PHOTOgRAPHY TIPS FOR SHOOTING REAL ESTATE
If you are just about to sell your home or if you are a realtor selling a home, your number one goal is to get as much eyesballs on your listing as you can.
One great way to do that is to take amazing photos of your property and make it look as good as it really is.
Many times we use the phrase “the picture does not do it justice” and most of the time that is true. However, in real estate it’s only true half of the time. Half of the picture I see on Zillow are shot with phones and the other half are shot with nice cameras. Pictures that are shot with a phone don’t always come out great. Many times some editing must be done in order to make the small details pop. So how can you manage to get amazing looking photos?
Tip # 1: Shoot at the best time of the day
The best time of the day to shoot real estate pictures is early in the morning and late in the afternoon. The sweet spot is between 7am- 9am and 5pm - 7pm. The reason for that is you want to avoid strong light. The bright light that the sun gives off during the middle of the day may produce harsh shadows that will make it hard for your camera to record the details well. This tip applies when shooting with your phone or with a dedicated camera.
Tip # 2: Invest in a nice camera
Phones now a days can do everything good. They can connect you with other people, get you online, remind you of deadlines, and even shoot nice pictures. The issue is that phones just are GOOD and everything and not GREAT. To get the best out of an image you will need a picture dedicated device. I will go into more detail on what camera to buy when shooting real estate but that will be for another article - So stick around ;) For now, check out the Canon EOS M50. This camera is a budget friendly camera that’ll get the job done. Make sure to buy a wide-angle lens so you could capture a whole room in one take.
You want to get a camera that is capable of shooting Bracketed Photos. If you have no idea what that is you could google or Youtube the topic for now. I will touch on this topic as well in a future article so stick around ;).
Tip #3: Use a tripod
I cannot count how many times I’ve seen pictures of houses that are either blurry or crooked. To your average person, that might not stick out, but what does that say about the realtor selling the house? Does that make the realtor look professional?
Tripods are cheap and easy to use. You can find a cheap tripod for as little as $15 on amazon. If you ask me, $15 is a hell of a deal to make your pictures look more professional.
Tip #4: Get as much light in the room as possible
Light is what makes a camera work. With no light there is no picture so try to get as much light in the room you are shooting as possible. This means opening up the blinds, turning on all the lights, buying lightbulbs for the bathrooms, because those always go out, or even opening up doors to let more light in. I promise you, just doing this tip will change the way your real estate pictures look.
Tip #5: Less is more
When shooting real estate photos, the less items you have in a room the better. If the home you are shooting is occupied, ask the owner if they could help you clean the property and put away anything and everything that does not belong in the rooms. Also, some people love family portraits, it’s always a good idea to put family portraits away during a real estate shoot to keep the confidentiality of the family. The idea for the pictures is to get as many eyeballs as possible so we don’t want the family to become famous for the wrong reasons- Especially now that memes are popin’ lol.
Closing thoughts
Don’t forget, practice makes perfect. If you are a real estate agent reading this I really hope the best for you. Go get those listings you’ve always dreamed of and always keep it professional.
