What makes a real estate listing stand out? The answer is simple: great photography. High-quality photos capture a buyer's attention in today's competitive market, where homes often look similar.
Studies show that buyers spend about 60% of their time online looking at photos, compared to only 20% on the details. While many recognize the importance of good photography, few know how to achieve it.
Here are some essential dos and don'ts for creating stunning real estate images.
Real Estate Photography Do's
1. Use a Wide Lens to Show More Space
Buyers browsing online listings want to see entire rooms in one photo. A wide-angle or fisheye lens can help achieve this by capturing more space.
A fisheye lens provides an ultra-wide view, usually between 130° and 180°, but can create a curved, distorted image. It takes practice to avoid including your hands or feet in the shot.
Wide-angle lenses, typically between 24mm and 35mm, are great for focusing on the background and foreground. A wide-angle lens is ideal for tight spaces and group photos, allowing for clear images.
Choosing the right lens enhances your photos and helps buyers appreciate the space's full potential.
2. Let Natural Light Brighten the Room
Good lighting can significantly enhance your photos. Instead of relying on expensive equipment, maximize natural light by pulling back curtains and opening blinds.
Turn on all indoor lights to create a warm atmosphere. If the weather permits, open windows for fresh air and extra light. This makes the room feel open and inviting.
Natural light showcases the best features of a space and helps potential buyers imagine themselves living there.
3. Keep Your Camera Steady with a Tripod
When taking real estate photos, avoid using a handheld camera or smartphone. Invest in a sturdy tripod to ensure clear, sharp images, especially in low-light or rooms without windows.
A tripod stabilizes your camera, which is crucial for capturing great photos at twilight or dimly lit areas. This helps highlight the home's features and creates a warm, inviting atmosphere.
It also allows you to maintain the same angle and frame, making your photos look more professional real estate photography. Additionally, using a tripod lets you take multiple shots of the same scene, resulting in stunning images showcasing the home and its surroundings.
This will enhance the quality of your photos and help buyers envision themselves in the space.
4. Capture the Best Views
To help potential buyers connect with a property and capture its best views. Take photos of the backyard, scenic sights from windows or decks, and wide-angle shots highlighting unique features like outbuildings or exceptional landscaping.
These images showcase the property's charm and allow buyers to envision their lives there. Whether it's a lovely garden, a stunning sunset, or a spacious patio, highlighting these views creates a strong impression.
Take your time to find the best angles that showcase the scenery and unique features. Great views can be a significant selling point, so make them prominent in your photos to help buyers imagine living in the space.
Focusing on these elements as a real estate photographer can greatly enhance your listings and attract more potential buyers.
5. Try Aerial Shots for a New Angle
Drones have become popular in real estate photography. Aerial images effectively showcase a property's unique features, especially homes with beautiful landscapes, outbuildings, or natural elements like ponds and creeks.
These photos help buyers understand the layout and how everything fits together. Most buyers value at least one aerial image to visualize the entire space.
Incorporating aerial photography into your listings enhances the property's appeal and helps it stand out, attracting more interest from potential buyers.
6. Consider Virtual Staging for a Fresh Look
If you're taking pictures of an empty property, consider using virtual staging for your real estate photos. This technique can turn vacant spaces into warm and welcoming homes, helping buyers picture themselves living there.
By making the space feel inviting, virtual staging can help sell a home faster and often for a better price. Virtual staging is legal and follows MLS rules as long as you tell people the images are virtually staged. Being clear about this builds trust with potential buyers.
Many editing companies can help you with virtual staging, charging anywhere from $20 to $375 per image, depending on what you need—for example, Virtual Restaging charges between $25 and $30 per image.
They provide a quick turnaround of 24 to 48 hours and offer unlimited revisions to ensure you get the desired look. This makes virtual staging a helpful tool for showcasing properties attractively.
Real Estate Photography Don'ts
1. Remove Personal Items from the Scene
Before photographing a home, remove all personal items, including family photos and decorative knickknacks. Object removal creates a clean and open look, making the space more inviting for potential buyers.
A tidy environment helps buyers imagine themselves living in the home. When the space is free from personal touches, it's easier for them to envision their furniture and decor.
Tip: Focus on object removal to eliminate distracting items, enhance your real estate photos, and prepare the home for showings, which will support a successful sale.
2. Don't Shoot Messy or Cluttered Rooms
While it may seem obvious, many people still take photos of dingy or dirty spaces. Giving the home a thorough cleaning before the shoot is crucial to ensuring your images are as appealing as possible.
A clean environment highlights the property's features and creates a positive first impression for potential buyers. Dusty surfaces, dirty floors, or cluttered areas can detract from the home's appeal and make it hard for buyers to envision themselves living there.
Tip: Consider a deep clean that includes everything from windows to corners and outdoor areas. This extra effort will result in bright, inviting photos that showcase the property at its best and attract more interest.
3. Keep Cars Out of the Driveway
Leaving cars in the driveway can negatively impact the quality of your real estate photos, just as clutter inside the home can detract from its appeal. Vehicles can block views and make the property look less inviting.
To ensure all the images shine, make it a priority to remove any cars from the driveway before the shoot starts. A clear driveway enhances the overall composition and allows potential buyers to focus on the most critical element in the shot—the house itself.
Tip: A clean and open driveway creates a welcoming entrance that adds to the property's charm, helping buyers visualize their experience as they approach their future home.
4. Don't Over-Edit Your Photos
While editing can significantly improve your real estate photo, going overboard can deter potential buyers. If colors are so bright they resemble a neon sign or if the sky looks like an unrealistic shade of blue, viewers will take notice and may feel the images are misleading.
Real estate photos should enhance the property's natural appearance rather than transform it into something unrecognizable. Aim for authenticity; buyers want an accurate representation of the space.
Tips: Use tools like image enhancement to brighten and clarify without overdoing it, and consider sky replacement only if it looks natural. Keeping your edits subtle will ensure your photo editing attracts interest without raising doubts.
5. Leave Pets Out of the Photos
While many people love their furry friends, not everyone feels the same. Including pets in real estate listing photos can be distracting and make it difficult for potential buyers to focus on the property.
Remove pets and any pet accessories, such as litter boxes, toys, and beds. A clean, pet-free space helps buyers envision themselves in the home, increasing the chances of making a positive impression.
These real estate photography tips can significantly enhance your images and appeal to more buyers.
Enhance Real Estate Photos the Right Way With Virtual Restaging
Mastering the do's and don'ts of real estate photography is crucial for creating appealing listings that attract buyers. Utilizing wide lenses, natural light, and tripods enhances property visuals while capturing stunning views, and using aerial shots can make your listings stand out.
Additionally, avoiding clutter, personal items, and excessive editing ensures buyers see an accurate representation of the space. Following these guidelines helps you showcase homes effectively and allows buyers to envision their future in them.
Ready to take your property photos to the next level? Consider using Virtual Restaging to create inviting, beautifully staged images to capture buyers' attention and boost your sales potential!
FAQs
What is the importance of using natural light in real estate photography?
Natural light enhances a property's warmth and appeal, making it look more inviting in photos. Good lighting helps showcase a space's best features, allowing potential buyers to envision themselves living there.
How can virtual staging benefit my real estate listings?
Virtual staging transforms empty rooms into inviting spaces, helping buyers visualize how they could use the area. This technique can lead to faster sales and potentially higher offers, highlighting the property's full potential without needing physical staging.
Why should I avoid including personal items in real estate photos?
Removing personal items helps create a clean and neutral environment, allowing buyers to imagine their own belongings in the space. This approach fosters a more inviting atmosphere and increases the chances of making a positive impression on potential buyers.