Waterfront photos that sell the water.

Timing for the water.

Water changes everything about light. Morning is often calmest, which gives clean reflections. A water-facing deck that looks west is magic at golden hour and sunset. Wind makes chop and grays the surface, so we watch the forecast and move aerials if it's gusty. Use the twilight planner to see when the sun will set over the water on your shoot date.

The shots that matter.

• The home from over the water, the view buyers would have arriving by boat.
• The dock, lift, boathouse and slip, with depth and features from you for the captions.
• The view from inside: the main living area and primary bedroom looking out.
• Shoreline: bulkhead, riprap or natural, beach or lawn to the water.
• The neighborhood setting: coves, open water, distance to the marina or community beach.

Where we shoot it.

Our area has a lot of shoreline: the Potomac from Mount Vernon past Leesylvania down to the Northern Neck, the Occoquan River and Belmont Bay by our Woodbridge office, Lake Anna's private and public sides, Lake Manassas, and the Chesapeake and its rivers around Annapolis and Southern Maryland. Eastern Shore listings across the Bay Bridge are by request.

Drone is available at every one. Waterfront along the Potomac close to DC falls inside the DC restricted zone, where our pilot files an FAA/TSA authorization first, so plan those aerials a few business days ahead. Near Quantico and around Joint Base Andrews the pilot gets military airspace authorization; near other airports, LAANC usually takes minutes.

Short-term rental waterfront.

Lake and river homes are often rentals too. For hosts, the Airbnb packages add detail and amenity shots, captions for the photo tour and a vertical reel. See Airbnb photography and our guide to preparing an Airbnb for photos.