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Helena High School Architectural Photography

Helena High School Architectural Photography

When Kelly and I chose to move to Helena a little over four years ago, one of the main reasons we chose this town was the schools. We love the rest of the town (old town, Buck Creek, the waterfall, parks, community), but the reputation and quality of the schools was one of the most important factors. So we were very excited when the plans for a new High School were announced. Helena students had…

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A drug and alcohol rehab facility isn’t normally what people would normally think of as a good candidate for the Google Maps Business View Virtual tour. Fortunately Alli Denning from denning e-solutions has the ability to see outside the norm and find ways of promoting her clients in creative and effective ways.

Alli designed the website and does SEO (Search engine optimization) for Bayshore Retreat a small but very unique, drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Destin Florida. She asked me if I would be able to create a tour of the facility. Of course I could! I coordinated with owner, Judy, who has been amazing, and drove down to Destin.

I will say that Bayshore is not what I would normally think of when it comes to a treatment facility! First off, it’s a beautiful home. It has a home feeling and atmosphere. You don’t feel like you’re in a bad place. It doesn’t feel medical or austere like so many similar places. Then there’s the view! Located right on the water you can look out any bedroom window and see the bay. I was very excited to be able to create this tour. Not only is it an amazing place, but they do great things in people’s lives. I love being able to help a business that helps others!

Check out the virtual tour and conventional, commercial still photos that I created below. You can learn more about Bayshore on their Google + Page and website (be sure to check out the website, Alli did a great job embedding the tour seamlessly into the homepage!)

Learn more about Denning e-solutions on their Google + page and website.

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Bayshore Addiction Treatment Center – Destin FL Google Maps Business View A drug and alcohol rehab facility isn’t normally what people would normally think of as a good candidate for the Google Maps Business View Virtual tour.

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The latest home I photographed was in Mountain Brook for Lee Marks of Realty South. This amazing 5 bedroom 5 1/2 bath home was very impressive! Check out some of the photos below and to see more photos and learn more about the house check out the official listing on Realty South’s website!

4912 Cold Harbor – Mountain Brook, AL Real Estate Photography The latest home I photographed was in Mountain Brook for Lee Marks of Realty South. This amazing 5 bedroom 5 1/2 bath home was very impressive!

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I’m very excited and proud to show off the 360º virtual walk through tour and commercial photography I created of B&A Warehouse in downtown Birmingham, Alabama!

I’ve been to several events at B&A and I’ve known Susan Mason, the owner, from my days as a wedding photographer. I knew what an amazing space it was and I wanted to show it off in my portfolio. B&A is in an amazing location. They are right across the street from Railroad Park and right next to Regions Field. They are really in the heart of Birmingham’s downtown revitalization. I felt that they could really benefit from the Google tour, especially as a sales aid. Often people are planning events from afar. Weddings, rehearsal dinners, parties, corporate events, etc. come with different needs. It can be hard to know if a venue is going to be a good fit or not. By having the 360º tour, event venues can help people save time. They can avoid going to places that will never be a good fit or allow them to secure the needed space without physically going in first.

However, I did have a bit of a challenge convincing Susan! They had already had a 360º tour done by a competitor and they weren’t getting the results they expected. I can definitely understand this but there are some major differences between that product and the Google one!

As compared to the competition here are some advantages Google offers:

It’s on Google. Instead of being limited to the tour providers website, the Google tour comes up everywhere your business appears on Google. Google Maps, Google StreetView, Google Local, and Google search results.

You can embed it live directly on your website and Facebook pages. The other tour is a link to the provider’s website. When potential customers view the tour they actually leave the businesses website. With the Google tour it can be embedded seamlessly!

It’s mobile friendly. The other tours are Adobe Flash based. This means that they’re incompatible with most mobile phones and tablets. The Google tour not only works on those devices it also recognizes and optimizes the tour for the best user experience.

There’s a n SEO (search engine optimization) benefit. I verify the businesses information to Google and the tour is embedded right on the Google + Local or Google My Business Page for the business. This helps with the search result rankings.

Much higher quality. The Google tour looks great at full screen on a 27” monitor or a smart phone screen. Other tours are much smaller and pixilated by comparison.

Commercial still images are included. Along with the 360º virtual tour, up to ten conventional commercial still photos are created. The business has the rights to the images, allowing them to be used in print materials as well as digital media.

One time cost. Other tour options have a monthly or annual cost. They must be renewed or they go away. Once created, the Google tour never expires.

Money back guarantee. If you don’t like it, you get your money back. It’s as simple as that!

Once we were able to fully demonstrate the differences and how it looked Susan and her team could see the value. I’m so glad too because this is one unique and amazing venue!

