Sarasota, Florida.

Sarasota is the most design conscious market in the region and the expectations that come with it are correspondingly high. This is the city that produced the Sarasota School of Architecture, a genuine mid-century modern movement with an international reputation, and buyers here are considerably more attuned to architecture than in most of the markets we work. A listing photographed carelessly here is more obviously photographed carelessly.

The mid-century modern stock is the most rewarding and the most demanding. Those houses were designed around light, glass, horizontal lines and the relationship between inside and outside, which means the photography has to respect the architecture rather than treat the house as a container of rooms. Verticals must be exactly straight, because a leaning frame destroys a design built on horizontals. Interiors have expanses of glass that need blending so the garden or the water beyond survives the exposure, and the composition should show how the spaces open into one another rather than isolating each room.

The rest of the market is broad. Downtown has a substantial high rise condominium market where the bay view is the product and every view facing frame needs blending. Siesta Key, Lido and Longboat bring beach and waterfront stock, all of which want aerials establishing beach proximity, water access and outlook. The historic districts near downtown hold period homes needing flash to keep detail alive.

Twilight is close to standard here at the upper end, and buyers expect aerials as a matter of course rather than as an upgrade.