fly the drone looking back towards the mountain (Haleakala view), that way your viewers will have a 360 impression of what kind of views they are getting by staying in that property. This is even more important if you are trying to promote a vacation rental listing where most visitors to Hawaii will prefer to stay as close to the beach as possible.

Property in Makawao showing ocean view

Property in Kihei showing Haleakala View

Not every property is suitable to have drone though, we do not recommend using drone photos when the property is next to some undesirable surroundings, or the yard is poorly managed, the roof of the house is so dirty or old….bottom line, you want to show a stunning ocean view if you can.

If you have a property that is in great location, but the interior is not too special to showcase, we recommend to add a 1-minute drone video teaser instead. Always showcase the best features of your property, if something is not too special, you do not have to spend extra money to show the interiors with a walkthrough video. You want to give your viewers a teaser, a taste of how it will be like staying in your property - just enough that they will inquire more and catch their interests.

Show the location of the property - E.g. Kamalani is right across the street to the ocean, you can still show the proximity to the ocean and the mountain view on the other side with drone.

4. 3D Virtual Tour

You may have heard of 3D tours. In fact, what is a 3D Tour?

Many call video walkthroughs of homes “virtual tours,” for instance. While a great listing video can complement photos and really drive interest, it is definitely not the same thing as a virtual tour. A proper virtual tour is interactive, allowing the prospective buyer to view the home at their own pace and according to what draws their particular interest. The online home shopper controls which part of the house they look at and from which angle — think of it like Street View on Google Maps, but for the inside of a home.

Listing videos, on the other hand, are not interactive. They are a straightforward video that usually includes music, zooming and panning. The shopper can’t control the movement of the video nor a Slideshow. They are all different!

Here is an example of a 3D Tour.

This same listing above, since we posted in mid of March (now is end of April), has over 3,000 views on the 3D tours, with an average 45 second view time. People actually click your 3D tour! And when you have it embedded properly on the Zillow page (the platform that we used), it shows the 3D Home icon on your listing and stands out from others.

Read our other blog to learn more about 3D tours here.

So what are the benefits of a 3D Virtual Tour?

1) Save you time and cost to keep driving back and forth to show the property.

2) Reduce Your Listing Website’s bounce rate.

It represents the number of visitors who leave a website after seeing just one page. You can use virtual tours to keep visitors engaged for longer periods of time.This means that people will spend more time on your site. Low bounce rates result in more traffic and improved search engine rankings. They also help increase customer retention and boost your online exposure.

3) Get Quality Backlinks.

Every time someone shares your virtual house tours online, your site receives a backlink. This not only increases traffic but also helps establish your authority online.

Quality backlinks are a key ranking signal. They can increase brand awareness, strengthen your reputation, and drive traffic for years to come.

4) Increased Convenience

When you're showcasing a property, you first need to make sure the house is in pristine condition. But, it can be a hassle to call a cleaning agency or ask the homeowners to clean every time the phone rings. With virtual tours, you can show off the property in its very best condition. Moreover, you can highlight its key features to entice people into buying.

5) Stand Out from the Crowd

The more traffic and links you get, the more people will find out about your site. Virtual house tours can give you a competitive edge and make your business stands out.

6) Provide a Realistic Experience

Virtual tours are like a permanent open house. Potential clients can access the tour 24/7 from their office or while on the road.

This technology helps create an instant sense of ownership. Those who take the tour can easily imagine themselves living in that house.

5. Virtual Staging

When preparing a house for sale, there could be a lot of cleaning to be done before the photoshoot. Sometimes, it takes weeks to get the property ready. How much time can you afford to spend on waiting to have the house fully cleaned or for new furniture to be delivered before you list the house for sale?

We provide virtual staging services as an alternative to “physical staging” or intense cleaning for these situations:

• homes that have furniture that looks very old

• homes that have a lot of furniture in them

• homes that are poorly presented (very messy)

• rental properties where the tenant doesn’t want you to show their things in the photos

Depending on each house condition, we can digitally declutter and remove the current furniture and add in new virtual furniture to give a completely different look. This can dramatically change a room, and give added confidence to an agent who is selling a home that doesn’t present well. Digital decluttering depends on the property situation. Please send us sample photos to see if it is possible.

