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The 2014 Photo Contest is here! Check out these tips and tricks for taking the best photos of your Don Gardner home.

Tips for Exterior Photos:

• Be aware of sun and where shadows are cast on the home. You want to take the photo when the facade is shown in the most flattering light, with few harsh shadows. Especially note if covered porches are dark – turning on the porch lights can make a huge difference in the shot.

• Make sure you aren’t including extraneous items in the shot, such as cars in the driveway, trash bins, or a mailbox or tree branch that blocks the view of the home. Also – it’s best if there are not seasonal decorations visible on the home when you take the photo.

• Don’t crop in too closely so that you cut off part of the house. Try to get the entire home into the frame with space around it on all sides whenever possible.

• Landscaping is important – a photo during spring or summer when leaves are on the trees and the grass is green will generally be more appealing than when the grass is dormant and leaves have fallen.

Tips for Interior Photos:

• Homes that are fully furnished and decorated will have a greater chance of winning than empty rooms. To be featured in Designer Dream Homes magazines, the home must be furnished and decorated. Interior design creates visual interest and is important in illustrating the layout of the floor plan. On the flip side, keep clutter to a minimum to ensure the most appealing photos – you may need to “edit out” some of the objects that are normally in the room to create the best presentation for the photos.

• Frame your photos in a way that room relationships and architectural details are easily discerned. In general, we’re looking for “whole room” photos rather than close up detail shots, but feel free to include detail shots of items which are particularly interesting. Wide-angle shots that show 2 or more rooms in relation to one another are particularly effective.

• Be aware of lights and shadows. Interior photography can be tricky. Because of the odd shadows that a flash can cast, it is best not to use one if at all possible. (Shadows from light fixtures and ceiling fans are the most distracting.) We recommend taking your photos during daylight when the room is at its brightest. Even with strong natural light, it helps to turn on every overhead light and lamp available in the room. Turn off ceiling fans to avoid “blur blades” in the photos. Unlike shadows created by a flash, shadows created by sunlight flooding into a room are generally very appealing, so don’t be afraid to include them.

• Also be aware of reflections – mirrors are the most obvious to look out for, but glass picture frames, shower door enclosures, French doors with glass and shiny appliances are other “trouble spots.”

Click Here to submit your photos!

From now until May 31, 2014 you can submit photos of your finished Donald A. Gardner home for a chance to be published in our nationally distributed and best-selling magazine “Designer Dream Homes” plus, you could also win a $500 VISA gift card and have your photos featured on our website and Social Media sites found on Facebook, Pinterest, Houzz, Zillow and more.