How to Get Into Real Estate Photography?

Real estate photography is in high demand as of present. More and more people are trying to get some magazine-worthy shots of their properties in order to lure the right buyers toward them. This has resulted in an increased demand for creative and innovative real estate photographers in the market.

However, one has to understand that clicking swoon-worthy snaps of a property is not an easy task and so just having a camera and a property that needs to be clicked is not going to cut it. Instead, for clicking amazing photos, you would need access to the right tools, right preparation, and right workflow.

So, now, if you feel like you have the right real estate photography skills and you would like to know how to get into real estate photography, then we have some critical tips that might come in handy. But before we get to that part, come, first let us have a quick look at what is real estate photography. Here it goes!

 

What is real estate photography?

 

Real estate photography means finding innovative and creative ways of clicking the exteriors and interiors of a house. The goal here is to take wide and detailed shots of a property in such a manner so that its features, angles, and the layout is clearly visible. The place is usually required to be showcased in a positive light so that more tenants or buyers would step-up to rent or purchase it.

Usually, real estate photography services are used by architects, designers, real estate agents, decorators, builders, publishing, and editorial houses.

 

How to begin with real estate photography?

 

Now if you want to begin with the real estate photography yourself and you would like to use some tips, then here it goes!

What do you need to start real estate photography?

 

For the beginning, a real estate photographer would require-

1) Real estate photography gear

 

When you are starting with real estate photography one thing that you would need to arrange for is the photography gear. Now, if you think that you have your iPhone on you and with it, you will manage to click some really cool property pictures, then you are wrong. This is so because no matter how good your phone camera is but it is still no match for a DSLR. Hence, having a DSLR is mandatory for the job!

Now, other than a DSLR camera, there is some other photography equipment too that you will require for a professional real estate photography photoshoot. This will include a tripod that would ensure no hazy or blurred pictures, batteries so that you don’t ever get stuck because of low battery, a camera bag to keep you organized, a camera timer to get the right clicks, and wide-angle lens to get the most out of your images. Once you have arranged this gear, you are good to go!

2) Lighting for real estate photography

 

Lighting is a very prominent factor when you are practicing real estate photography. If the lighting is not proper then what has been captured by your camera lens won’t be clear enough and all your hard work would go to waste. Hence, when you are shooting a property take proper care to introduce just the right amount of light!

Now, there are two types of lighting that the real estate photographers use. One is the natural lighting where the cameraperson relies upon the sunlight and hence is off the hook when it comes to carrying a truckload of equipment, while the other type is the artificial lighting where light stands are used in order to introduce the right amount of light on the subject and the edits are made later.

Now, both these types of lighting have their pros and cons and hence you should choose the right type of lighting for your project only after considering all the angles.

How to take real estate photography?

 

To begin with real estate photography one should follow some tips. Here are some special suggestions that will help you in capturing the right images.

1) Camera height and perspective

 

While capturing a photo the height at which the camera stands is of critical importance. So, if your camera is not at the right height, then the images will look weird. So, our advice is to place your camera at a height of about 20-30 cm above the highest surface. This way, when you will click a picture you will have a 3-dimensional image of the subject.

Also, remember that when you are clicking images of an area like the bathroom, you should keep your camera at a lower level than the other rooms. This way you will get better clicks.

2) How to use interior lights

 

Many photographers while shooting inside the premises don’t know what should be done with the interior lights. Well, in photography there is no rule of thumb for the use of interior lighting, it actually varies from property to property. So, for instance, if you are shooting at a property that has enough natural lighting then we would suggest you not to use the interior lights. However, if you are at a place where the interior lighting is tasteful and you feel like it would add to your images, then you should definitely go ahead with it.

However, one thing that you should take note of is that whatever option you choose, you should remain consistent. You should shoot the whole property in one united lighting.

3) What is to be done with vertical lines?

 

When you are doing real estate photography, one thing that you need to pay attention to is to keep the vertical lines vertical. Remember, in your snaps, the vertical lines shouldn’t look curved, bent, or as if they are falling to either side or else your pictures will look distorted. They have to stay vertical.

In order to ensure this, the cameras usually come with a built-in function. However, you will still need to tweak the images a little during the editing to get the perfect lines.

4) How to correct the exposure

 

Correct exposure in property photographs plays an important role. A photographer needs to be very careful with it. Now, it occurs very rarely when in one shot a photographer manages to get the perfect exposure. Normally, one needs to get many shots during a photoshoot and to later blend them together in order to get a perfect image. Now, there are two techniques to do this. One is to use the HDR blending where you get 3 to 5 exposures and later combine them to get the perfect effect, or else with artificial lighting, you can opt to take as many shots as you like and then move the flashes around to create magic later!

However, remember that while playing with the exposure, the view from outside the window is also very critical. You can either choose to show the real view from the windows in the pictures if you feel like it adds to the value of your snaps, or else you can opt to overexpose the windows so that all that could be sees for the outside view is white light.

How to prepare the property for the photoshoot?

 

Whenever you are shooting a person or a place, there are some preparations that need to be made. This includes prepping up your gear and the subject that is going to be shot. So, when you are doing real estate photography here is how you can spruce up the property.

1) De-clutter

If you are shooting a property that is occupied, then the first thing that you will have to do is to de-clutter the stuff. While de-cluttering, place everything at its place, arrange the kitchen stools and furniture at the right angles, remove blankets and papers that are scattered across the room, put away the personal items like frames or small trinkets, and remove anything that feels like it doesn’t belong in the frame or in the room for that matter.

2) Symmetry

While shooting a space, try to achieve symmetry. For this, move things around, make sure that the fruit bowl is placed at the center of the table, see if the benches, stools and dining chairs are organized, check if or not the furniture and the walls have a little space in between them, and straighten the pillows and bed covers. If everything will be asymmetrical then your pictures will give a vibe of a happy organized property. This will help you with the sale.

3) Amenities

When you are capturing a property for sale or for renting purposes then one thing you can do to lure the buyers is to show them the kind of life that they will have if they decide to stay in that place. In order to do that, roam a little around the property. Check-out the nearby areas and see if there is anything that could catch the buyer’s attention. So, for instance, if you locate a beach or a local tourist destination nearby the property, then maybe getting a shot or two of that place will do something to add to the property’s appeal.

How to edit real estate photographs?

After you have captured the photographs of a property in a cool and amazing way, the next step is to edit the photographs effectively. Now, one has to remember that editing is an important step as there is a lot that can be improved during the edits. So, here are some important things that you should take care of while editing the pictures.

1) While editing, pay attention to whatever looks wrong. If you see any distortions, then correct them asap.

2) It is often difficult to capture the correct level of brightness in a photo hence, during the edits, you should make sure to amend it.

3) When you are engaged in editing, try to see where you need to add shadows to create dimensions. Doing so will add the beauty of your pictures.

Conclusion

So, real estate photography is aimed to frame a place in an appealing light so that more and more buyers and renters would feel tempted to check it out. And the tips that we have shared above will hopefully help you in achieving just that!