New Photo Exhibit at New Moon in Truckee

Great news, I will be exhibiting my photos at New Moon Natural Foods in Truckee, California for the next month. There are seven photos on exhibit, mostly landscape scenes from around the Truckee and Tahoe area.  The next time you are in town be sure to stop by, pick up some groceries, and check out my work.

A bit about New Moon,  it is my favorite little grocery store in the town where I live. They became my favorite during the last elections when they put a big Yes on Prop 37 sign in front of their store. Prop 37 would have made it mandatory to label genetically modified foods (also know as GMOs) in California, but unfortunately  it did not pass. My family has been doing our best to avoid GMOs and eat only organic foods for a couple of years now. Our local Safeway has a decent organic section but around that same time, I found out that Safeway's organic line "O" Organics had contributed money to the no on 37 campaign. We haven't been back to Safeway since, put your money where your mouth is... (reference: http://www.change.org/petitions/boycott-the-9-organic-and-natural-traitor-brands-who-oppose-truth-stop-trying-to-block-prop-37 )

Chances are you have heard of GMOs by now, but just in case you haven't I would encourage you to do some research on the topic as well at the corporation Monsanto, who profits the most from GMOs. There's tons of info out there, just google it. 

New Moon can be found at:

New Moon
11357 Donner Pass Rd. 
Suite C 
Truckee, CA 96161 
(530) 587-7426

Thank you for checking out my work!

-Scott Thompson

www.march-against-monsanto.com

New Photo Exhibit Location - Saylor's Restaurant

Sean Saylor of Saylor's Restaurant and Bar.

A couple of weeks ago, I drove down to Marin to pick up my "Beauty at the Bottom" photo exhibit from Rick's Wine Cellar. But a night out on the town in San Francisco with some friends led to meeting new friends and finding a new location for exhibiting a few of the "Beauty at the Bottom" photos. 

Sean Saylor of Saylor's Restaurant and Bar invited me to exhibit/sell a few canvas prints in his famous restaurant. So of course I took him up on it and now a Casa Noble tequila photo, a Partida photo, and a Ultimo Agave photo are hanging at his place. All are available to purchase there. 

While dropping off the prints and enjoying an incredible portobello mushroom enchilada for lunch, Sean asked if I had ever photographed a Cabo Wabo tequila bottle. You see, Saylor's is a regular hangout spot of rocker Sammy Hagar, who started Cabo Wabo tequila. The restaurant even has a Cabo Wabo room with tons of Sammy Hagar pictures and memorabilia in it. I had not photographed a Cabo Wabo bottle so Sean went and grabbed a special one, a giant three litre blue bottle that isn't made any more. I happily borrowed the bottle and I recently shot this cool photo of it:

"Beauty at the Bottom: Tequila 20"

The bottle was empty when I borrowed it so I bought a regular size Cabo Wabo bottle and filled up the blue bottle a bit for the photo. This meant I also had a second smaller Cabo Wabo bottle to shoot, here's what I got from that one:

"Beauty at the Bottom: Tequila Sunrise 10"

Here is a photo of the setup for the blue bottle photo:

The next time you are in Marin, California or more specifically Sausalito, be sure to stop by Saylor's, have a great meal, enjoy their incredible tequila selection, and have a look at some of my art. Thank you, Salud!

-Scott Thompson

Saylor's can be found at 2009 Bridgeway in Sausalito, CA

SaylorsRestaurantAndBar.com for more info.

The bottle photos above are available as large fine art prints and as photo gift items. Click the photo for a larger view and purchasing options.  The full "Beauty at the Bottom" series can be found here: "Beauty at the Bottom" photo gallery.

How To Prepare Your Home for a Real Estate Virtual Tour

Real Estate Photography - Images by Scott Thompson

Professional photography with a virtual tour can be a great way to achieve online "curb appeal" for your home.  Whether you are selling or renting, chances are your potential buyer or renter will be viewing the property on the web before they ever step foot inside. 

I've been shooting high end virtual tours for a few years now and I can definitely create online curb appeal for a property. But, with the help of the homeowner or Realtor, I can do even better. If the homeowner or Realtor prepares the home properly, I can make sure online viewers see their future living space at it's best.  

Below is a list of actions that homeowners can take to properly prepare for a virtual tour photo shoot  in order the get the most out of my services.

Most Important

• Make sure ALL light bulbs are working in and outside of the home. This is my biggest problem that is very hard to deal with. When I shoot a home, I turn on every single light switch and fixture. I carefully balance interior light with the light from my flash to get a well lit room with "glowing" light bulbs. When one light bulb is out in a room, people can see it in the photos. If it was me viewing the photos, I'd wonder what else is wrong with the house, even though the problem might be easily corrected with a $2 bulb. And if a bulb is out on the exterior of a home, it makes "glowing" dusk shots a whole lot less cool looking. If you are having electrical problems with a light here in Tahoe, I recommend Mountain Sun Electric to help fix it.

