5 Tips for Real Estate Photography



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With more and more people jumping on the real estate train every day, the market is beginning to get very saturated with realtors. This causes those who want to be successful in the business to offer a higher quality service to those who hire them. One way realtors can do this is by offering professional images of their listings for the Multi List. Not only does it make their service look more professional, but it also helps sell houses more quickly because better pictures online usually means more foot traffic at the listing.

Here are five great ways to help you offer an outstanding product for your clients who are real estate agents.

1. Be Professional 

DSC_0104Real Estate is a very professional business, and a Realtor’s image is the product they sell. As a photographer, your job is to be an extension of their image by being on time, looking neat, and offering an outstanding product. That being said, when you go to meet with a Realtor or one of their clients, make sure you are presentable and are dressed in at least business casual attire.

It is also important to note how imperative it is that you are always on time for your Realtor.  On any given day, an agent can be working from seven in the morning all the way to one the following morning with no breaks. If you are going to be more than five minutes late, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS call to let them know. As you build a relationship with agents, they may allow you to go shoot listings on your own. In this case, being on time for the homeowner is still important because you are a reflection of the agent you work for.

2. Do Your Research

Before you start shooting, look on the Multi List in your area and take note of the typical pictures other realtors use for their listings. This will give you an idea of where to start in the home and which images are the most important. I also like to collect our local home owner magazines and go to the book store to get interior decorating magazines for inspiration on how to stage homes.  There are also a myriad of home shows on TLC and HGTV that have helped me in the past too. Over time, you’ll find a style that works for you and your clients, but until then, keep a notebook of clippings to refer to easily when you need a creative boost.

3. Stage the Room before You Shoot

Many people laugh when I tell them I’m a real estate photographer, but they have no idea that the title means so much more than

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taking a point-and-shoot to a house and taking pictures. You must take time to go through the home and rearrange things in order to create spacious-looking, well put-together rooms. This means depersonalizing as much as you can. Take pictures down, hide dog bowls, take everything off tops and fronts of dressers and the refrigerator, and hide any traces of kids if possible.

When a potential home-buyer is searching for their future abode on the Multi List, there are a few things that are generally the most
important. You always want to make sure the curb appeal of the house is put on display. If the house isn’t visually appealing from the front, do your best to get a new angle and suggest (to the Realtor, NOT homeowner) that they manicure the lawn, plant some flowers, mulch the beds, et cetera, BEFORE you come to take pictures. Another very important set of images would be that of the master bedroom. Start by turning on all the lights in every room and opening all the curtains. Make sure the bed is made and that there is a minimal amount of things on the night stands and dressers. Usually I like to only leave a couple of books and the alarm clock. If there is a master bathroom, make sure all cabinets are shut and all cords are hidden. Remove the trashcan, toilet paper, tooth brushes and anything else that could be on the sink. Refold any towels that are hanging and will be in sight of your images.

You also want to be sure to get great pictures of the living room/ family room space and maximize the size of the basement/ game room. If the house has any unique features make SURE those are thoroughly covered.

Take note of the lighting and if more is needed, adding a bounce flash can really help.

4. Aim for Great Out of Camera Images

Right now there is a huge trend among realtors to hire professional photographers to do their listings. One of the reasons is because they know that the overall image quality will be far better than if they tried to do it themselves, but the other reason is because they think we are “miracle workers”. I have had realtors ask if I can add bushes and make the brown patches in the yard green before I send them their disc for the listing. While it may create more traffic to the listing initially, people don’t tend to take well to being deceived. My advice is that unless the post-processing work has to do with making the color of the paint on the walls the true color or removing a baby’s sharpie scribbles, don’t touch it. It may endear realtors to you, but in the end it will get you in trouble so it’s not worth it.

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5. Give the Realtor a LOT of Images to Choose From

One of the biggest mistakes I made when starting out with Real Estate Photography was to only shoot enough to cover the exact need of the realtor.  She said she needed 18 images so I only sent her my best 18. It worked, but as I got to know my realtors, I learned that they like to have options for each room so they can pick what they feel showcases the home best. I generally like to give homes listed at or below $300,000 about 50 images to pick from and homes whose listing value is above that between 65 and 80. The reason for this is because as the value of the home increases, the realtors need more to really display the selling points of the home.

In the end, the most important thing is to wear a smile and look like you are having fun while sweating and figuring out how to get the best result for each room. In the case of real estate photography, practice can make you better, but with homes there are constant variables and curve balls thrown at you so just go with the flow and do your best.