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Guide On How To Take Better Real Estate Photos

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Isabella Foreman
Guide On How To Take Better Real Estate Photos

The goal of real estate photography is to help people sell their homes. Realtors are looking for distinct approaches that will stand out among a sea of real estate photographers. While this is not easy money, it can be a gold mine for a photographer who is eager to study. 

Professional real estate photography can appear to be difficult at first. However, once you've mastered the fundamentals of real estate photography, you may begin to experiment and add your flair.

Here are some simple but essential real estate photography tips to capture beautiful and consistent photos. Also, I added some tips on photo editing too towards the end of the post, for which I referred Smart photo editors, a photo editing service provider.

 

The equipment you will need

Camera 

Using the best camera is essential to your success in real estate photography. 

To make real estate photos look decent after being printed for advertising, etc., your camera must have sufficient resolution. 

You'll need a camera that can shoot manually for real estate photography. Any DSLR or mirrorless camera with a crop or full-frame sensor would be ideal for the purpose.

To shoot high-quality photos of a property, ensure your camera is in working order and that you've used the right real estate photography camera settings.

Following is a table listing some of the best cameras for real estate photography:

Camera

Features

Canon EOS Rebel

Camera type: DSLR, Sensor: APS-C, Megapixels: 24.1MP,

Lens mount: Canon EF, ISO range: 100 - 25,600, Image stabilization: In lenses, 

Weight: 451g

Nikon D3500

Camera type: DSLR, Sensor: APS-C, Megapixels: 24.2MP, Lens mount: Nikon F, ISO range: 100 to 25,600, Image stabilization: In lenses only, Weight: 415g

Nikon D850

Camera type: DSLR, Sensor: Full frame, Megapixels: 45.7MP, Lens mount: Nikon F, ISO range: 64 to 25,600, Image stabilization: In lenses only, Weight: 1,005g 

Panasonic Lumix GX880

Camera type: Mirrorless, Sensor: Micro Four Thirds, Megapixels: 16MP, Lens mount: Micro Four Thirds, ISO range: 100-25,600, Image stabilization: In lenses only, Weight: 270g 

There are many high-quality cameras available for a reasonable price. The trick is to get a camera that is tailored to your requirements. Invest in a camera that will last you a long time if your budget permits it.

Lenses

A lens can make a significant difference in the appearance of your final photograph. From its clarity to its adaptability, and even distortion. 

The finest lens for real estate photography should be able to cover a wide range of environments. You should be able to cleanly display even small spaces. The best lenses will help you to create sharp photographs that your customers will appreciate. 

It's challenging to find the perfect lenses for real estate photography. To ensure that the lens is suitable for your projects, you must search for several features. The list below will assist you in your quest for the ideal lens.

Lens

Features

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM

  • Edge-to-edge sharpness
  • Fast autofocus
  • Solid and strong build
  • Exceptional chromatic aberration performance
  • A little pricey

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L

  • Versatile focal range
  • Excellent contrast
  • Fast and silent autofocus
  • Great value for money
  • No Image Stabilization

Nikon 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR

  • Solid build
  • Little distortion
  • Ultra sharp
  • Quick and accurate autofocusing
  • Doesn’t come with Nikon’s Nano Crystal coating
  • Relatively expensive

Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art

  • Ultra-wide
  • Works on Canon and Nikon
  • Incredibly sharp
  • Silent, fast autofocus
  • Large size and weight

Canon 24mm f/3.5 II TS-E

  • Amazing perspective control
  • Solid build
  • Edge-to-edge sharpness
  • Unique image character
  • No autofocus
  • Expensive

Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G

  • Ultra-wide
  • Clean and crisp
  • Lightweight
  • Excellent AF speed
  • Can’t be used with filters
  • High price

Nikon PC 19mm f/4 ED Tilt Shift

  • Excellent sharpness
  • Durable build
  • Nano Crystal lens coatings
  • Nice and wide
  • Manual-focus only
  • Highest priced on the list


Tripod

When you need to capture lengthy exposures, a tripod comes in handy. It stabilizes your camera and guarantees that motion blur is avoided. 

It also aids in the preservation of perspective in your photos. You want to depict the room as seen by a real-life person, so the tripod height should be around 120 cm or 4 ft. In your shot, you want to balance the floor and the ceiling, and if you have to choose, more floor is preferable. 

Keep in mind that, when it comes to real estate photography, consistency is crucial.

Flash

In real estate photography, strobes or flashes are one of the most important but sometimes underestimated equipment. They're helpful, especially when photographing in low-light situations. 

Flash units can be used to illuminate dark portions of a building, particularly interiors. When using flash, you must be aware of the image you are about to capture. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to all lighting problems. You must also comprehend the nature of light and where it hits. When you do use your flash, make sure it mimics natural light. 

You might also need a flash trigger when using an off-camera flash for photography. 

Setting up the property 

Photography is only part of the solution when it comes to real estate photography. You should analyze the room as much as you are analyzing your shots to take your images to the next level. 

 

Every house is unique. Before taking up the camera, get a sense of the space. This will help you decide how you want to photograph it. 

It also gives you an idea of which spaces are available for your use and which rooms might require a few more minutes of clean-up.

 

Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing a property for the shoot.

  • Declutter - It's critical to clear out the clutter. Anything that does not contribute to the room's style should be removed. 
  • Organize the furniture - If your furniture is blocking the flow of a room or is too close to the margins of your frame, move or remove it. 
  • Lighting - Turning on the lights makes an area feel warmer and more welcoming. However, it introduces a range of color temperatures. Turning off the lights creates a uniform light temperature. However, it frequently gives off a frigid vibe in real estate images.

Other things to remember are to keep the doors, curtains, and blinds open, avoid catching reflections in any mirrors and check your photos for consistency.

 

Photo editing 

You don't have to be a pro to capture professional shots in real estate photography, owing to photo editing tools that can bring even the most mundane photos to life. Here are some retouching suggestions for real estate photos.

  • Colors correction - Flat colors may be tweaked to give photographs a realistic yet sparkling look, and hue and saturation can be tweaked to make your real estate images look more lifelike. 

  • Straight lines - Begin by straightening the lines; squinty images can diminish people's trust in a property. 

  • Light balancing - To get precisely balanced photographs, modify all of the settings in Lightroom by tweaking shadows and brightness.

  • Use cloning to clean up - Use the cloning tool to paint over items and tidy up your photographs. 

  • Adjust the clarity - Sharpening your photographs by adjusting their clarity can bring out-of-focus images into professional sharpness.

Final thoughts

If you want to be a professional real estate photographer, you must keep your method and appearance consistent. 

Also, when you're first starting, don't get too caught up in the equipment. Beautiful real estate photography does not require a lot of resources. 

We hope you learned something useful from this post to help you improve your photography skills.

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Isabella Foreman
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