The first and most important step is to create your own portfolio. Here’s a complete guide to creating an online portfolio to get you started. If you have no previous real estate photography experience, it helps if you take a few free jobs to start with. This can be for friends, family and neighbors who want to sell, rent or lease their properties.
Once you’ve completed a great collection, you’ll want to put those photos on your online photo portfolio website. It will also help you get discovered or noticed by agents, landlords or home owners looking to sell in your area.
Once your professional real estate photography portfolio is complete and ready, you can begin contacting real estate agents and brokers in your area. These guys are always looking for good, affordable, professional real estate photographers and may have a gig or two for you.
What Equipment Do You Need For Real Estate Photography?
The most basic equipment you will need for most real estate photography jobs is a high-quality digital camera and a tripod. Wide-angle lenses are great for shooting large areas like living rooms and dining rooms, and are therefore very popular with real estate photographers.
Good editing software is also a must, as most real estate photography doesn’t require much post-production. As you become more successful and establish yourself in the industry, you can build your storage with more high-end equipment. Finally, you’ll want an advanced camera system that allows for multiple lenses, a wireless shutter or shutter app, and lighting enhancements.
1. Full-Frame Digital Camera
Full-frame cameras are the right choice for most real estate photography jobs because they can shoot in multiple areas and produce the highest quality images. Focus on camera sensor size rather than megapixels, as a large sensor size will give you better quality real estate images, even in low light conditions. . There are many quality cameras out there, but it’s still important to do your research and choose the camera that best suits your needs.
2. Wide Angle Lens
Most professional real estate photographers will tell you that a wide angle lens is the best lens for real estate photography. Wide-angle lenses create the impression of depth and emphasize the spaciousness of the room. For a full frame sensor camera, a wide angle lens of around 16-35mm is recommended.
Fisheye or other bloat techniques to create an unrealistic sense of space should be avoided. This practice is misleading and will only deter potential buyers if they feel they have not seen the property. DO NOT deface property or remove permanent, offensive items. Your job as a real estate photographer is to take real estate photos that represent the property in an aesthetic, attractive and authentic way.
3. Tripod
Durability adds quality. Most real estate photos are taken with natural exterior lighting or the limited lighting available in the room. Using a tripod naturally leads to sharper images and stability at long shutter speeds. A tripod will also help you maintain a horizontal plane and get clean vertical lines.
Experiment with different tripod heights – the look of a room can change dramatically at different heights. Choose the best angle after experimenting with different heights (above head level, eye level, chest level, table level). If you plan to shoot bracketed images of post-processing blending , it’s important to shoot with a tripod.
4. Remote Trigger
Remote shutter releases allow you to start the camera and take a picture without even touching the camera. The reason why this is important may not be obvious at first. But remote shutter releases eliminate camera shake that can lead to blurry photos or loss of detail.
This is especially the case with real estate photography, which often uses very long shutter speeds. At these speeds, even the slightest touch of the camera to trigger a shot can result in camera shake and blurry photos.
5. Flash And Flash Trigger
Natural light isn’t always good enough or better when it comes to real estate photography. Remember that not all areas of a property are equally well lit in most cases. You may find that the living room is flooded with lots of natural light, but the bathroom or hallways may be dark.
So having a flash handy is always a good idea. Having a flash trigger next to the flash is also a good idea, as you can position the flash and camera in the most convenient position. Then trigger both remotely without having to deal with complex logistical issues.
