When to photograph a property in Pembrokeshire: light, season and timing

The single biggest factor in a property shoot that we don't control is light. The second is timing around everything else: tenants, guests, gardeners, tides. A bit of planning at booking makes a visible difference to the finished gallery.

Time of day: follow the front of the house

For exteriors, we want the sun on the main elevation, not behind it. A south-facing frontage is easy most of the day. An east-facing one wants a morning shoot; a west-facing one wants afternoon. North-facing frontages never get direct sun in winter, so they photograph best on a bright, lightly overcast day, or at twilight.

When you book, tell us which way the front faces if you know, or just the postcode and we'll check. We plan the order of the day around it: exteriors when the light is right, interiors either side.

Interiors don't need sunshine

Interiors often look better on a bright overcast day than in hard sun. Direct sun throws hot patches across floors and walls and makes window views harder to balance. Soft, even light shows rooms as they really feel. A grey morning is rarely a reason to postpone an interior shoot; it is only exteriors and aerials that need the weather.

Time of year

• Late spring to early autumn: gardens at their best, long days, green fields. Ideal for anything where the setting sells.
• Autumn and winter: low sun gives warm, raking light for a short window. Good for cosy interiors with fires lit; plan exteriors around the middle of the day.
• Deciduous trees: if trees shade or hide the house in summer, a winter or early spring shoot can show it better.
• Holiday lets: shoot before the booking season, not in it. Images taken in March are earning in May; images taken in August are earning next year.

Twilight

A twilight exterior, with lights on inside and a deep blue sky, is one of the most effective single images a property can have. The usable window is short, roughly twenty to forty minutes after sunset, so it is planned as part of the shoot and needs every light in the house working.

Coastal properties: check the tide

On the Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion coast, tide changes the picture completely. A wide, golden low-tide beach and a high tide lapping at the harbour wall are two different photographs, and each suits a different property. We check tide times when we plan aerials and sea-view exteriors, and if the view is the point, it's worth choosing the date around it.

People, cars and changeovers

• Holiday lets: book the shoot on a changeover day after cleaning and before guests, with beds made and the hot tub filled and covered.
• Occupied homes: ask everyone to move cars off the drive and away from the front before we arrive.
• Tenanted property: give tenants notice and the checklist; one tidy hour is enough.
• Gardens: mow a day or two before, not the morning of, so cuttings have cleared.