Job Spotlight: Doug Roth, photographer & real estate agent
It's estimated that about 90 percent of home shoppers first head to their computers to take a virtual tour before taking a physical step into a dwelling they are considering buying.
And web searches related to real estate in general are in a high-growth mode, according to Google.com, with prospective purchasers using mobile technology -- such as tablets and smartphones -- to check things out quickly.
The proliferation of online searching and shopping is one of the reasons Doug Roth jumped into the real-estate photography arena. An associate broker himself with Solid Source Premier Realty in Columbus, he also had been hammered by the recession when he decided to at least supplement his income. That meant buying good cameras and software to do the job properly.
Today, the Columbus resident's video tours have turned into a full-time job -- and passion -- for the man who has worked in the computer, finance and mortgage fields as well in his life. It just so happens he has found a profitable avenue that blends those life skills.
The Ledger-Enquirer talked recently with Roth, 62, about his job, its technical aspects, and the need for giving homebuyers a reason to jump off the fence and pull the trigger on a purchase -- after watching a virtual tour of the property, of course.
This interview is edited a bit for length and clarity, with an expanded version available at www.ledger-enquirer.com.
Describe what you do.
I don't do video. I do a 360-degree panorama. This piece of equipment allows me to set up my tripod, put my camera on it, and then take 12 photos equally spaced. So I go around in a circle. And when I'm done with that, I take it back to my office and I use software that stitches them together.
The reason that's so much better than video, in my opinion, is that video, when you move, sometime you have a tendency to go up and down, and within a couple of seconds, you get a little seasick, motion sickness effect, because it's moving a little bit ... Each picture I take is smooth and I make sure all the lighting's correct and even.
The software allows you to pull your camera shots in and out?
They call it the Ken Burns effect, from the documentary gentleman. I can go into any still picture and go from this corner out, or from here to in. A lot of times in a living room, instead of going down into it (with a shot) -- that will make it look small -- I start back and pull it out. It's a good effect.
So I use a wide angle and that keeps me from having to take a lot of pictures. I take high-definition pictures. I take two to three pictures at the same time, overexposed, underexposed, and a regular shot, and it merges them with the software, and it gives a much better depth. It brings out really sharp pictures that way.
How long does it take you to shoot a house, such as the 5,400-square-foot log cabin on your website?
That one, about that size, it takes a good two hours. That's just the picture taking. But I also build a website. This is not just a video. I build a website and put it out to Realtor.com, if it's for real estate, as well as Zillow, Trulia, Youtube and a bunch of other places. A website for each home?
Yeah. It's a website just for that property. I give them links to send to people. If they have a website, I give them a link so they can put it on their own website. And then I give them a weekly report -- how many people come to it, where they came from, how many new visitors, repeat visitors, which pictures are getting the most activity, what time of day it seems people are looking at it. It's a full range of information.
And you're just a one-man show?
Just me. (laughs)
You're staying busy?
I'm doing really well. It takes a little while. It took me about a year to really kind of get going. I started three years ago. Last year was my best year because people are starting to really understand the importance of having a virtual tour. Even the National Association of Realtors says if you don't have good photos, just forget it. People are just going to go right on past your listing.
Before this, the agents took their own photos and videos?
Yes, and a lot of them still are doing that. But it sounds unfair to say, since this is what I do, but they're not doing themselves justice because they're either not taking the right angles or they're overexposing or underexposing or they're blurry.
How did you decide to do this?
I found a little program. It was OK. It wasn't bad for what's out there. It would do the same thing, kind of put the pictures in there. But it was strictly for Youtube; I didn't have a way to put it out anywhere else.
And I was doing it for my own clients. Some agents then said, 'I see what you're doing for yours, would you mind doing it for mine?' I said, well, OK, but I need to step this up. I need to find a better program. If I'm going to charge for this, I had better do a really good job.
And since it's a website, I pay to put it on a server. And the fact that it's a website, it goes worldwide, not just Youtube. They can send it out and, anytime of the day, people can take a look at the virtual tours.
