When you start real-estate and architectural photography, you imagine the beautiful photos you'll take of beautiful houses and buildings. The reality is that clients want photos of all kinds of properties, some of which are not beautiful. Some are simply plain. Some are simply ugly, mainly because they've been allowed to deteriorate.

I photographed a house a few months ago that had been trashed by the occupants. Mounds of beer cans and food wrappers. Carpets torn, stained and smelling of cat urine. Luckily, my client hired someone to dispose of all the garbage and rip out the carpeting, before I took the photos. Of course, the owner could have spent the time and money to fix up the place, but I guess he simply wanted to sell the house quickly, "as is."

I took the photos, and I did the image editing to make the house appear its very best (relatively speaking). That's the job. And I always want to give my clients my best work. Taking photos of unattractive properties is not what I imagined I would be doing, but it helps pay the bills. And I will never turn down a job based on the condition of the property.