Can’t think of a better way to spend a fantastic Friday night, sitting on my porch with a camera in my hands. The sun was setting as the storm was fast approaching giving an ethereal look to the photos I was able to get. I put the camera in drive mode and just clicked away. I even put up the POLYDRONE for a quick cruise. Absolutely spectacular!
Once again, we are getting pounded by snow! This year it’s just a little later than usual. And we got around 3 feet of snow in just a few days. I wanted to go to my favorite place in the world to make sure all was well and arrived to find this! I used my iPhone to record this video, but the results were less than what I had expected. So this is just a for fun video…
This 1.8 million dollar listing was a delight to shoot. Going into the shoot, I was a little intimidated as it had been previously shot by a very talented and well respected photographer in my market. And the photos were beautiful. Since my client was co-listing this sophisticated cutie, her goal was to get a second set of images to use in advertising and marketing efforts. Her request: Make the photo’s pop! It was then that I realized that each photographer has their own style. Not that one was better than the other, just unique unto themselves. This was a valuable lesson as we need to view our fellow photographers as individuals and not competition. I prefer to function from a place of prosperity and not lack. And hopefully my photos made the condo POP!
I had the pleasure of shooting the penthouse in the Capitol Towers for one of my favorite clients. This place was stunning with an open floorplan and lofted second story bedrooms. The kitchen was a bit small for me but was well suited for the space. This was a pocket listing so these photos never made it to the MLS. Exclusively to this blog! WOOT!
Built by Todd Blackwell of Wood River Builders, this home is located in the Northend of Boise in a small pocket up 8th street. Well designed homes tend to photograph better. Initially, I photographed the house while vacant and then again once it was staged. Both sets of images came out great, but the staging really makes the rooms pop.
One thing that I have learned over the years, is that one needs to create their own opportunities. There is no sense in just waiting around for something fabulous to just fall into your lap. It's a lot like planting seeds of opportunity all over and then waiting for them to sprout, and ultimately bloom! So recently, I was so happy to have some of the seeds sprouting - on the beautiful island of Maui.
What a fantastic addition to my porfolio, eh?
Sometimes it takes a few trips to get all the necessary photos because of the changing seasons. This shoot was the first step in getting all of the interior photographed as the owners were getting ready to pack up their belonging for a move to Texas. Because it's early spring and the landscaping is still looking a bit severe after the long winter, I will have to go back in about a month to shoot the exteriors, drone aerials and video clips. I've revamped my work flow and have added a few new tricks to my editing as well. So I was very pleased with the outcome!
It's not often one gets to visit the toast capitol of the world (insert pause for laughter if anyone got my weird sense of humor..) I had the honor of shooting this horse property for one of my favorite clients. This place was the real deal, complete with full sized race track that encompassed the perimeter of the property. With a view of the Owyhees to the south and the Boise foothills to the north, one couldn't ask for a more picturesque setting. While the main dwelling was modest in size, the vaulted ceilings and HUGE fireplace was simply stunning.
Sometimes I have to market my own company instead of primarily helping others to market their products and services. I had a bit of fun filming the footage used in this video ad. Following all the rules and regulations of an unmanned aircraft, I properly filed my flight plan with the Boise Tower at Gowen field to alert them to the fact that I would be flying my drone around the Capitol building. I envisioned the swat team showing while I was filming - on a Sunday morning. NOT! I decided on an early shoot on a Sunday purposefully to avoid any undue attention. The footage came out great so I decided I would utilize it for a video ad of my new service.
I had the pleasure of putting my drone piloting skills to the test this past week for a local tree service company, Done Rite Tree Co. Gary Butcher, the owner called and asked for a video to be produced to document the removal of a 100+ year old silver maple that had been growing right between two homes in the historical North End of Boise. Close quarters does not begin to describe the situation. This was a very technical removal that was performed by a bucket truck and a HUGE CRANE. I was a bit intimidated, to say the least. The final video combined time-lapse, hand held and drone video and is about 3 minutes long. The video used for social media is an abbreviated version which I have posted below.
Every winter I always set out to learn something new and to up my game. So this year I ordered a bunch of new equipment, upgraded my computer and put my head into some new software. It felt like Christmas all over again! When my drone arrived, I was elated. I took video of my dog, my house, my son... pretty much every where I went I was filming. Hand held or from the air, I was documenting my every move just to learn the new equipment.
