Real estate photography is a learned skill. You can’t just pick up a camera and start shooting. It’s learned with practice and experience. Here are some tips to help you find an experienced, professional real estate photographer in your area.
The easiest way to spot an experienced real estate photographer is by looking at their content. That sounds simple enough, right? And it can be that simple. If it appeals to you, then that photographer might be worth hiring. Otherwise, there are specific things to look for in each real estate photograph.
How to Spot a Professional Real Estate Photographer
Showcasing a property is the whole point of real estate photography. You don’t want anything to distract from each photo. If anything looks off, the human eye can quickly recognize when something in’t right. If that happens, the focus goes away from the property and right to the mistake. Experienced real estate photographers know how to avoid these mistakes.
Horizontal and Vertical Lines
To put this in the simplest way possible: everything needs to look straight. Experienced real estate photographers know how to level their camera so the vertical and horizontal lines are straight.An inexperienced real estate photographer will have slanted lines in their photographs.
Proper Exposure
Real estate professionals to want bright, clear photographs. An experienced real estate photographer will find even exposure. That means the property is evenly and consistently lit throughout. There are no areas too dark or too bright. Most professional real estate photographers use bracketing and flash to achieve this.
Color Balance
As a real estate professional, you likely know the difference between warm and cool color temperatures. The same goes for real estate photography. Warm colors show as orange and cool colors show as blue. A professional real estate photographer strikes the right color balance (or white balance) for your photos.
Lens Distortion
A camera lens has a round piece of glass. That round glass turns photos into flat rectangles. Round and flat sometimes go together like a square peg and a round hole. Round lenses often distort a photograph — stretching items unnaturally. Experienced real estate photographers carry the right lenses to limit distortion.
Correct Angles
Choosing the correct angles for real estate photography doesn’t have anything to do with gear. It all has to do with the eye of the real estate photographer. An experienced eye knows how to properly capture each photograph. You’ll typically see most real estate photographs covering rooms from corner to corner (although there are exceptions).
Too Much Ceiling
This is one of the most common mistakes for inexperienced real estate photographers: they show too much ceiling in their photographs. We’ve all seen it before, and it’s not very appealing to the eye. An experienced real estate photographer knows the best way to use their tripod to properly capture each room.
Focus
Okay, this seems too obvious but I need to say it: make sure real estate photos are in focus. If you find a real estate photographer who isn’t capturing images in focus…run far, far away from that person.
Real Estate Photographer Gear
Another thing to look for when hiring a real estate photographer is the gear they carry. They should have a professional camera, tripod, flash, and drone. And as mentioned before, they should use a wide angle lens (or lenses) with minimal distortion. Don’t be afraid to ask what gear a real estate photographer uses for their shoots.
Professionalism
The final thing you should be aware of when hiring a real estate photographer is how they carry themselves; their professionalism. Real estate photographers often interact with sellers and you want to make sure your photographer matches your professionalism. You don’t want someone walking into your properties who is going to rub people the wrong way or come off as inexperienced.
Real Estate Photographers Should Reflect Your Brand
You work hard for your real estate business. It’s your pride, passion, and profession. When hiring a real estate photographer the ultimate goal should be contracting with someone who matches the same pride, passion, and profession that you do. Anything less is simply selling yourself short. You deserve the best and so do your buyers and sellers.
As I often say on this blog, real estate marketing isn’t just about marketing your properties — it’s also about marketing you. It’s one of the only ways you can stand out from the massive crowd of real estate professionals in your market. Be sure to find a photographer who matches your personal brand.
Seattle Real Estate Photographer
If you’re searching for an experienced Seattle real estate photographer, then your search stops here with Moarly Creative. Our real estate marketing company captures only the highest quality photographs. On top of that, our real estate photographers also capture home listing videos, Matterport, and floor plans (including 3D floor plans). Take a look at our real estate photographs and/or read our testimonials and success stories.
It’s our goal to not only meet your pride, passion, and professionalism, but to exceed what you need. Please contact us for your real estate marketing needs in Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond — or anywhere else. You can also reach out and follow Moarly Creative on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. And be sure to check us out on YouTube and Vimeo to see more from our Seattle video production and content creation company.
We are a proud member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties!