No other market puts such importance on photography as much as real estate. After all, real estate photography is the first medium through which buyers catch a good glimpse of their potential future house.
In brief, real estate photography creates the first impression. (And, you know what they say about the first impression!)
Real estate photography is unlike any other form of photography. You need to comprehend how to capture intricate details and make the house look bankable. In short, you want to provide maximum information about the house through a set of brilliantly captured photos.
All in all, as a real estate photographer, you need to master the art of presenting a house in a nutshell, and make it look good (obviously!) while doing it.
Of course, you can always turn to professional services provided by the likes of HomiesFoto. Professional photographers are usually better and also the safer option if you are running on a limited time window to sell the house.
But,
Here are some of the most fundamental real estate photography tips you can implement if you’re genuinely interested in taking the matter into your own hands.
Choosing the ideal camera
First thing first, you need a good camera to produce the best results, as simple as that!
A large proportion of novice real estate photographers think they can get away with capturing houses using smartphone cameras. While smartphone cameras have come a long way, they still cannot stack up to the performance quality of professional DSLR cameras.
With professional cameras, you also have to decide between two sensors – full-frame and cropped frame. For obvious reasons, professional realtor photographers usually go with full-frame sensor cameras. This is primarily because cameras with full-frame sensors provide a much wider and uninterrupted view of the object. They also collect more light and offer superior photosensitive areas as well.
However, for newbie realtor photographers, cropped frame sensor cameras can be a good option to experiment around and get familiar with professional cameras. In addition, they are also cheaper in comparison to full-frame cameras.
Some additional camera tools that are a must-have for any real estate photographers are
- Wide-angle lens
- Tripod
- External Flash
- A remote trigger, etc.
De-clutter
Technically de-cluttering is not a part of capturing the actual image. It, however, plays a gigantic role in determining the outcome of your photography venture. De-cluttering allows you to present the best perspective of certain areas/rooms around the house.
You also have to keep in mind that de-cluttering does not necessarily imply cleaning out the room entirely and capturing the bare walls. On the contrary, showing as many resources around the room is recommended as it helps buyers get a real-world perspective of the room.
You just have to ensure that things are laid out neatly. Some minor touches like cleaning the coffee table, countertops, and desks can be a good idea. And, if some things are getting in the way of capturing the perfect image, there is no harm in tucking them away from the camera.
Lighting
Lighting is a crucial component in any form of photography. And, the story continues with real estate photography as well. Sometimes the difference between a good and an underwhelming image can just be due to different light settings.
With lighting, there are several questions you have to ask yourself.
Should you keep the lights on or turn them off?
What time of the day is best for taking photos?
Keeping the lights on might seem like an obvious choice for many. But, it comes with its fair share of challenges. Keeping the light on exposes the room to a wide range of color temperatures. Thus, you need to be equipped to balance out the colors when processing the image.
So, in cases of low light conditions, you can make use of your camera flash. Usually, they provide a better image result with fewer color distortions as opposed to internal lightings.
However, if the room has large windows, it is best to keep them open to ensure good natural lighting exposure. Natural lighting always provides the best image result. Hence, it is always best if you can time your photoshoots during the daytime when there is ample natural lighting to work with.
Shoot straight for less distortion
The angle of capturing an image is a genuine concern amongst novice photographers.
Pro tip?
Always keep your camera straight when capturing the image. Usually, when you start taking pictures at different angles, the vertical lines automatically start to slant, causing distortion in the final image.
Typically a height of about 5 ft. is a sweet spot for real estate photography. Of course, different houses demand different settings. But, this is usually the ideal height to give you the most balanced and natural image.