How To Be A Real Estate Photographer

To tell the truth, becoming a professional and giving amazing results in photography real estate is challenging because you need to have technical capabilities and a lot of experience. You can acquire capabilities both independently and with the help of training.

But to fully get into this field, you need: 

1. To have your own camera. If you have it, it is already the first step to success. 
2. Learn about photography and attend various courses to gain knowledge.
3. And then, you have to create a portfolio, which is a major part of building a career as a photographer. When your professional real estate photography portfolio is done, you can start searching for property brokers.

Success may not come immediately, but If you show yourself and let customers know about your fine works, success will come to you.

What Is a Real Estate Photographer?

The name itself already gives a hint and a rough idea of ​​what people with this type of activity do. A real estate photographer is a person who takes pictures of the property for realtors, designers, and magazine editors. It means they generate content by taking pictures of the interior and exterior. It's why they work mostly with real estate agents.

Photographers can photograph both commercial and residential property. It already depends on the order of the brokers. But the bottom line is that they must take clear pictures with good lighting. The photo must convey everything in detail and be how the customer wants it. Usually, real estate photographers use additional equipment and photo props, and they can also bring an assistant with them because taking pictures is sometimes complicated. 

What Does a Real Estate Photographer Do?

Photographers from this occupation are responsible for attractive real estate shots that will be in demand and attract people. They are planning a shoot with the customer who says what kind of photo he wants to get, from which angle, and what to focus on. Then the photographer does it. But this work is not as easy as it seems because the photographer controls the lighting, editing the photo, and taking the appropriate equipment, which is a lot. And it is only a tiny part of the responsibilities of a real estate photographer. In fact, there are more of them, and these duties include:

• creating a portfolio
• preparing homes for photos
• posting real estate stock photos on the Internet
• photographing the building both outside and inside
• serviceability of the camera and other equipment
• planning the shooting 

After shooting, these photos are given to realtors. These pictures are used in most cases as advertising for the sale of property or as advertising for residential houses. In most cases, photographers also offer to post their work on various sites so that people can see real estate stock photos. Moreover, such photographers provide their services not only to realtors but also to architects, designers, and home decorators. They order the images to promote the property and use them for advertising purposes. Designers can also order such favors to print this content in their magazines.

Generally, a photographer needs to know how to take real estate photos from an interesting side to attract people's attention. They should know how to choose an angle and where to get good lighting (this is the most crucial thing). Sometimes they even have to adapt to weather conditions or time of day to get the photos that clients ordered. As a whole, the work is challenging but exciting and promising.

How to Become a Real Estate Photographer?

To be a photographer who takes pictures of real estate is challenging because the competition is getting bigger every year in this field. However, by making your own efforts, you have an opportunity to become a professional. But what exactly should you do? For this, there is a step-by-step plan which helps you to become a professional at your work:

Education	A real estate photographer does not need any degree, but a photographer always needs to obtain knowledge, practice lessons, and work on mistakes. Professionals engaged in photography and real estate are not trained in educational institutions, but there are many master classes and special training courses for this. So, If you want to be a real estate photographer, first of all, you need knowledge. For this, it is better to attend courses and learn something new. As you gain experience, you will be able to create a portfolio. It is a great advantage when looking for a job. Therefore, acquiring knowledge for a photographer plays a big role.
Learn about camera features	People who take pictures of real estate do not use ordinary cameras. Usually, their cameras have a lot of features and require additional equipment. Therefore, you need to study all the functions in detail and learn your camera completely for further work. It is essential to know how to set up the camera correctly and to take real estate photos  for a photographer so that the customer likes them.
Spend a lot of time practicing	It doesn't matter if you attend the courses or not. Even if you are taught photography, you should practice on your own to improve your skills. You should study your camera in detail and know all the nuances of photography. By additional practicing, you will gain experience faster, and it will be easier to find a job.
Learn how to edit photos	Editing has gained immense popularity and is now used everywhere. It is also important for real estate photographers. You need to know how to properly edit a photo so that it complies with the requirements of a realtor who usually wants to get clear and saturated pictures. A photographer must be able to precisely adjust light, exposure, saturation, and which photo format is best to choose. These are part of a real estate photographer's responsibilities, so you should learn them.
Work on your portfolio	Find a house that you can photograph for your portfolio. Take pictures not only of the exterior but also of the interior. It will give you specific advantages and show you are a versatile photographer. After that, start creating a portfolio where there should be at least 15 photos. You can also generate an online portfolio and post it on various sites. Additionally, post your real estate stock photos on the Internet so that more people know about you.
Search for customers	Post your portfolio so customers can access it and view your work.

So, follow this step-by-step guide. With it, you will know how to become a real estate photographer and get into this field. Of course, it requires a lot of studies and hard work. But the most important thing is practice because your experience depends on it. As soon as you master your camera, you can work independently. And when you are confident in your abilities, you can begin the portfolio and work.

How to take real estate photos?