You will simply have to make a remark in your MLS listing saying photos are virtually staged. OR you can still have the empty room photos to show the before and after. Read more about Virtual Staging here.

6. Staging

Apart from virtual staging, we also provide basic staging services. This is especially helpful to vacation rental property where owners may want to show the vacation vibes and a tropical feel. The main area that we staged is usually the Lanai. We may put some flowers or fruits on the coffee table or kitchen countertop depending on the home.

You are welcome to stage it yourself or if you are owners who are not on the island, we will take care of the staging part for you. Nothing too fancy, but adding more colors to the living space does help make the photo pop up and stands out from the crowd.

7. Advance Digital Modification

Twilight Photos

We offer both sunset sessions to film your property during sunset and digital twilight photo. A sunset photo gives your listing a great cover photo and tells your viewers how it feels like to be in the house during evening time.

Sky Replacement

Although we live in Hawaii, there are still cloudy days or rainy days. If the photo shoot takes place on a less ideal weather day, don’t worry, we replace the sky with blue sky. Nice and shine.

Removing people in the photo

There may be lots of people on the beach or pool which we cannot always avoid. Let us digitally remove them from your listing photos.

Other specific requests

What if you have a fire pit in the backyard? If it is a challenge to light it up, we will light it up for you digitally by adding the fire.

***Advanced digital modification may cost extra depending on the complexity of the photo.

Fire is digitally added to the fire pit.

Twilight photo - Digital Sunset Photo

8. Custom Listing Website, Floor Plan and more

A great real estate agent will almost always have a first-class website as well. They understand that consumers start their search online and presentation is everything.

We can also create a custom hosting website with the function to host an interactive Virtual Open House, Floor Plans, 3D Tour, Flyer download, branded and unbranded version links, QR codes.

Inquire to know more.
Sample: Scroll below (left) or visit the custom website page directly.

We have covered some of the most popular media tools you can use for marketing your property listing. Now, it’s your decision to make what would you need your photographer to create for you.

If you want to know more about how to utilize these media tools in your listings, feel free to speak to us. Contact us for a consultation.

All photos and materials in this blog is copyrighted by FLOCUS Studio LLC. Do not copy or repost. Thank you.

Project Highlight: Peaceful Upcountry Designer Home

Recently, I have the pleasure to photograph a beautiful home in Kula in upcountry for an owner who was going to sell the property himself. It is a single-family home with a loft and a bonus ohana, 2,400 sqft with 3.2 acres of land. I want to share my work process and experience.

The owner would like to have property interior and exterior photos, aerial photos of the house and the view, twilight photos taken at sunset, and a video walkthrough. He was going to sell it primarily through photos and video because it is a for sale by owner and he lives off the island. Because of the unpredictable weather in upcountry and we are now in the “winter” raining season, the clouds could cover the ocean view in a short period of time. It took three visits to complete this project because of the weather, however, it is totally worth it! I didn’t want the sky to be too dark or not able to highlight the most important selling point of the ocean view.

The result is very rewarding, the owner received a cash full price offer before he list on market! Let’s check out this house.

Breathtaking view to capture. We waited for the most sunny day to capture this view.

I love the spaciousness of the kitchen, and how bright the space is with sunlight coming through. I want to highlight the ceiling window design. Having photos taken during sunset also gives a totally different feel of the house.

Master bedroom with beautiful light fixture and a lanai to go outside.

When taking the photos, I want the people to be able to envision how it is like to live here, show them they can watch sunset from this big balcony every day.

Check out the property video.

This was a very fun property to film. What I love most is the opportunity to communicate with the original owner and hear about their process of renovating and designing the house.

If you also plan to sell your house or need listing photos, we offer full photographer services, listing photos, 3D Tour, property video walkthrough, twilight photos, and virtual staging services, serving all area of Maui. We serve owners, architects, designers, realtors, and vacation rental property managers.

Check out our portfolio and know more.