When it comes to professional real estate photos, it’s the image that sells the listing. It may be one of the most important things you can do to get any home sold. Yet, so many real estate agents neglect to hire a professional or to learn how to take better real estate photography themselves.
Shooting real estate can be one of the most complicated situations to shoot but with this list of the top 5 ways to get the best real estate photography, your work is sure to improve in no time! And remember blurry iPhone photos should never make the cut when trying to sell your real estate listing.
1. Declutter Your Real Estate
Professional real estate agents will tell you that most buyers want to imagine themselves in your home. That is why it’s so important to leave space and not leave personal items laying around the home. Make sure to take away clutter, pictures of yourself and your family, and instead of covering things, get rid of them. Make sure when you begin to prep your rooms, you start with the kitchen and take away all the appliances.
You can organize them in the kitchen closet after. Scrub down the countertops so everything is sparkling clean and then move onto your other rooms such as the living and bedrooms. Take away everything that is not a large piece of furniture or lighting.
If you want professional real estate photography, you have to hide things away. If you are worried you won’t be able to find things later. Make sure you carefully box them up and label the boxes. Place them in your garage, away from potential buyers’ eyes.
2. Real Estate Camera Angles
Every piece of real estate will have different angles that work better than others. But, as a general rule of thumb try to position yourself in the corners of the room. Remember to keep your camera level and square with the wall. You can handhold the camera or position it on a tripod. Shooting from the corners of the room produces high-quality images for many reasons. First, it creates leading lines that will draw the viewer into the image. Secondly, shooting photos from the corners makes the room look even bigger than it may appear in person.
Lastly, shooting your images this way is a great way to get vertical lines vertical and on a level horizon. Following these simple rules will attract more buyers to your listings, making for an easier sell!
3. Real Estate Lightroom Presets
If you want to get the best results from your real estate photography, considering using interior design and real estate Lightroom presets. With just one click your photos can go from okay to wow. Many real estate agents are not Lightroom savvy, that’s why presets work best. They are easily installed onto your computer and you simply click your photo and the preset you want to use and then watch your dark photo become well lit and eye appealing.
Effortlessly edit your photos to make your properties pop off the page. Interiors, exteriors, cool modern spaces, and warm, comfortable rooms will all benefit from your improved editing software. Most professional photographers use Lightroom presets, so it’s worth giving them a try to better your marketing with high-quality photos.
Whether you want to revitalize faded walls, give a room a vibrant glow, de-saturate, sharpen, remove noise, or enhance cool tones, presets provide a huge range of possibilities for you to achieve the exact look your property needs.
4. Tell a Story with your Real Estate Photography
If you are a real estate photographer, you should know how important it is to use storytelling in your images. When you are setting up your real estate shots, think each time about what you want the viewer to feel when they look at your photography. Stop and think about what positives attributes of the room are you trying to show off in the listing?
Define the features of the room you want to highlight for buyers. Show off natural light and large spaces. Once you know those things, position yourself so you don’t cut off furniture or between windows. Each shot should be self-explanatory, taking the buyers on a journey through the real estate listing. Lastly, make sure your photos are in focus and brightly lit so viewers can see the property in its entirety.
5. Real Estate Photography Gear
If you want to take your real estate photography to the next level it’s important to use a tripod. Many times you will shoot real estate listings at low shutter speeds. If you do not have your camera on a steady surface, you are sure to get blurry images that will look amateur and not as if a professional photographer shot them.
Remember the pictures sell the homes. Set your camera to RAW so it’s easier to edit the photos later with Lightroom presets. Next, make sure HDR is turned on or high dynamic range. This will assure that the camera photographs multiple exposures and overlays them so that your lighting is more even from window views to inside the home.
Add light by using a flash. You can use on-camera flash or set up stands with lights. The most important thing is the room is well lit so potential buyers can see what they are buying. Lastly, use a wide-angle lens to show more space in the rooms. Many professional real estate photographers use the 35mm or 14mm. These lenses make the rooms larger but do not distort the borders as much as other wide-angle lenses might.
Real estate photography settings to start with
- Aperture: Between F/8 – F/11
- ISO: 400 or lower
- Shutter Speed: 1/60
In conclusion, real estate photographs that look like they were captured by a pro, sell more listings and faster. Real estate photos with your smartphone just won’t do the trick if you want to sell. So consider using some of these techniques and more importantly invest in some nice presets so that your images pop off any page. With a little extra attention, your real estate images help you have success with marketing and selling your listings.