If you do not know how to take pictures appropriately, here are some tips for you:

1. Plan your work
   To do this, keep records so that it is easier for you to navigate how and when you will take real estate photos.
2. Adjust the camera
   Set the appropriate settings, turn off unnecessary functions, and check the camera's condition and the percentage of charge. The camera should work well, so inspect it regularly.
3. Choose the time of a day to shoot
   Each time of day has different lighting that has a significant impact on the photo. Therefore, you need to determine which picture should be and what time of day is best for it. Maybe it should be a photo at sunset or in cloudy weather. So, consider such nuances in your work.
4. Select the angle
   Sometimes, you have to work hard to get the desired results. Your task is to photograph the real estate from different angles so that everything is visible, and sometimes you need to fit everything into one photo. Therefore, the realtor or another of your customers says from which angle he wants to receive pictures. You can help him with this idea or choose your own perspective. Here you will need imagination.
5. Pay attention to details
   When a photographer works on their real estate photos, customers usually ask to highlight certain details in the photo, especially interior photos. So, sometimes you must be meticulous about your results and pay attention to certain objects.
6. Take quality pictures
   It's better to take a few quality pictures than many bad ones. It's why you should keep your equipment in good condition, especially the cleanliness of the camera lens.

These tips can be for both a beginner and an experienced photographer. They will help you make your work better and be more organized.

Types of Real Estate Photographer

Real estate photographer is a general term, but they are divided into a couple of types:

Commercial	Commercial photography has the least demand among other types of photography, but they have a high price for their services. It includes, for example, shooting hotels, shopping centers, leisure complexes, and restaurants. The dimensions of these structures are much larger, so the price for them is correspondingly higher. Unlike others, these photos can be used for various purposes and not only for advertising.
Residential	It is the most popular type for a real estate photographer. Realtors often require photos of residential buildings, townhouses, and one-room apartments. Designers need pictures of house designs. And advertisers order images to advertise certain buildings. It is why the demand for such photographers is increasing because they cooperate with many companies and agencies. Basically, the price of their services depends on the location of the real estate.
Architectural	It is also quite a popular kind of shooting. It can include shooting building exteriors and interiors, as well as bridges, other structures, and cityscapes. In general, all the architecture around us. Very often, we can see it in the form of advertising on billboards or magazine covers.
Interior	For this shooting, the photographer must know how to take real estate photos with interior details. It can be a photo of renovation, specific furniture, showing the room's space, etc. Designers or home realtors usually need such types of shooting.

When you become a real estate photographer, you must decide what exactly you want to photograph. If it is difficult for you to make a choice, you can practice on your own. Then you will see from the results what you like more and which buildings you emphasize. 

Usually, people choose a direction in photos by looking for a high salary. But if you are a professional who enjoys photography of real estate, your work will be appreciated and well paid.

Equipment for Real Estate Photographer

We have selected the most common equipment for your shooting:

• Digital camera
  These are high-quality cameras that are ideal for property photographers. Digital cameras contain many megapixels, but for a photographer who takes pictures of real estate, megapixels are not as important as the size of the camera sensor. It is why most of them use these cameras.
• Wide-angle lens
  It is used to increase the space in the photo. It helps capture the entire object in the camera and convey the dimensions. But you need to know how to use this lens correctly because sometimes you can get too carried away with it, and the photo will not correspond to reality.
• Flash
  Lighting is the most important component of a photo, and all the rest depends on it. Sometimes the natural light is not enough to take quality pictures, so photographers use flashes. Artificial light helps the image not to lose quality. It is why every photographer should have it.
• Tripod
  It helps you get sharp shots and improve stability. You can put different heights on the tripod and experiment with it. Also, the tripod helps to align the horizon in the photo.
• Drone
  It is an incredibly convenient tool that will make you stand out from the crowd. To begin with, you need to learn how to use it and get permission for it. Some professionals use a drone for photography to take pictures of real estate from interesting angles. It also allows taking pictures from different heights and various sides of the building.
• 360 Camera
  It will give you the opportunity to take a picture of the property from all sides and convey the actual dimensions of the house through the photo. This equipment is gaining popularity and is highly convenient for photographers.
• Light Modifiers
  Sometimes, a simple flash is not enough to make a photo well-lit. In such cases, it is better to use a light modifier that will help you capture more space for lighting. And the main thing is that this light will fall evenly and convey naturalness in the photo.

Top skills for a real estate photographer

1. Editing skills - are needed to improve the quality and appearance of photos. Professional photographers use special programs for editing. Most of them take editing courses because programs have many functions, and it is difficult to learn them independently.
2. Organization skills - are needed for proper planning of your work and time. The organization helps you not to get confused in your work and to do everything step by step.
3. Computer skills - are needed to use editing programs, to be able to distribute your real estate stock photos on the social network on various platforms, and to create pictures in multiple formats.
4. Visual skills - are needed to set up the frame. Visual skills help to imagine the picture in the head and choose the right perspective. It also helps take into account all the negatives of the photo and put everything you want in one frame.

As you can see, each skill has certain advantages in work and makes it more qualitative. Without them, the work will not be completely professional, so gradually gain these capabilities.

FAQs

What time of day is best for real estate photography?

Usually, photographers believe that the best time for real estate photos is morning or lunch. When it's very light outside, and the sun is shining. But it also depends on the customer. Maybe he needs a different time of day to make the photo more atmospheric.

Do Realtors Photoshop pictures?

Yes, but they try to do it to a minimum. Sometimes they have to remove some flaws from the photo or, on the contrary, add something. Photographers also use Photoshop to improve the brightness or exposure of a picture.

Why do houses look better in pictures?

Because photographers use a wide-angle lens that captures more space for the photo. They create the illusion that the space is wider and more commodious. And that's why it seems bigger to us.

How long do house photos take?

It depends on the order and the building. On average, it takes 1.5 hours, but the photo session can last much longer if it is complex.