How many homes on average do you do. And I saw that commercial virtual tours also are another avenue for you?
What I really want to branch out to is non-residential real estate. I've done one for hospice and PAWS, and I've done Franciscan Woods, Brookside Glen. I'm looking to do churches and businesses, because they need to promote, too.
With PAWS and hospice, I feel my business has done so well, I was giving back. So the tour I did for those two was no fee. They're what I call executive tours because they're expensive and way bigger.
How far do you go to shoot virtual tours?
I've done LaGrange, Warm Springs, Pine Mountain, and I do Phenix City. I can do Auburn and Opelika ... I've done Valley and Lake Harding, and most of that is on the real-estate side.
What's the biggest challenge you face?
Time. Since I do a website, it just takes so much time. Taking the pictures is the fun part. I get the different angles and the fresh air. But people don't realize the amount of time it takes.
How long did the log cabin take to shoot, edit and put on a website?
It took me close to two days to do it, only because when I get back I take each and every picture and go back in and make sure they're all done right -- the focus and I control some of the lighting. If I've got spots that are too dark, I can lighten them a little bit.
Was the technical aspect of doing this a challenge for you?
It was. I would say it took me a good six months to get a good firm grasp of it. I went out and bought a bunch of new equipment. The camera I had before was OK. These two (Nikon) cameras, for my business, work fantastic. And then I bought the wide angle lens, which really helps me.
How do you juggle or manage your time?
I've got agents who call me and say, hey, I want a tour of x, y, z property, and I go OK, here's what's available on my schedule. I like to start out at 10 in the morning, because of the light. So I go out there and take the pictures, and it's usually like an hour and a half, maybe two hours. I start on the outside and then go inside.
How many hours a day do you put in?
Last November, I worked three weeks straight, 10 to 12 hours a day, which is a good thing because I'm making money. But at the same time, it's just a lot of work to it.
So it's safe to say you stay pretty much on the go?
I do. I've been real fortunate. At the same time, when I have a spare day, or somebody's cancelled, I go marketing (commercial businesses, etc).
Do you market real-estate agents?
A lot of agents know about me because I've been doing it long enough. A couple of the top agents in town are using my services. One in particular uses it a lot, and she's got medium-range, all of the way up to $2 million to $3 million houses.
Do you market to real-estate agents?
A lot of agents know about me because I've been doing it long enough. A couple of the top agents in town are using my services. One in particular uses it a lot, and she's got medium-range, all of the way up to $2 million to $3 million houses.
So where do virtual tours come in to this?
That's another thing. Virtual tours help keep certain people from coming inside the house. If they're not interested (after watching the tour), they don't have to bother anybody and we don't have to waste anyone's time viewing something. But if they see the virtual tour and they go, yeah, I like this, it's not going to be a big surprise when they get there.
So churches are a market for you as well?
I think it would be a fantastic thing for churches. A lot of people are a little nervous about going to a new church. I have approached a few and said if you put a QR code (like a bar code) on the back of a church bulletin, they should get results.
You can hand it to folks when you go out, after church, out to dinner, whatever, and ask them to come visit your church. They take a look at (the virtual tour after scanning the QR code with their smartphone) and then can come visit the church. I'm trying to get churches to understand that it's a great idea.
Can you give me a sense of the cost for doing this?
It's typically at least a little over $100 for a smaller house. When you get up into the $2 million house -- not because of the price, but usually the square footage -- they're like 10,000 square feet. Those start at about $150.
Two of those like that can take me almost a whole day to take pictures. If you have a house like that, you really want to make sure you've got good angles and good lighting. I may take 200 photos in a house like that, and out of those 200 I scale them down to 40 or 50 for the tour. I can't make the tour too long.
Finally, what's the most rewarding thing about your job?
You know what. It's very rewarding to start out with something and put it all together. Then you get to the end and go: Wow, I like that; I think it turned out really nice. So the reward to me is I think I'm doing something really worthwhile and helpful. But I enjoy the end of it when I go: Oh, that's great.
This story was originally published January 10, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Job Spotlight: Doug Roth, photographer & real estate agent."