So you want to find out how to get into Real Estate photography in 2020? Are you just curious what it’s like to shoot real estate photos and videos? Today we will look at what I’ve learned shooting commercial real estate, to help my real estate photography game. Furthermore, lets begin.
Real Estate Photography: 10 Tips for 2020
- Tripod
- Wide Angle Lenses
- Bracketed Shots – AEB
- Drone
- Details
- Be Prepared – SHOT LIST
- Know Your Weather
- Understand Lighting
- Always Choose this Shooting Mode (Raw vs JPEG)
- Get and Stay Creative
Use a Tripod
Tripods should be the first piece of equipment behind your camera for real estate photography. Can you get by without one? Yes but your results will suffer. If you are planning to shoot in lower lit areas or adding a dramatic effect to your shots, Tripods are a must
Find a Wide Angle Lens
Wide Angles Lenses are the key ingredient for a successful real estate photo shoot. A suitable lens will be in the 10-30mm range and able to convey the size of the entire room. As a Nikon user, I use the Nikon 14-30mm f/4 and am very pleased with it because I can capture those wide cramped interiors, and then also pleasing exteriors. Find out about the Best lens for real estate photography
Bracket your Shots – AEB
Nail all of your shots by utilizing AEB or Auto exposure bracketing. Using this technique will ensure that your pictures are underexposed, correctly exposed and overexposed to blend together. Once you see the action put to work, you will continue to utilize this technique.
Get a Drone
Drones used to be a luxury and nice to have piece of equipment. Now, Real Estate Drone Photography is a necessity for anyone looking into Real Estate content production! Not only do Drones showcase homes significantly better, they attract significantly more eyes. Find out what the Best Drone for Real Estate Photography is today.
Details
It’s all in the details. What makes a room specifically appealing? Is it the island in the kitchen? Is it the TV in the game room? Find that detail that draws you in and compose your shot to highlight it.
Make sure the house is clean
This might sound foolish, but sometimes you will arrive for a shoot to a dirty house. Who wants to tour a home that has crap all over the place. Make sure the place is tidy and then remove any other distracting items that aren’t necessary. Details, details, details.
Shot List
You might think you’ve nailed all of your shots until you come home and forgot two shots. This has happened to me because I thought I captured everything I needed when in reality I didn’t check all the boxes. Have a shot list and check it twice!
Weather
Keep an eye on the weather for your shoot day. Are you going to shoot in a cloudy environment and edit your work in post or is it going to be sunny and have an abundance of natural light? Ideally you can capture the moments at sunset with a stunning backdrop but everyone’s schedule varies.
Interior Lighting
Turn the lights on! Not only is it going to add more warmth to the shot it will show more details of your subjects. Dark and moody is great but for different creative projects. Keep the house warm and lit.
SHOOT RAW
I predominantly shoot raw for one main reason. You can edit your photo dramatically more compared to shooting JPEG. I love jpeg on certain cameras and for certain reasons but for client work, RAW is always the way to go.
Read this piece if you want to know the difference between Raw vs Jpeg
Get and Stay Creative
Yes you should cover all the basic and necessary shots but you should also experiment with different styles and techniques to showcase your creative side. With real estate photography being competitive, those who continually nail the basics and push the envelope with new techniques will flourish. It’s not always about being better when different scratches the customers itch.
Bonus Tip: Real Estate Photography Pricing
Real Estate Photography pricing is going to vary drastically depending on your location. To stay competitive and get top dollar, make sure you analyze your market and see what others are pricing their creative services.
Northern Michigan Photographer Contact
Thanks for taking the time to read my Real Estate Photography Tips. Are you looking for any Upper Peninsula of Michigan Real Estate at this time? My real estate photography team is spread throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Michigan.
For any of my readers who are based in Michigan and need any work done, let’s talk about your Upper Peninsula Real Estate options. If you are not in Michigan, my team also handles Bay Area Real Estate services. I travel frequently so I potentially might be in your city while you read this and travel to clients.
Real Estate videography and photography isn’t only about the homes we showcase, but the surrounding areas too. Some of the most beautiful colors I’ve seen in the states have been in Michigan. These guides below show more beautiful scenery of the area we live in:
Find the Best Upper Peninsula Fall Colors today
Michigan Trip Planner in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan