Dejerae Trujillo [pronounced Dee-juh-ray] is a real estate agent, an artist, a mother, and an independent and successful woman. She is driven, loves meeting new people and helping them find their dream home, and especially enjoys exploring her innovative side.
Dejerae has become quite skilled in photography through her own creative license, and social media platforms have allowed her to share her insights and talents with others. Instagram highlights her self-taught craft as a photographer and marketer, and continues to elevate her business.
Dejerae shares her journey with us as well as several suggestions for cell phone photography; she stresses the importance of lighting, angles, and editing and is confident these tips will improve all readers’ selfie-game.
“I started my career in real estate at the very young age of twenty-two. Unfortunately, I did not have the finances to market myself in the ways that I wanted to. Typically, real estate agents brand themselves by sending out mailers, investing in paid advertising such as Zillow, and buying leads. Instead, I took to Instagram to build a platform with a creative visual aesthetic. The more creative I got with my posts, the more of a following I gained. This in turn created more business. I have been using my platform @sellinginstilettos since 2015 and have since closed several deals through Instagram. Readers: The quality of your photos becomes highly important when your business depends on it. I am hopeful these tips will improve your photography skills and help fine-tune your brand.”
-Dejerae Trujillo
1. Lighting! My favorite form of light to use is natural light. If you are shooting indoors, use light from a window; this usually works best. Shooting outdoors is a little trickier because it depends on the time of day, but the subject should face the sun, and if it is peak sunshine time, I suggest finding some shade.
2. Angles! It is important to find interesting and flattering angles. The best way to find these is to get creative and weird. Experiment! Do not be afraid to make mistakes. When posting full body shots, lower angles typically work better, and remember not to cut off your subject’s feet.
3. Editing! If you have good lighting and flattering angles, editing should be a breeze. I prefer to use very lightweight editing and to not overdo it with filters. If you are posting on Instagram, it is important to have a consistent feel, so edit your photos in a similar fashion each time, and remember to keep it simple.