Take a look at the still images and virtual tour below. You can learn more about B&A Warehouse on their website.

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Do you have, or know of a business that could benefit from the Google Maps Business View program? Give me a call or send me a message today. Rates are very competitive and quotes are free!

B&A Warehouse – Birmingham AL Google Virtual Tour I’m very excited and proud to show off the 360º virtual walk through tour and commercial photography I created of B&A Warehouse in downtown Birmingham, Alabama!

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My good friend Greg Boggs of Vehicle Media works out at Agoge Fitness Systems in Birmingham, Alabama. We’ve worked on a few projects together and he mentioned to Dave, the owner that what I do with the Google Maps Business View virtual tours could be a really big help for his gym. Agoge is a little unusual. It’s in the same building and behind another fitness facility. There’s no outside signage. If you didn’t know it was there you’d never have any idea. This obviously poses some challenges. Even when people do know about you it could be hard for them to find. The Google 360º tour and photos are perfect for this. Now, everywhere Agoge comes up on Google potential members can see not only the surrounding area (like street view), but inside as well!

I knew that if Greg was friends with Dave that he must be a good guy. However, I didn’t know just how awesome he was until his phone rang! I was setting up when all of a sudden I heard the Dr Who theme song! For those of you who aren’t familiar (see what I did there), Dr Who is a Sci Fi series that’s been running on BBC since the late 60’s. Fans of the show are a small subset of the Sci Fi geek community. I happen to be one of them. I even went as the shows main character (The Doctor) for Halloween. I knew then that Dave and I were kindred spirits and I enjoyed talking Dr Who with him as much as photographing his business!

Another geeky note, the name of the business comes from ancient Greek history. The Agoge was the training facility for Spartan warriors. It was the crucible that formed not only their bodies but their minds as well. This is the philosophy that Dave has adopted for his training. It’s different from the normal cross fit or gym. You can tell from the people who are member that this is much more of a total experience than just a workout!

So if you are looking for something like that, want to work with an awesome Dr Who geek, and live in the Birmingham area, then you should give Dave a call! Learn more about Agoge on their website and take the virtual tour below!

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Agoge Fitness Systems – Birmingham AL Google Business View My good friend Greg Boggs of Vehicle Media works out at Agoge Fitness Systems in Birmingham, Alabama.

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I recently photographed a house in Maylene for ARC Realty age Michael Murphree. The home had been thoroughly updated and was really quite impressive, but had sat on the market for sometime. Michael was brought in to see if he could get things moving and finally sell the house. His first order of business was to hire me to come and redo the photography. The previous agent had done the photos herself. Needless to say (but see for yourself below) there’s a little bit of a difference between her’s and mine.

Now, I won’t take ALL the credit, but within two days of the new photos going online there were two offers on the house and a bidding war commenced! Nothing else had changed. The price was the same. The house was the same. The only thing that changed on the listing was the photos!

Take a look at the photos below and if you’re selling a home give me a call to get the best real estate photography in the Birmingham area! (Click here to view my real estate photography portfolio)

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My Photos

Agent Photos

119 Carriage Maylene AL – Residential Real Estate Photography I recently photographed a house in Maylene for ARC Realty age Michael Murphree. The home had been thoroughly updated and was really quite impressive, but had sat on the market for sometime.

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As promised in my post on “blue hour”, here is complete post on this amazing home for sale in Mountain Brook, Alabama. I photographed it for Lee Marks of Realty South and you can see the complete listing here.

When selling high end luxury homes great photography is a must. The available pool of buyers is quite small and they are very discerning. I work hard to show off the home in the best possible light without modifying how it actually is. I think the results speak for themselves!

Need high quality real estate photography in the greater Birmingham, Alabama area? Give me a call today!

2833 Cherokee Rd – Birmingham AL Real Estate Photographer As promised in my post on "blue hour", here is complete post on this amazing home for sale in Mountain Brook, Alabama.

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Daylight vs Blue Hour for Real Estate Photography - An Amazing Difference

Daylight vs Blue Hour for Real Estate Photography – An Amazing Difference

Recently I photographed a rather large and very expensive home for sale in the upscale Mountain Brook area of Birmingham, Alabama for one of the areas elite real estate agents (full post on the home coming soon). This 8,000+ sq ft home is selling for well over a million dollars. The potential pool of buyers for this home is quite small. To capture their attention you must make your listing stand…

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My latest Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour is of the historic Rucker Place in Birmingham. I simply love places like this. I’ve always been a big fan of old homes and buildings. This past weekend Kelly and I went to Huntsville to do a shoot of a daycare (post coming soon). While there we drove through an amazing historic district of antebellum homes. We were in awe of how well they were kept up and how beautiful they are. We’ve made it a goal to own one of those homes!

