5 homes we’ve shot in Carmel and Carmel-by-the-Sea

The Carmel-by-the-Sea real estate market is one of the most distinctive on the California coast. Buyers exploring Carmel, California homes for sale — or searching what’s available in Carmel-by-the-Sea (93921) — often find themselves surprised by how much variety exists within just a few square miles: cottages nestled in the woods just steps from the beach, golf course estates in Carmel Valley Ranch, and grand traditional homes on Carmel Point sitting a short drive from Pebble Beach. Our photographers relied on their technical training, artistic skill, and eye for detail to capture the best shots in all weather conditions and any type of hone.

We’ve had the privilege of photographing exceptional homes across this area, and we wanted to share a few of them. Whether you’re curious about what Carmel-by-the-Sea houses actually look like inside, or you’re an agent thinking about how to present your next listing, we hope these give you a sense of what’s possible when Open Homes handles the marketing.

Not sure what distinguishes Carmel from Carmel-by-the-Sea? We wrote a guide for that.

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Santa Rita 2 SW of 3rd, Carmel-by-the-Sea — Sold for $2,050,000

Listed by Simona Martin | Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno

Inside Santa Rita 2 SW of 3rd

Woodsy cottages close to the beach are among the most sought-after properties in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and rarely do they come with a sprawling, restful outdoor area like this Santa Rita home.

You’re greeted by a mossy wooden gate marked with a simple plaque: “2 SW of 3rd Avenue.” It’s the kind of entrance that frames itself — the gate, path, and cottage just beyond — and the shot is composed to let that natural framing do the work, holding back rather than widening out so the eye is drawn through the gate — just as you would were you to be there in person, walking right through it.

Once inside, two skylights cut through the vaulted beamed ceiling above the stone fireplace wall. Skylights this size can easily appear as blown-out white rectangles if you expose for the room, or leave the room too dark if you expose for the skylights. The solution is layered exposures, so the fireplace wall holds its texture and warmth while the skylights still appear as light sources.

The dining room shot is framed through the doorway from the living room, deliberately keeping the stone fireplace in the background. That kind of depth — room leading into room — is one of the most effective ways to communicate how a home flows. The kitchen is straightforward in the best sense: white cabinetry, black iron hardware, a kilim runner underfoot; a room that flows one direction —  straight — doesn’t need much composition.

The primary bedroom is centered on the bed with a window on each side — a symmetrical composition that gives the room a calm, balanced quality.

The rear garden was shot on an overcast day, which works in its favor: diffused cloud cover eliminates harsh shadows and lets the layers of plants, roses, and terracotta pots show evenly throughout the frame. The blue sky is the result of our complimentary blue skies replacement service, which replaces gray skies in post-production — while keeping the garden’s natural light quality.

Check out the listing’s property website for more photos.

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Camino Real 5 SW of 13th, Carmel-by-the-Sea — Sold for $3,510,000

Listed by The Bambace Peterson Team | Compass

Inside Camino Real 5 SW of 13th

In a village where some houses have personalities instead of street numbers — where an address might simply be “the fifth house southwest of 13th,” or in this case, lovingly named “Knockwood” — we can only wonder at how some houses earned their names.

Knockwood’s exterior shots here are twilights, and the timing is specific for a reason. There’s roughly a twenty-minute window after sunset when the sky turns deep blue and interior lights glow amber — the only moment when the camera can hold both in a single frame without one overwhelming the other. Any earlier and the sky is too bright; any later, too dark. The deck shot works precisely because the warm spill from the interior windows and the cool sky create a contrast that makes the image feel more like a painting than a photograph. The oak growing straight through the deck anchors the whole composition.

Inside, the living room is shot from a strategic position to show the living room flowing into the dining and kitchen beyond — the kind of shot that communicates how the open plan actually lives. Blue accent chairs, a coastal painting, and hardwood floors give the space a calm, relaxed atmosphere.

The kitchen shows the renovation most clearly: leathered Taj Mahal marble counters, a sit-up bar with wishbone stools, glass-front upper cabinets, and French doors open to the southern deck. The dining table sits under a gold lantern pendant, and the shot is framed to keep the French doors visible — because the connection between inside and outside is one of the home’s big selling points.

The upstairs bedroom shot captures  the room’s two main features: the bed and the fireplace with its gold-trimmed glass doors. The window of garden greenery between them gives the eye somewhere to rest.

The primary bathroom is one of the most technically demanding shots in the house — a Jacuzzi tub positioned directly in front of a large picture window means shooting straight into the brightest part of the frame. Shooting it at twilight helped considerably: with the exterior light already dimming, the gap between inside and outside exposure is narrower than it would be in full daylight, which means less blending work to hold detail in both the marble tile and the garden view beyond. Another puzzle was the mirrors — a bathroom with a wall that’s basically half mirror means the camera can easily appear in the shot. A low shooting position solved this without additional editing in post-production. The photographer kept the lens below the mirror’s sightline while also placing the Jacuzzi tub and picture window in perfect harmony with the other bathroom counters.

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2830 14th Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea — Sold for $3,100,000

Listed by The Bambace Peterson Team | Compass

Inside 2830 14th Avenue

On Carmel Point, location is everything, And if that’s true, then 2830 14th Avenue really does have everything. Steps from Mission Ranch and the Carmel Mission Basilica, with both Carmel Beach and Carmel River Beach within a ten-minute walk, it sits in the kind of neighborhood where people stay for decades. This one last changed hands in 1991.

The exterior is shot from far enough back to show the 2,500 square foot, two-story Cape Cod with its brick chimney and established front garden — a composition that prioritizes the settled, grounded quality of the house over any individual architectural detail. Getting that much of the property in frame while keeping the perspective straight requires careful positioning in the yard.