• Make sure all the glass and mirrors in the home are spotless. When there is dust, dirt, or water residue on glass, it shows up in the photos and photoshop isn't going to help. It can create a hazy glare on glass that looks bad and makes it difficult to see the view out the window. If you can't wash the glass yourself, please hire someone to do so like High Sierra Window Washers. Also, I usually open all blinds so please make sure they are in good working order. If you have a broken one that is going to explode on me when I try to open it, please warn me ahead of time.

• Remove all clutter from counter tops, desks, dressers, and tables. Items I often see out that shouldn't be are pencils, notepads, soaps, sponges, personal mail, paper towel rolls, TV remotes, glasses, and "junk" bowls. Really, anything that can be put away out of sight, should be put away out of site. Nice coffee table books and magazines are fine as long as there aren't big stacks of them.

• Entryways and foyers should be cleaned as well. Extra shoes, snow boots, jackets, hats, sports equipment, and snow removal tools are common items that end up in photos.

• Bad smells aren't a problem for photography, but the overflowing trash, dishes, and kitty litter boxes that cause them are. Please clean these items so they are out of site.

• Make sure bathrooms are spotless.  Due to the smaller size of the room, dirt and spots show up more in the photos. Mildew and mold, spots on the mirrors and shiny faucets, soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, hairdryers, q-tips, get rid of them all. Also, please make sure towels are in good condition, clean, and nicely folded or hanging from the racks. If you're in Tahoe and you don't have time to clean, please consider hiring Alpenglow Cleaning to help you out.

• Make sure beds are nicely made. I'll occasionally fluff a decorative pillow or straighten the edge of a blanket, but I don't have the time to make the beds. Also, If you just through the bedspread over bunched up sheets, the lumps will show up in the photos. Clothes should also be out of site as well as reading glasses, used tissues, and personal items. Make sure kid's rooms are spotless as well, I've had to skip over many kid's rooms in the past because the mess takes away from the home's appeal instead of adding to it.

• Walkways and driveways should be swept spotless and clear of snow in the winter. Pine needles are a big problem here in Tahoe. I can photoshop a few of them out but if your driveway is covered, there is nothing I can do and your home is going to look like it hasn't been maintained, even if they just fell the night before. I would also recommend raking the pine needles off of all grassy areas.  And if you can't see the walkway or driveway due to snow, the home is going to look very difficult to access, even if it's only an inch deep. 

• Remove all vehicles from the property and out of the garage. Especially RVs, boats, and "project" cars.  If it's there and you're not home to move it, I'm going to shoot the home regardless. Yes, I will try not to include them in the shot but that often means I won't be able to shoot a full wide angle shot showing the full structure. And if it's parked right in front of the home or garage, it's going to be in the shot.

• Remove all yard tools and toys from the yard. Deck and patio furniture is great but shovels, wheelbarrows, hoses, snow blowers, and big colorful plastic toys aren't.

Very Important

• Stage empty homes. Empty homes lack life and can feel less inviting in photos. You don't need to go all out, but a few items like tables, couches, and art can really help lose the "abandoned home" feel. I recommend DiNallo Designs if you need help, Elisa DiNallo is Tahoe based but will travel. Also, broken, ugly, or excess furniture should be removed from the home.

• Do not put out seasonal items like Christmas trees or pumpkins. If someone views your listing in July but they see a Christmas tree in a photo, they are going to know the home has been on the market a while.

• Make sure the home's paint job is looking good inside and out. This is another issue that photoshop can't really do much for. Sure I can fix a little spot on a wall but faded or peeling paint and exterior stains show up in the photos. I recommend Easterbrook Painting here in Tahoe for interior and exterior help. 

• Make sure nice garages are spotless. I often skip shooting the inside of garages due to clutter but some garages are finished off with nice cabinetry and floor coatings. These are definitely selling points and if the garage looks good, I will shoot it. If you want to make your garage look great here in Tahoe, I recommend Evolution Garage Cabinets, they can also do floor coating that cover up oil stains or concrete damage.

• Remove all evidence of pets.  Hide water and food bowls, crates, dog houses, litter boxes, and leashes. And of course, clean up after the dog in the yard.

• Please turn off sprinkler systems if you know I'm scheduled to shoot your home that day. Not only do I not like getting surprise showers, sprinklers can leave wet spots and puddles on walkways and driveways that will show up in photos.

• If you have a nice fireplace and want it lit for the photo, the homeowner or realtor Must be there for the photo shoot. I can handle gas fireplaces that have a simple switch on the wall but I won't open panels and press buttons while turning knobs. And I definitely won't light a wood fire unless someone is there to watch it. 

