The Ultimate Guidelines You Need to Know in Real Estate Photography

The Ultimate Guidelines You Need to Know in Real Estate Photography

One thing that most people don’t see about real estate photography is the work that goes into the entire deal. Some might be able to see and comprehend up to a level of work that involves taking photos and polishing them to turn out into the magnificent snaps we see posted for sale. What most don’t realize is that being in a real estate photography business entails and end-to-end management and execution of the job. It’s more than just taking shots and sitting behind a desk for post-processing because after all, it is a business.

This set of ultimate guidelines aim to present what one needs to do in order to be successful in the game of real estate photography. More than what we see in the photos, this ultimate guide will outline the vital parts of the work that goes behind the scenes including the nitty gritty details that makes a career in real estate photography work to its fullest potential.

The Ultimate Guidelines: What You Need to Know

  1. Visit the property ahead of the schedule and create a plan

Good photographers know it is crucial to get to know the property prior to the shoot. The reason why these ultimate guidelines begin with this is because there are a lot of efficiency implications when it comes to real estate photography. Visiting the site ahead of time will help you prepare a flow for the shoot, taking into account what segments of the property will likely be of interest to different buyers. Now the reality of this step in real estate photography is every property is unique, therefore patience and the will to get this done each time will see a consistently high-quality set of photos from you.

  1. Lighting, whether natural or artificial, is important

Illumination cannot be emphasized any larger that this. Always think about how the science of light and color work. As more light is available, the visible the colors and details in anything are. Of course, this already accounts for the proper levels where the light is not too blinding or glaring. One sad truth about real estate photography and lights is that cameras cannot perfectly capture the way we see the property in all its glory. The proper mix of lighting on shoot must complement the way post-processing will further enhance the photos.

  1. Make sure everything is in the photo and use a wide-angle lens if needed

Next up on this ultimate guideline is the element of composition. A good story put together adds that wow factor into each photo. Such is the case for arranging a good set of furniture, accessories, and accents into the mix. Real estate photography must always shoot all of these into one shot, avoiding to leave out any object within the composition out not because it diminishes the overall look and feel of the photo, but is a wasted opportunity altogether.

  1. To maintain straight lines, shoot from a lower angle

We see why most real estate photography professionals try to bend down on one knee to snap that shot. It isn’t because they want to look like they know what they are doing, but this is simply one of the levels that bring out the best perspective in real estate photos. It wouldn’t be part of this ultimate guide if it weren’t. Now the reason why the level is shot from waist-height is because we want to keep lines straight. If we shoot on eye level while standing up, we could see some lines start to come towards the camera and post-processing would have to carry the brunt in order to rectify all these when it could have been avoided at the photography stage.

  1. Shoot bracketed photos and shoot plenty of it

Bracketed photos are similar to the concept of the high-dynamic range feature or HDR in some cameras. It aims to shoot multiple shots of the same image, although in different exposures. The importance of having such photos is to combine all of the best parts of the image where lighting grazes it differently. For instance, shooting a bedroom will most likely have 2 extreme scenarios with everything else in between. The two extremes will contain one with a room properly visible while a window overly glared. The other extreme will exhibit the opposite where the room is dark but the view from the window is fathomable. In post-processing, stacking is one way to merge all these together and retain the good parts while throwing out the unsightly ones.

  1. Choose stability all the time

Tripods are your saving grace in the talks for photo stability. Real estate photography can be tricky due to the natural shakiness of our hands or the mis-timed coordination between moving the camera and the finishing of the shutter speed. A tripod will stay still not matter what you do as it has three points established on the ground. It will avoid any blurry images or parts of an image that would otherwise render the shot useless.

  1. Forge partnerships and establish your rates

The work done by photographers are only as good as the people who really want them. Therefore, a good client-base will help realty editor-photography stay afloat and keep that ecosystem going. Partners are people who you render long term photography services for. They pay you the money they believe the photographs and service is worth while agreeing to a price that you have determined on your end.

  1. Build a routine

It’s good to know that you have projects coming in from all directions, but it is more important to know what you do on a predictable basis in order to meet demand and grow your business at the same time. Establishing a routine as part of this ultimate guide enables you to manage your time and resources so you know when you are doing something wrong and be able to correct it in the process.

Conclusion

Real estate photography is not as simple as it seems. What most people on the surface is a result of hard work and thought that stems from the need to establish the right routine and attitude. This ultimate guideline will set you sailing in the right direction, hopefully with the right tailwinds. It is then up to you to build further on what you need to do, tailor it to your overall goals in order to reach that finish line in your career.

 

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