Inside, the sunroom presented the biggest technical challenge of the shoot. With glass on two-and-a-half sides, every wall is a competing light source and a prime spot for the photographer’s reflection to show up. The balance is found by supplementing with a low level of fill light bounced off the ceiling, lifting the interior just enough to match the windows so the room’s airy quality survives. The living room, anchored by a marble fireplace with a classic white mantel and greenery-filled window on the side, is a much easier shot.

The formal dining room is framed through its doorway to keep the sunroom and its garden views visible beyond — as mentioned earlier, that depth of field, room into room into garden, communicates the flow of the house to the viewer. The kitchen is shot to show its honest, original, 1980s character: lots of dark oak cabinetry and the classic white tile with dark grout. New owners would be free to update or preserve as they please.

A fireplace with a blue-and-white tile surround sits in the corner; the ensuite carries the theme through with periwinkle tile, a soaking tub, and floral wallpaper. The side courtyard — brick-paved, with a brick BBQ and mature plantings pressing in from all sides — is shot from a position that shows both the depth of the space and its connection back to the house. It has the quality of somewhere loved and added to over many years. Even offered as-is, there’s a reason this home is the second most-expensive on this list.

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24587 Castro Lane, Carmel — Sold for $2,995,000

Listed by Angolee Bode | Compass

Inside 24587 Castro Lane

Tucked into the coveted Carmel Woods neighborhood, 24587 Castro Lane announces itself with a winding brick path, a perfectly manicured front lawn, and a red front door framed by mature moss-draped oaks. The exterior is shot from a distance that keeps the full canopy overhead — those oaks are as much a part of the property (and a selling point) as the house itself.

The living room centers on a Carmel stone fireplace with a vaulted beamed ceiling overhead and French doors open to the rear patio. The camera is positioned far enough back to show all four elements in one frame — fireplace, ceiling, French doors, and corner windows. A vaulted beamed ceiling with straight beams running toward the far wall creates natural leading lines, and the shot is aligned so those lines converge at the fireplace rather than off to one side.

The kitchen is shot wide to show the full run of cabinetry in both directions, with the farmhouse sink and window naturally drawing the eye to the corner where the Calcutta marble runs seamlessly from counter to backsplash.

As you make your way further into the house, you’ll notice this built-in shelving. The shot is composed as a still life: perfectly symmetrical shelves on either side, pink orchids on the sill, and the garden patio visible through the glass behind them. The window is close enough to the interior that the light levels on both sides are forgiving — the garden doesn’t blow out, and the shelves don’t go dark. That balance can be hard to achieve but is worth it for shots like these.

The primary bedroom, like the living room, sits under a vaulted beamed ceiling — shot from the corner to show both the ceiling and the windows simultaneously, with the whitewashed dresser and mirror anchoring the far wall. The rear patio closes the story: flagstone paving, wicker lounge seating, a fountain tying it all together. The mature trees provide a natural backdrop that requires no particular management; sometimes the garden does the work for you.

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9546 Maple Court, Carmel — Sold for $2,650,000

Listed by Angolee Bode | Compass

Inside 9546 Maple Court

Not all Carmel real estate looks the same, and 9546 Maple Court is a good example of why. Situated within Carmel Valley Ranch — a gated community built around a golf course — this freestanding home has a very different character from the wooded properties closer to the coast. Here, the backdrop is open sky, manicured greens, and rolling hills, with the first hole of the golf course visible right from the patio.

The rear exterior is shot from the garden looking back toward the house, with plantation shutters partially open. If the photographer had left them fully open, the shutters would disappear and the interior would flatten; fully closed, you lose the sense of what’s beyond them. Partially open, they create layers and depth, and the eye moves from garden to shutter to interior in a way that makes the house feel larger than a single plane.

Stepping inside, a soaring cathedral ceiling with heavy exposed wood beams, a stone fireplace, built-in shelving, and plantation-shuttered windows framing the golf course beyond — the family room earns its spot at the front of the home. Thos beams are so substantial that they change how you compose a room — point the camera straight up to emphasize height and the room feels like it’s tipping away from you. Instead, the photographer kept the horizon line is kept roughly at eye level, letting the beams recede naturally into the frame.

The kitchen carries the same warmth through: rich wood cabinetry, a granite-topped island with gas cooktop and bar seating, and a sliding glass door keeping the garden in view. The island is centered in the frame with the door as a bright anchor at the far end — a composition that gives the room depth without requiring a wide angle that would distort the cabinetry.

The primary bedroom is shot to lead with the sliding glass door and the garden beyond — the outdoor connection is the room’s strongest feature, and the composition makes sure it draws the eye accordingly. Outside, the garden patio earns its own time in the spotlight — a brick-paved courtyard enclosed by a flowering hedge, with a mosaic-tile table and wood benches shaded by a Japanese maple. The aerial closes the post with the complete view view: fairways, a pond, rolling hills, and the home nestled down below.

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What picture-perfect Carmel and Carmel-by-the-Sea homes have in common

Whether it’s a storybook cottage tucked behind a garden gate in Carmel-by-the-Sea or a golf course estate in Carmel Valley Ranch, the homes that sell well in this market share something beyond location: they’re presented in a way that makes buyers understand the life they’d live there. That’s not accidental — it’s the result of thoughtful staging, skilled photography, and marketing that tells a story from the very first photo.

Want to browse current listings in the area? See our Carmel-by-the-Sea property gallery, Carmel property gallery, or Pebble Beach property gallery.

If you’re an agent preparing a Carmel-area listing, or a homeowner thinking about what it takes to stand out in this market, we’d love to show you what’s possible. Visit Open-Homes.com to explore our portfolio and learn more about what we do.