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Allow HMS Photography to put your home in the frame with potential buyers
SELLING your home is one of life’s major stresses but the process can be made much easier if the marketing photography catches buyers’ eyes.
Photographer Hayley Stewart knows this only too well, having worked first as an estate agent before taking the plunge to concentrate on her passion for taking pictures. She has now built up a strong reputation for the quality of her photographs and aims to branch out further, taking pictures of people as well as their homes.
Property will remain the core of her business, however, mainly because she enjoys the work and takes pride giving people photographs they can treasure as mementos long after they have sold their home.
The philosophy seems to be working, judging by the amount of positive feedback they give once they see their home through her eyes.
Stewart recognises that homeowners are often nervous when she arrives to take photographs of their homes and takes time to put them at their ease.
“People are often very emotionally attached to their houses and when I go in at first they can be quite anxious about how I am going to see it and if I will compare it with other houses I might have seen that day,” she said.
“There are a lot of photographers but it is not just taking pictures that matters as you don’t want people to feel intimidated. I try to display a home in a way that is not deceiving but showing it at its best. I want people to feel comfortable and think it was a good experience and not stressful because obviously selling your property is one of the biggest stresses in life.
“I want to be able to relate to them and not be an inconvenience – a lot of my client testimonials have been that it has been a pleasure.
“That is what I am aiming for because it should be exciting to see the photos and have those memories of a house that you have been in for may be 15 or 20 years. They should be something you want to keep.”
Stewart also does drone photography and, along with the stills, provides a video that shows the whole house, allowing people to see what they are buying without having to view the home in person.
Always a keen photographer, Stewart’s interest in making a career of it began when she worked for an estate agent in Falkirk. There was already a professional photographer attached to the business but Stewart helped out and would also send pictures to clients to give them the choice of what was to be used to market their homes.
“I had an eye for it and always knew which ones the clients would select and their reasons for selecting them,” she said. “It was nothing to do with a photo being a better quality but just the angle that showed it off properly so I know the angles that show off a home best.”
At the first lockdown she was furloughed and then made redundant which spurred her on to pursue photography as a full time career. “I just thought I would do this occasionally but my hand was forced by being made redundant which has turned out to be for the best,” said Stewart.
At the moment she is working freelance for estate agents and interior designers in the Stirling area but is flexible and willing to travel where she is needed.
One of her clients is actually her partner Austin Halliday, director of Bridge of Allan based Halliday Homes, who was initially her most forthright critic but now uses her as his main photographer after getting glowing feedback from clients.
“We have had multiple sellers and landlords use our services based on the photography,” he said. “Not only does Hayley have a personal touch, the quality of the photographs and video tours are top class.”
“I try to display a home in a way that is not deceiving but showing it at its best