Hire a decent photographer, large sensor, low f number. You'd be surprised what a good camera with a competent person running it will do. Go wide angle.
Your unique selling point should be the thought you put into the layout. Anyone can insulate and sling in some furniture, the real hard part is making the space lovable/liveable. Choose a theme or period, industrial is a good start. You have bamboo flooring, why not use it for the fittings?
o Put beading/moulding around the windows. Its simple and cheap.
o Match the doors and frames to the plywood/cladding
o Change the electrical outlets to metal, anything other than the stock white
o Use industrial light cases, it'll match the industrial look better
o Make sure the stuff you install is straight, and neat, the bed slats are wonky!
o The bamboo flooring looks great make use of it more!
o when taking the photos, think about where the light is coming from, make sure its streaming through the windows making the place look bright
Great ideas, thanks! We've been through 4 different attempts at photos, and results are obviously lacking... do any of you have sources you really like for outlet covers, light cases, and other fixture / finish elements?
I think this guy http://vantagepointphoto.com/#slide5 is one of the best in Northern California - great grasp of lighting and space, probably charges commiserate with scale / quality of his portfolio.
This guy has very solid ratings locally, nice portfolio, and worth hitting too - http://www.dannyosterweil.com/about/ - I think he's probably within a few miles of you guys.
Depends on your look you want to achieve. I'm in the UK, so its literally a different world
You might want to try brass, as it might fit with the wood better. You could even use floor plates (if they are legal in your part of the world). it might also just be a case of putting them in less obvious places.
In the above example, they are not that dissimilar to your $25k offering, apart from the ceiling is white plasterboard/drywall, which is smooth. Also the appliances are hidden, its a living room, not a nuts and bolts room :)
Definitely do not take this guy's photo advice. But DEFINITELY hire a pro and let them do their work. The existing photos on the site are a huge turnoff. It should cost you a few thousand dollars to hire a top notch photographer - their work will pay you back tenfold at a minimum though.
"Large sensor, low f number, go wide angle" means absolutely nothing...don't go to a photographer saying some shit like that.
What the OP suggested might not be the best approach (that'd be for the pro to decide when shooting) in terms of display photos, but making the claim that '"Large sensor, low f number, go wide angle" means absolutely nothing [to a photographer]' is patently false.
Hire a decent photographer, large sensor, low f number. You'd be surprised what a good camera with a competent person running it will do. Go wide angle.
Your unique selling point should be the thought you put into the layout. Anyone can insulate and sling in some furniture, the real hard part is making the space lovable/liveable. Choose a theme or period, industrial is a good start. You have bamboo flooring, why not use it for the fittings?
o Put beading/moulding around the windows. Its simple and cheap.
o Match the doors and frames to the plywood/cladding
o Change the electrical outlets to metal, anything other than the stock white
o Use industrial light cases, it'll match the industrial look better
o Make sure the stuff you install is straight, and neat, the bed slats are wonky!
o The bamboo flooring looks great make use of it more!
o when taking the photos, think about where the light is coming from, make sure its streaming through the windows making the place look bright
Also, don't give up...