The Best in American Living Awards (BALA) and other building award programs push builders and industry leaders to explore the best of their craft, but with so many projects to choose from, it can be difficult to decide where to start. According to Housing Design Matters, a good entry can take a bit of planning to determine key marketing details from the project’s backstory to the perfect photo shoot.
Each home’s unique backstory is often an overlooked element in any award entry, but understanding the characteristics that set a project apart from other competitors can also help photographers capture its best features. Scouting the floor plan before conducting a photoshoot ensures that all necessary adjustments are made to best display the home's layout, landscaping, and design in prime lighting and from the best angles.
There is a lot that goes into shooting a house. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a spectacular house be let down by underwhelming photos that cause judges’ eyes to glaze over. Beyond great photography, I’ll give my final pointers:
• A clean, easy to read floor plan is a must. Whatever you do, do NOT submit working drawings.
• Consider a bulleted project description that reveals the key components of the story instead of a big run-on paragraph.
• Avoid overused phrases like “blur the lines between inside and out” and flowery adjectives. Typically, judges are attempting to read over 400 entries. Why not make it easy on them to understand why your project needs to win?
