Dawn or Dusk?

When you're taking exterior photos of properties, it's almost a universal truism that early morning or late afternoon lighting will give more pleasing, more flattering results.  That's because of that photographic bugaboo, strong shadows.  It's really astonishing how a mid-day view looks to the eye versus how it appears in a photograph.  When we look at a beautiful home at mid-day, we see somewhat what we want to see.  The camera takes our mental filter away and leaves only the stark, ugly shadows.

Try it sometime.  Go outside your own home on a bright day at noon with any type of camera.  Look at your house, and then take a picture and look at it in the viewfinder.  You know what your house looks like, so that's what you see.  The camera will show a different and far less satisfying view.  This is one reason many people don't like their own photographs.

The answer:  low sun angles or cloudy skies.  This give a much "softer" light that lets the actual items in the photograph show up without strong, contrasty shadows.  The problem:  you've got to work when the light is right, which is not always the most convenient time.

I like the morning light better than the afternoon light.  In both cases, the nature of the light is changing fast as the sun moves away from or into the horizon.  The morning light, as well as the reduced potential for cars or people moving into the photographic space, makes early A.M. the best time for me.

Hitting the floor an hour before dawn so you can get to the property early takes some commitment.  Plus, a winter sunrise at 7:30 lets you get a lot more sleep than a summer sunrise at 6:00 or earlier.  Knowing these things and being willing to do them gives a professional photographer an advantage.  Other things like composition skills and Photoshop skills and having quality equipment are important too, but the willingness to be on-site when the house is ready is a huge part of making the best image.