Journal · Field notes
Six shoots in five days, and why estuary homes wait for the tide
If a house sits on an estuary, shoot it within about two hours of high tide. At low tide the view is mudflats. Near high tide the water fills right in and the property looks the way the owners see it on a good day.
This was a big one. Six shoots in five days, most of them for Haze Real Estate, plus an Arizto job at Cable Bay and a brand film for Kai Ora Honey.
Where we were
- Reef View Road in Ahipara on Tuesday.
- Wednesday was a double up for Haze: a rural block on Fisher Riley Road out at Kaingaroa, then Te Moho Road in Taipa. The Fisher Riley video went out the same night.
- Stratford Drive, Cable Bay, for Arizto on Thursday.
- Thursday night was the Kai Ora Honey Matariki film, Ngā Whetū o Kai Ora. Pipis, a fire, and the stars over it all. It's one of my favourite things we've shot this year.
- Friday finished at Bush Point Road on the Taipa estuary, a premium video for Raine & Horne Mangonui.
Why the estuary job was booked around the tide
Bush Point Road is right on the water. Estuaries change a lot through the day. At low tide you get mud and channels, at high tide it's a lake.
So the booking went in for when the tide was above three quarters. That gives you roughly a two hour window either side of high water. Miss it and you're either coming back another day or trying to fix it in the edit, and neither of those is great for the agent.
We do the same check for any property where the water is the selling point. Drone shots show it more than anything, because from the air you see every metre of mudflat.
Small fix of the week
Two of the Fisher Riley photos had digitally staged furniture on the deck. We added a clear "digitally staged" caption on both before they went to market. Buyers should always know what's real.
Also this week
The Manuka Charitable Trust brand film got locked in. It started out as a 60 second spot and grew into a proper opening for a brand film, with a full shot list. More on that one when it's out.
Quick answers
When is the best time to photograph a waterfront property on an estuary?
Within roughly two hours either side of high tide, so the water is at least three-quarters full. We check the tide table when we book and pick the time around it.
Do you shoot real estate on any day of the week in the Far North?
Yes. This week we shot six jobs in five days, from Ahipara up to Kaingaroa and across to Cable Bay and Taipa.