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Browsing through social media platforms like Instagram it’s hard to believe that the pictures seen on various profiles were not taken by professional photographers. They all look as though they could feature in glossy magazines but, in reality, these pictures could have been taken by your 12-year-old son. The quality of our phone cameras is so good, they can make even the dullest of image subjects look luxurious and worth a million dollars. Add to that the use of various filters or a little touch-up on photoshop, and you can fool anyone into thinking the art of photography is one that took you years to perfect.
Photography is key to selling anything, but it is particularly important for selling boats. You’re not just looking to sell your boat, you’re looking to sell the lifestyle that comes with it and in order to do so, you need to capture the specific feeling of life out on the water
– waking up to the sun glistening on the water’s surface and winding down the day with a mesmerizing view of the sunset bathing the horizon in hues of pink, orange and purple. The interior features of your boat are every bit as important as the backdrop as this will contribute to potential buyers getting a sense of what their boating-life might feel like.
The best times to capture the light we associate with life down by the pier or out in the ocean, is during the early morning hours or late afternoon. The light during these hours is less harsh, making for warmer colours and nice contrasts. This is also the best time for still waters – winds usually tend to settle in the mornings and early evenings, making it easier for you to capture your boat at rest. The reflections from still waters are better-defined, making it far easier to get that perfect shot. To advertise your boat visit our sell my boat page.
Before you set out to take pictures of your boat, consider where you’ll be shooting the photos from. Buyers will want to see the boat from every possible angle and will take great interest in the seemingly small details too. Therefore, you must find ways to position yourself so as to be able to capture every angle and element. This can be quite tricky if your boat is docked and the only place you have to work with is the jetty or another boat. If you happen to be working on an unstable platform such as a boat or a helicopter, you’ll need to make full use of your camera’s image-stabilization system and what the pros call “gimbaling” – a technique with which to counter the subjects’ motions using your body’s own sense of balance.
A quick helicopter ride for aerial shots of your boat may not be accessible to everyone but luckily, there’s a more economic approach to aerial shots these days: drones. Take your drone out for a spin above your boat and film the process. Once you upload the video, you can pull stills from it to use for your sales ad. If you plan on using filters, polarizing filters are the way to go for boat photography. Not only do they saturate colours and make clouds pop against a picturesque, clear, blue sky, they also remove unwanted reflections and glare. You don’t need a pro camera for these filters – they are also available on most mobile phones and online editing platforms such as BeFunky.
Last but not least, remember that visuals attract buyers – the more quality images you offer of your boat, the more interest it will attract!
