There are two things that have influenced my approach to client photography more than anything else.

The first lesson came from a design class at university. The professor told us, “When you’re designing an ad, remember that only two versions will be remembered: the absolute best and the absolute worst.” That idea stuck with me.

The second lesson came a few years later, when I was a young commercial photographer sitting in a pre-production meeting at a large Chicago advertising agency. The account executive for a national campaign outlined the production requirements by pointing at me and saying, “David, your first job is to make a picture that stops them from turning the page.” Then he pointed to a copywriter: “Their job is to write a headline that makes people want to know more.” Then the main body copywriter: “Their job is to describe the product so the buyer wants to take action.” Finally, he added that after creating the eye-catching photo, my next responsibility was to make images that clearly showcased the product and supported the copywriters’ work.

Fast-forward fifty years to my work photographing luxury real estate, the same principles still hold true. While photos may be low on a homebuyer’s criteria when they’re thinking about what they want in a home, those images rise to the very top when that buyer is browsing an online portal after fine-tuning their search parameters.

My goal on every job is to create three or four attention-getting images—pictures that make someone stop scrolling. After that, I focus on producing photos that help a prospective buyer appreciate the home as a place to live, so they feel compelled to visit in person.

Selling the house is the agent’s job. My job is to make photographs that make a buyer want to step inside the home.

browse through the gallery to see if I reached my expectations.

This project was for my favorite agent. It’s a renovation listed for the builder. They had a contract in hand within 3 weeks.