I Am a Crack House Photographer

How many people can claim that?

In the past I have written about the need to get a part-time job to fill my time and give my life some balance, but finding one that is fragrance and chemical free is very close to impossible. Most want you to deal with the public in some capacity. Then I came across an ad for "real estate photography". All you needed was a computer, camera, and car. Real estate experience is a plus and I figure since I own my very own money pit, I qualify. They pay a meager amount and you take the allotted number of photos of the property they request. They don't tell you why the photographs need to be taken. I got the impression I shouldn't ask.

One of the requirements of the job is speed. I was told I shouldn't spend more than a minute at any house. Drive up, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, and leave. More recently I was told I shouldn't even get out of my vehicle especially if I'm out in the country, on a dead-end road, and I hear vicious, barking dogs getting closer in an non-lollygagging fashion. I was really happy to find that out. What they didn't tell me is people don't like it when you photograph their house OR their neighbor's house. If there is anything going on that might be questionable or illegal, they assume that is why you are there!  I hope I can drive faster than a speeding bullet!

So far I've been safe. No stink to smell in the privacy of my van. Some of the neighbors glare at me with arms folded and I had one rush toward me demanding to know if he could help me. Obviously he wasn't interested in helping me. I responded with a smile, cheerfully exclaimed, "No thank you!" as I jumped back in my van and tore off down the road. Almost all assignments are for exteriors. I prefer the interior shots since that means no one is living in the house, but they are time consuming as I'm required to photo a minimum of 20 snaps of the interior and then more of the exterior. I still prefer it to risking my life.

The things I do for excitement. Heck, the things I do for fragrance-free money!