Specialist photographer aims to make light work

BY the time you start browsing the beautiful homes on an estate agent’s website, a lot of effort has already gone into preparing and photographing them.

Miriam Sheridan, 35, is a professional photographer based in Reading who specialises in property.

Her clients are largely estate agents, including Henley’s Philip Booth Esq, along with interior designers and architects across Berkshire and South Oxfordshire.

Miriam was first inspired to work as a photographer when living in Australia with her husband: “I had a desk job working as a PA, and one day I saw a beautiful sunset out of the window — I knew that what I really wanted was to be out there photographing it,” she said.

Four years later, she had established herself as a professional photographer with her own studio and gallery, teaching photography to the local camera club for the Western Australia Photographic Federation, and taking on all sorts of work from portraits to corporate events.

On her return to the UK, Miriam decided to narrow her focus and specialise in the property sector.

“There had been a housing boom in Australia, so I had already photographed some properties,” she explained.

“I felt that this type of work best suited my personality and interests. I am very precise and pay great attention to detail.

“When we got back to England I got excited about the architecture — in Australia it was all new-builds, but there was much more history and variety here. I was glued to the window and just wanted to photograph all the buildings.”

The tools of her trade are a Nikon D800 camera, a range of lenses, speedlights for lighting a room, a shoot-through umbrella, reflectors and a tripod.

While some photographers use drones for elevated shots, Miriam uses a mast to take photographs from high up, controlling the camera on top of the mast with her mobile phone. She typically spends around two to three hours editing images on Adobe Photoshop after a shoot and, if necessary, works her magic to make the sky bluer and the grass greener, and even light a fire in the hearth.

Miriam explained why it is important to use a professional property photographer.

“For interior designers and architects who are trying to sell their services, their photographs of their work need to do justice to what they have achieved. As a photographer, I use lighting, composition and accurate colours to convey the ambience that they have created with their design.

“And from a property sales point of view, the statistics say that a professionally photographed listing gets a 139 per cent increase in click-throughs.”

For more information on Miriam and her work, visit her website at www.msheridanphotography.com