Doing a tour and commercial photos of Rucker Place gave me a little taste of what those homes are like. Established in 1900, it’s one of Birmingham’s oldest and most historic wedding and event venues. On the national registry of historic places, Rucker Place is available for luncheons, rehearsal dinners, wedding, parties, corporate events, meetings, etc.

Check out the virtual tour and conventional commercial still images below. You can learn more about Rucker on their website and Google My Business Page.

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Rucker Place – Birmingham AL Wedding Venue, Google Virtual Tour My latest Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour is of the historic Rucker Place in Birmingham. I simply love places like this.

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Why Hire a Professional Photographer for Real Estate Listings

Why Hire a Professional Photographer for Real Estate Listings

I think most people would agree that buying a home is a major purchase. It’s typically the largest investment most people will ever make in their lives. Houses cost a lot of money. Buying and selling them can be a complicated transaction with many people, documents, and legal nuances involved. That’s why it’s important to have a skilled and experienced real estate agent to help home buyers guide…

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5558 Parkview Cir Birmingham

Lee Marks

lmarks@realtysouth.com

205-266-3800

5558 Parkview Cir – Birmingham AL Real Estate Photography 5558 Parkview Cir Birmingham Lee Marks lmarks@realtysouth.com 205-266-3800

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Susan Schein Automotive in Pelham (just outside of Birmingham, Alabama) is a rarity amongst independent pre-owned car dealerships. As a former new car dealership, it’s quite a bit bigger than your average buy here, pay here operation. It’s also quite a bit nicer too. You can tell the moment you walk on the lot that this operation is a cut above its competition.

Unlike most other used car dealers, Susan Schein boasts a full service and parts department. As a NAPA service center they have parts and expertise to work on all makes and models. This allows them to fully inspect and service all of the cars they sell, both before and after the sale. So unlike other pre-owned dealers, they have a vested interest in keeping you happy. They want you to continue to service the car you purchased from them, with them.

For this reason I was quite excited to be able to create a Google 360º tour for them. As an independent and family owned local operation they need all the help they can get in marketing. They don’t have the full resources of a large international corporation sending them business. They must earn all that they accomplish. This is one of the things I love about the Google Maps Business View program. It does so much to level the playing field for the small, independent, and local business.

I’m proud to show off the conventional commercial still photography and 360º virtual tour I created of the dealership. Check them out below and go here to learn more about the dealership!

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Susan Schein Automotive – Pelham AL Google Business Photos Virtual Tour Susan Schein Automotive in Pelham (just outside of Birmingham, Alabama) is a rarity amongst independent pre-owned car dealerships.

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I recently had the pleasure of photographing this amazing house in Hoover for agent Christina James of Realty south. I was amazed how much larger it was on the inside than it appeared on the outside! I especially loved the high ceilings and all the detail work in the fireplace and woodwork! Check out the photos below. If you want to learn more about the home check out the listing here. Or contact Christina James directly:

Christina James Cell: 205-965-6483 Office: 205-822-2364 Fax: 205-877-6085 Email: cjames@realtysouth.com

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4958 Crystal Cir – Hoover AL Real Estate Photography I recently had the pleasure of photographing this amazing house in Hoover for agent Christina James of Realty south.

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One of the things I enjoy most about real estate photography is that every job is different. Each home give me new challenges and opportunities to stretch myself technically and creatively. Different construction materials interact with light differently. The time of day and the direction the property faces can have an enormous impact on the final image quality. Understanding and accounting for that is what truly separates the professional photographer from the amateur and great photographers from good ones.

When I photograph a house I virtually scout the location to see where the sun will be in the sky given a specific time and day. I plan my shoots around this to maximize my light. For the interiors I bring my own lighting in. Each space is illuminated by up to three flashes. These are mixed with ambient artificial lighting (lamps, etc) and the natural sunlight. This helps me control the light to showcase the home in the best possible manner.

I look for details such as interesting light fixtures, plumbing, appliances, fireplaces, doors, etc to pay extra attention to. All of this means that I’m not the fastest at photographing a house. I will take time to make sure everything is just right.

You can see how this all comes together with this property I recently photographed for Jimbo Kidd and Lee Marks at Realty South. This condo on Highland Ave in the Highland Plaza is amazing. It has one of the best views and best kitchens I’ve ever seen. The style and feel is truly unique and I wanted to make sure I conveyed that in the photos. Click the thumbnails below to see the photos and you can see the full listing here.

Interested in learning more about the home? Contact Jimbo Kidd jkidd@realtysouth.com

205-870-5420 and tell him I sent you!