But I had to start booking payed gigs.. and as uncomforatable as it was to put myself out there and trust in my newfound skillset, I finally faced my fear and got 'er done. Here is my first video for a $1.2M equestrian estate near Hidden Springs, Idaho.
While there is huge room for improvement, I did learn so much from my first video shoot. There are so many things I would do differently and I need to practice my flying skills, but overall, I am super pleased with the outcome. Adobe Premiere is really a force to be reckoned with! Simply an amazing and most powerful tool!
Traveled to the beautiful Snake River on the day after Thanksgiving. It's literally out in the middle of no where - but was surprised to find that I was not the only one taking in the beauty of southwestern Idaho. I absolutely loved how the colors changed as the sun began to set as we approached the winter solstice.
What a whirlwind trip! One of my besties texted me on halloween that she was turning 50 on Friday and was going to throw a birthday bash at her place on the north shore of Maui. "Do you want to come?" she asked. NO BRAINER. How lucky am I? So 4 days later I was on my way to paradise with a pit stop to see my darling daughter at school. PERFECT STORM!
I stayed at my friends house in Kula for a few nights which was delightful! Went to the farmers market, ate fabulous food - it was heaven.
Then it was on to Honolulu with fresh banana creme pie in tow for best daughter ever! I was able to stay in the best AirBnb ever! And was able to drive all over the Island and see the most beautiful of places.
The Owyhees are known for being rugged, stark and dramatically beautiful, which makes the Jump Creek Falls Trail all the more unusual and spectacular. I was on a mission to work on some long exposure methods and a waterfall is the perfect subject to practice on. Ironically, there was another team of photographers on site, just outside the trail head. It felt as though I was in very good company and clearly great minds do think alike!
I decided to take a little trip to the South Fork of the Boise River via Prairie, Idaho. A delicious lunch was enjoyed the the Prairie cafe and then I continued northeast to Pine and Featherville. The hidden history in these hills is remarkable. Most notably is all the remnants from the gold mining operations along the Feather river in 1863. Needless to say, it was a beautiful, crisp fall day and I was fortunate to be able to enjoy it all!
Easter Sunday seemed like a perfect time to enjoy the spring weather (after a seriously horrendous winter!) and take in Zoo Boise. When I was a child, my family would frequent the Brookfield zoo, Lincoln Park zoo and the Milwaukee County zoo. While I do understand that zoo's can be a controversial topic, I find them to be a delight and look at them like assisted living for our animal families.
So off I went, with my ridiculously obtrusive lens - shoving little kids out of the way (JUST KIDDING!) to get that fabulous shot.
I was challenged to focus past whatever obstruction was in the way, be it chain link fence or foggy window pane. Much to my surprise, the impediment literally dissolved rendering rather decent shots. Maybe matter really is an illusion?
During the winter months when the weather is bad, I always try to work on refreshing my business plan for the upcoming year. Well 2017 is looking to be quite promising as I will be adding new services to my list of offerings.
I purchased some new equipment and began learning the world of virtual reality programming. Ironically, this bridges my previous skill set of web development with my current skill set of professional photography. Once I got the basics down and charted out my work flow - I recognized that I needed a really good example to showcase the value of VR Tours. My living room just wasn't gonna cut the mustard - so I packed up my gear and headed to the best house in Boise, The Idaho State Capitol Building.
Needless to say, I was super pleased with the results and hope you like them too. Be sure to pan to the ceiling on both the 1st and 2nd floors - the details are AMAZING!
While the largest winter storm in 35 years was pounding the Pacific Northwest, I was comfortably nestled into the Southern Arizona desert living like a boss! Several of my adventures included hiking in Saguaro National Park, Catalina State Park and Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. The weather was spectacular, hovering around the mid 70's during the day. Only got stopped by Border Patrol once because, let's face it, I can look rather suspect at times.
I was able to try out my new panoramic tripod head - the Nodal Ninja. Tell you what, I was bustin' the moves like a photographic warrior. The idea is to shoot several photos across a fabulous vista and then stitch them together to create a masterpiece of fine art.
There's nothing like waking up to find that the out of doors has been transformed into a magical wonderland. The weather has been super cold here in Idaho and when that happens, we have to endure a foggy inversion. But when it's this cold, the fog transforms the trees into fabulous opportunities for snapping a few shots.
Polly Productions is a residential and commercial real estate photography and web design company located in Boise, Idaho.
We are constantly working to raise the bar on our services. If you have any questions or concerns about your experience, please let us know.
Polly Merritt
+1 (208) 890 7234
polly@iampolly.com
