Whether you want to start your own photography business in real estate or are an agent who wants to improve the listings’ photo quality, you are in the right place. This article will reveal how to take professional photos in this industry.

Making your business thrive requires a lot of work, preparation, and post-processing. Your job is not over once you wrap up the photo shoot, as some of your clients may believe. There are many situations in which you must put in 110% effort to get the job done. But, don’t worry, we’ll give you some simple guidelines to help you become the best at what you do.

Real estate photography tips that work!

Good quality photos have never been more vital to reaching customers and selling real estate than it is nowadays. Therefore, as the market heats up, it also demands professional real estate photo shoots. So, do you know how to achieve this? If not, take a look at the following tips and tricks and see what works for you.

Make even the ugliest room look appealing

Know your goal from the early start – you must highlight every property’s best facets. How can you do this? Speculate every advantage and provide accurate perspectives. As a real estate photographer, you’ll have to face tight situations and small spaces that are difficult to capture. However, there is a solution for this: wide-angle lenses. It’s not all about perfection but making a room look as stunning as possible!

Get better exposure and use the right equipment

There is nothing better than having good exposure while using professional equipment. The must-haves? A tripod, wide-angle lens, and a flash! You can’t take accurate photos if you don’t practice in advance. A fact is clear – real estate photography requires a lot of work, and not everyone can become a successful real estate photographer!

More than that, you should know your equipment like the palm of your hand and use it to the fullest. But this is not all – a successful real estate photographer should know how to turn every problematic situation to their advantage. In other words, turn the odds in your favor by enhancing the property’s beauty.

Keep your photos sharp and master the art of photography, which includes getting the right angles, perspectives, and composition. As people pay for your photos, you can be sure they all expect professional quality work.

Be a creative photographer and master your settings

Let your imagination go wild, don’t do boring photo shoots; make the house a natural attraction in your images. In short, make it sparkle in the eyes of the viewers!

There are properties with breathtaking panoramas, exquisite architecture, or superb design. But, there are also properties with nothing out of the ordinary. Ask yourself: “What would clients want to see that will persuade them to come and visit the property in person?” This is what you should enhance in your photos – all the small details do the trick! Keep in mind: your images need to sell!

Pay attention to post-processing

If you haven’t already hired someone to do your photo processing, guess what? Now comes the fun part – you’ll have to do it. During this stage, you can create real masterpieces or quite the contrary; you can ruin the photos if you don’t have a good technique. Master the basics before you have your business up and running. Thus, you’ll never get to make mistakes that hurt both your ego and your pocket.

You cannot always get correct photos only from your camera’s settings. Unexpected situations always happen. But, you can enhance them with a variety of photo editing software. Post-processing should help you improve your work and not damage it. However, this only depends on your skills and knowledge.

Finding the right perspective

Don’t stumble upon this all-too-common issue: getting the proper perspective. You will either have to crunch in uncomfortable positions or hunt for the perfect angle, so be prepared. No property is identical to another, and capturing a flattering angle requires an eye for perfection.

Creating the best light is crucial for your final product, and it is normal for professional photographers to blend interior light with the natural one. Yes, interior lighting has been a forever challenging problem, but this has its solution: patience and attention to detail.

Be careful with the lines of the room

Keep your lines straight! This is one of those unacceptable beginner mistakes: poorly taken photos can be a sore eye, aesthetically speaking. Sometimes real estate photography requires taking a few steps back or placing your camera against the walls – ‘everything for the sake of the art.’

There is a well-known rule that verticals need to be verticals in real estate photography; otherwise, the images will be useless. As difficult as it may be for you at the beginning to believe this, but the door frames, the windows, or the corners of the walls can ruin your photos if not exposed correctly.

No blurring, please!

Blurring should not be part of the equation in real estate photography. Clients need to be able to see clear images and as many convincing details as possible. Focus your lens and deliver professional products! Highlight every room’s essential features and create a balance between technique and ‘having the hands of a surgeon.’ You’ll get it eventually if you take stabilizing measures!

A tripod is one of your essentials

Preparing a photo shoot requires planning, creativity, and patience – try not to visit a property without the best lens for real estate photos and only your camera. As much as you want to simplify situations, some things require more than your camera. For instance, if you need panoramas, you’d better have a tripod with you.

Balance your work between improvisation and using professional techniques. Try to emphasize every tiny element of an area and make it be ‘the star’ of the entire house. Thus, you’ll get to create that composition of eye-catching items that clients love.

Try different angles

First, obtaining the perfect photo requires moving around the rooms, taking note of every little item that may do the trick later. Every space has its particular element that you should feature properly in your images. Get different perspectives and try to focus on the one that exposes the room at its best. Get up, go down until you know that’s the winning photo.

Prepping the home before the photo session is vital, so make sure your clients know this. How can you do it? Well, ensure they see photography to enhance their property. There is a common knowledge that ‘If a house is not ready for a photo shoot, then it is not ready for visitors either!’

Love your job!

Finally, one of the most important tips is to love your job. Without passion, you will have no chance of surviving in this competitive industry, that’s for sure. Master your settings, improve your skills, and you’ll eventually get to create that unique vibe real estate photos need to convey.

Photography hints to remember!

You, more than anyone, should know that most buyers nowadays search the internet before they come and visit a property. Therefore, you can be sure to say that – photos can influence people to view the property or not. Learning both the art and the science behind real estate photography is the magic you have to handle to become successful in this industry. See every property as a professional challenge and get the best out of it in front of your audience.

In short, make your viewers see what it’s imperative to notice! Use photos to convey that message!

Editor’s note: This post was originally published on January 27, 2015, and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.