Good photographs of a property are extremely important for effective listings. Almost 90% of buyers cite high-quality listing photos as a primary factor when deciding which homes to go see.
This DIY guide will provide simple, practical tips and professional techniques to create high-quality photos of real estate properties. Photographing Real Estate is not complicated, but good methodology and attention to detail are crucial to produce the best results.
Best Practices
To ensure the highest quality – follow these best practices for photographing real estate properties.
Equipment:
While a high-end DSLR camera will provide the most control and best resolution, any high-resolution device can produce high-quality images in the hands of a capable photographer using proper technique. Most current mobile devices now have adequate resolution (Megapixels) for use in online listing photos
Resolution / Image Clarity
The higher the quality of the original photos you upload - the better the quality of your Virtually Staged photos.
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Stabilize
Use a tripod or brace against a wall to minimize blurring of images. -
Focus
Focus on something at mid-range. If using a DSLR or other digital camera, use a small lens opening (F-stop / aperture) for better 'depth-of-field’ (more things at various distances will be in focus). This will require a slower shutter speed, so use a tripod or higher ISO speed.
Lighting
Get as much light as possible into the room. Turn on all lights whenever photographing interiors. This creates focal points, depth, ambiance, and will better illuminate all areas. Shoot HDR if available on the camera.
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Exposure
Correct exposure is essential. It can often be fixed later in editing, but it is easier and better to expose correctly when shooting. -
Color Balance
Various light sources have different 'color temperatures'. Daylight and flash are balanced for 'normal' color. Tungsten lights are warmer (yellow/golden). Florescent light looks greenish. Shadows and evening light looks bluish. A DSLR camera will have settings for various lighting types. Color balance can easily be corrected in editing using Lightroom or any similar image editing program - Direct Sunlight
- Avoid! Direct sunlight streaming in through windows is much brighter and will overpower the interior lighting – making photos look ‘artificial’. Using a flash can help.
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Flash
A flash can illuminate shadow areas and is the same color balance as daylight. However, direct flash (on-camera) can cause hotspots on close-up items. Small, built-in flashes on smartphones are typically not powerful enough to illuminate things more than a few feet away. Use an external flash if possible diffuse or bounce the flash off a white or light surface (photo umbrella / reflector, side wall or ceiling).
Time of Day
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Mid-Day
Photograph at mid-day for optimal natural light on interiors. However, to see important details out the windows, photograph earlier or later when exterior images are not too bright (avoid direct sun shining in). -
Photographing at Sunset/ Dusk
Photos shot at or after sunset can create dramatic out-of-the-window views and exterior photos. However, a bright setting sun in the photo may be too bright in comparison to the interior lighting and will be overexposed.
It is usually best to wait until 15 – 30 minutes after sunset – when the sky is the same brightness as the interior lighting. Turn on all interior and exterior lights and use a tripod. Shoot any exteriors as soon as interior light can be seen through the windows and before the sky gets too dark. Use a tripod. -
Photographing at Night
If photographing at night is the only choice, turn on all lights and use a tripod.
Composition / Framing
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Image Orientation & Aspect Ratio
Most MLS listing photos should be landscape (horizonal) orientation and a 3:2 or 4:3 aspect ratio. This format works best with most MLS layouts. (See the specific website for posting guidelines). -
Attention to Detail
Study the scene prior to photographing to notice and correct any problems. Shoot several angles. Experiment, adjust, and shoot again. -
Perspective / Straight Vertical Lines
It is very important to hold the camera level. Do NOT tilt the camera up or down. This will avoid slanting and distorted walls. Some distortion can be fixed later in editing, but it is easier to do it right when shooting. -
Interior Photos
- Shoot at chest height. Position the camera higher or lower as necessary.
- Leave doors open between rooms to give viewers a better feel for the home’s layout and how the rooms connect.
- Avoid large objects in the foreground. They distract and upstage the rest of the room and will get distorted near the edges.
- Pro Tip: Open curtains and blinds and wash the windows (inside and out). Remove screens (if possible) to brighten the room. Screens dim the incoming natural light and make windows look dingy in photos.
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Lenses – Field of View
- Wide Angle lenses work best to capture the full feel of a room – but can cause distortion of things near the edges. Shoot wider then crop-in when editing.
- Panorama – use Panorama mode on a Smartphone if needed to capture a full room. Crop later in editing.
What to Shoot?
Photos should portray an accurate representation of the home. Photographs should showcase the home’s best features and unique architectural style. Studies have shown that posting 22-27 listing photos is optimal. Shoot many more and select only the best ones.
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Must-Have Interior Photos
- Living Room
- Dining Room
- Master Bedroom
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
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Common Mistakes
- Photographer’s reflection in mirror or window.
- Vertical distortion (cause by pointing camera up or down).
- Distracting objects visible out of windows.
- Raised toilet seat lid.
- Ceiling fan in motion.
- Using a fisheye lens – which creates distortion and unrealistic images.
Photo Editing
Editing photos after the photo shoot is a critical part of the process. Edit to correct problems and improve the image quality. Don’t overdo color correction.
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Smartphones
All smartphones now have good photo editing features built-in. On iPhone and Android: Go to the image gallery, select photo, then the editing tool (Pencil Icon). -
Editing Software
Lightroom, Photoshop or another photo editing software allow more sophisticated editing, like correcting distorted / skewed images and individual color adjustments. -
Cropping
Straighten slanting images, correct vertical lines, and crop first (before editing exposure, lighting, and color) to the correct aspect ratio (width x height) for where the image will be posted. Refer to MLS or posting website guidelines. -
Lighting Adjustments
Recommended lighting adjustments: Exposure, shadows, contrast, dehaze, clarity, vibrance, color balance. Lightening shadows will bring out detail but will also cause milky blacks – increase contrast slightly to compensate.
Accepted Formats – JPG/JPEG or PNG only. Any other format will NOT work. Most mobile devices product JPG image files. Camera Raw, PSD, DNG, PDF, or other formats must be converted to JPG or PNG before uploading. Minimum file size - 2 MB. Maximum file size - 20 MB.
MLS Listing Photo Size – Use an online resolution of at least 1024 x 768 pixels (3:2 ratio). Larger images up to 2048 x 1365 pixels are better. Reserve higher resolutions of 4096 x 2732 pixels or larger for print materials @ 300 dpi for best print quality.
Give us good images – we’ll return better ones!