• Nude fine art photos on walls should be removed. I've seen many of them and I'm not offended by them, but some people are more easily offended than others. Also, if you don't want your family photos in your online virtual tour, remove them from the walls.

Other Advice

• Let me or your Realtor know the time of day that the sunlight is on the front of the house. I can get a decent exterior photo in any light but some light is better than others. Morning shoots or afternoon shoots are also usually best. 

• Don't be afraid to request a reschedule if it is raining or snowing. Actually, I'll probably be contacting you or your Realtor if weather is poor as I want to get the best photos possible for you. I do not charge for rescheduled or cancelled shoots. 

I hope you find this information useful. If you have any questions about the above, please comment below or contact me. Thank you.

-Scott Thompson

For more information on Scott Thompson's Real Estate Virtual Tour Services in the Tahoe area, please Click Here. 

My 10 Best Photos of 2012

"Icy Tree at Lake Tahoe" - This ice and icicle
 covered tree was photographed in the early
morning at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe.

2012 was another great year for viewing beautiful scenery in the Tahoe area. Really, what year isn't? It was also another great year for Scott Shots Photography. I was fortunate to be very busy with commercial work and I was lucky to capture many great photos of the area that I love and call home. 

The ice around Tahoe and Truckee seemed to be particular interesting this year. The snow was a bit late and it wasn't the best year for our snow pack. But, this made parking around the area much easier than usual and the snow didn't cover up the frozen smaller lakes and streams until later than usual. Here's a few of my favorite ice photos that I captured: 

"Frozen Creek in Martis Valley" - This small frozen
creek was photographed at sunset in Truckee's Martis Valley.

"Rock on Prosser Reservoir Sunset" - Sunset
photograph of a rock sitting on top of an
icy frozen Prosser Reservoir in Truckee, CA.

I went shooting a bunch this year with my photographer friend Tony Spiker of SpikerPhotography.com. This one below was a full moon setting over Lake Tahoe at sunrise that we shot together from Sand Harbor. He got some great photos as well. 

"Full Moon Setting Over Tahoe 1" - Photograph
shot from Sand Harbor of a full moon setting
in the early morning over Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Donner Lake in Truckee provided some great sunrise and sunset photos for me this year. This one  below of boulders in the foreground with a fiery sunset and a silhouette of Donner Summit in the background was my favorite.  

"Donner Lake Sunset 5" - Photograph of rocks and an intense
 sunset on the South shore of Donner Lake in Truckee, California.

Squaw Valley's Cushing Classic was a blast to photograph. I brought my camera for pure fun and to maybe catch a couple photos but I ended shooting during the whole event. Tons of fun photo opportunities, the one below was my favorite.  More from this shoot can be found on this blog post: bit.ly/IIvpy6

"Cushing Classic at Squaw Valley 23" - Photograph
 of a skier crossing a pond during the Cushing Classic at Squaw Valley, USA.

I also had a ton of fun this summer backpacking in Tahoe's Desolation Wilderness with my son and friends and then again with Tony Spiker. I traveled light on photo gear but still got many incredible images. This one below was my favorite, more can be see here: bit.ly/TYew62 and here: bit.ly/TYeCuw . 

"Tree at Lake Aloha 2" - This tree was photographed
at Lake Aloha in the Tahoe Desolation Wilderness.

Perhaps my favorite photo shoot of the year was photographing the 2012 Great Reno Balloon Race's Dawn Patrol from a hot air balloon, what an incredible experience. I wanted to add more photos from the shoot to this top 10 list but I narrowed it down to these two below. More from the shoot and a bit of the story can be found on this blog post: bit.ly/Uyx3qP

"Dawn Patrol 6" - Photograph of the Dawn Patrol hot
air balloons at the 2012 Great Reno Balloon
Race. Photographed from a hot air balloon.

"Dawn Patrol 15" - Photograph of a glowing hot air balloon
flying for the Dawn Patrol at the 2012 Great Reno Balloon Race. Photographed from a hot air balloon.

The fall colors were great in the Tahoe area this year, my favorite photo of them is below. Also, this year I was invited to blog for my town on their TruckeePhotogBlog.com site. Here is a post I wrote there with many other 2012 Tahoe fall color photos: bit.ly/TqVUOT

"Truckee River in Autumn 6" - Photograph of the Truckee
River in Autumn near Downtown Truckee, California.

Well, there you have it. I'd love to know what you think about the images I chose. Please feel free to leave a comment below or ask any questions you may have about the photos. Thank you, and cheers to another great year for photography!

-Scott Thompson

The photos above are available as fine art prints, photo gift items, or as stock photography. Click on an image for more info and a larger view of the photo.