2250 Highland Ave – Birmingham AL Residential Real Estate Photography One of the things I enjoy most about real estate photography is that every job is different.

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Recently a popular business category for the Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour has been dentists. I recently completed tours for Shelby Pediatric Dentistry and Canales Orthodontics (click the links to view those tours).

We all know that it can be a little scary going to the dentist. You want to make sure that it’s a good practice. That’s why the Google Virtual tour is such a great fit. Potential patients are able to see inside the office and treatment rooms. They are able to get a feel for the environment. Then, once they do come in for an appointment they’re more comfortable. There is a higher level of familiarity, like they’ve been there before.

Last week I was able to create a tour and conventional commercial photography for Dr Doug Lewis in Birmingham near UAB. Dr Lewis and his wife, Nancy, are a great team. They are the nicest people you could ever want to meet and you can tell that the entire staff feels like family. The office itself is near downtown but has its own large parking lot (an amazing thing if you’ve ever been down there. Each treatment chair has it’s own TV so you won’t miss your soaps. Most impressively, they have a special machine that allows you to get permanent crowns right there in the office in one day!

So if you are in need of a dentist, and you are close to downtown, I highly recommend checking out Dr Doug Lewis and his team! Learn more about them on their Google + page and website. Be sure to check out the still photography and virtual tour below!

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Doctor Doug Lewis, DMD – Birmingham, AL – Google Virtual Tour Recently a popular business category for the Google Maps Business View Virtual Tour has been dentists. I recently completed tours for…

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You may be thinking a window tinting business is a place to get your vehicle’s windows tinted. And you would be correct in that assumption. But Sundown Window Tint & Design is not just your average, run-of-the-mill window tinting operation. Nay, Nay. When I arrived at their business to get my car’s windows tinted (by the way, great job there), I was amazed at what all else I learned they could do. If you want your company’s logo tastefully printed on the side of your car, Sunbelt can do that. Or if you want to promote your business by transforming your entire vehicle into a rolling billboard, Sundown is the place to go. If you have a retro VW van that you wish to be recreated into an exact copy of Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine, then Sundown can hook you up. Even if you want to change the entire exterior color of your vehicle – say you’ve got a plain Jane gray SUV, Sundown can transform that bad boy into flaming, atomic orange SUV if you so desire, and I swear it will look as good if not better than if it had arrived from the factory that way.

But not only does Sundown offer these amazing creations, custom created by their resident graphic designers, their store is a cheery, brightly colored place to do business with. I was excited to have the opportunity to create their Google Virtual Tour photos so I could showcase to the world just how awesome this place is. So go by and take advantage of their free 30 minute consultation, and tell them I led you there via Google’s virtual tour.

Now, to decide if I want to take my wife up on her suggestion that I should have my blue Honda Fit transformed into the Doctor Who TARDIS. Um, I don’t know. What do YOU think?

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Sundown Window Tint & Design – Google 360º Virtual Tour You may be thinking a window tinting business is a place to get your vehicle’s windows tinted.

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I am kind of weird. When I go into a building or business and see lots of bright, powerful color, I get excited. My wife, Kelly, can tell you that when I see a beautiful space, especially in good light, I get as giddy as a 13 yr old girl at a Justin Bieber concert.

As soon as I walked into Shelby Pediatric Dentistry I knew I had to photograph this business. The color scheme is amazing. Bright teal’s and oranges everywhere you look. The lighting fixtures, furniture, architecture, and colors all came together to create are really fun environment. I knew that parents and kids would love the place. So I wanted to create a Google 360º virtual tour to show it off.

As I’ve mentioned in the past however, a pretty building does not necessarily a  successful business make. You have to have a good business model, and the right people to provide the best possible customer experience. This is especially true in the highly competitive market of pediatric dentistry. In the greater Birmingham area there is no shortage of highly qualified dentists. Separating yourself from your competition is critical.

Dr Baxter has done that with his facility, by having the Google Maps Business View virtual tour, offering a unique experience, and having great staff. I can also speak to personal experience. My 10yr old son, Wilder, can be a bit of a handful at times. Dr Baxter and his team were amazingly patient and efficient. I was truly impresses with how well they did, and Wilder loved the TV’s on the ceiling! 

So if you have kids, and they have teeth, I highly recommend checking out Shelby Pediatric Dentistry in Pelham. You can learn more about them on their website and Google My Business Pages. Be sure to click the thumbnails to view the conventional commercial photography I created and the 360º virtual tour!

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Shelby Pediatric Dentistry, Pelham AL – Google 360º Virtual Tour & Commercial Photography I am kind of weird. When I go into a building or business and see lots of bright, powerful color, I get excited.