In the early days, the real estate photography was not as advanced as we see today when the photos were in dismay, bed unmade, laundry baskets filled up, personal photos covered on the walls, etc.
Apart from that, there were also the problems of capturing blurry, dark images captured from improper angles. Using quality photos to showcase the best real estate deals to potential customers attracts more investments into your business. Taking the best images is by using high-quality equipment, improving on how the surrounding space appears on the photo and taking into notice the preferences of what homebuyers want to see are the cornerstones of this business.
This is a field where the demand remains all around the year as house out of the market to be sold. The real estate agents work around the clock to ensure they convince as many potential candidates as possible to buy a house or plot they are selling. This is only possible with the best real estate photos.
Checklist of real estate photo editing tips:
Here in this article, we have gathered the best tips to make the properties look appealing to the potential consumers which can be tricky. Foremost has contact and insurance done. In the contract mention to the property owners on what you would do there as detailed as possible.
This will be easier for you as you can now proceed with our work hassle-free as they have agreed to your terms and conditions stated in the contract. The insurance will help cover the costs if you or someone in your team do any damage to any items in the property during the photo shoot.
Tip Help prospective homebuyers envisage the space.
- Make use of a camera tripod to take the shots and prepare your gear.
This is useful as many homes look more eye-catching when you take the shot using the natural light. If the hand is not too steady or there is no professional flash equipment, the photo will not appear good and will look fuzzy. It also allows taking the shots in slow shutter speed to use the sunlight for the image.
Also, try to get everything ready before the photography session. For instance, if the battery is dead or something is not working on the day of the shoot, this can turn the whole day into ruins. Also missing out on a few items on the day of the shoot means you will work with a few resources. This would mean you cannot work your full potential. Charge on the camera before night, format the memory card for maximum space and pack up the bag with all the necessary equipment so you do not miss out on anything on that important day.
- Take a charismatic front shot for these type of photos.
The front part of any home people do like to see first before moving on to the inner rooms and this is where they make up their minds on whether they would like to take the temporary/permanent ownership of the property. Aspects to look into are:- not too much exposure to the light. Also, focus on the most attractive angle as from where you can capture the whole room. Also, show less of the road outside the house and use a correct perspective when showing the house. Using a setup of a sunny bright day with a clear blue sky makes the photo very much appealing..
To plan out on how to shoot the exterior shots, check out the view of the plot on Google Street View beforehand. This way you will know the position of the trees, how the road looks like and have a better idea of what you will work on.
- What to do once you are there?
No two houses are the same. There are some shots that are very much necessary to focus on during every shooting session which you figure out once you are there.
- A few wide-angle shots for every single bedroom, kitchen, and the living room.
- A photo of the bathroom if its eligible to be shot. It is better to shoot the bathroom if it is alluring and cavernous.
- A few photos of the backyard unless it has a few distinguishable features. A few shots of the front yard.
- A shot each of the utility rooms such as the garage, pantry, etc.
Tip: Make sure you have noted down the shots you must take to display the property to the buyers. You can also share the information with the agents who can jot down the points and mention them in the property description.
- Walkthrough the house before the shooting session
Get the idea about what would you be shooting and how you would do the shoot. You can mentally jot down the best angles and what are the things that will not go well with the photos, hence have to be removed. Also, this allows to checklist the room that is photo-ready and also works on the rooms which are not yet ready.
Tip Do not show them too much. For example, if the floor plan is not quintessential then is okay to show particular interiors. The aim is to attract investment for the property, can sort the decoration later on by the new residents.
- Positioning is very important here
It is necessary to make sure that the photos are being positioned well known as point perspective. Photographers prefer single-point perspective when shooting for residences. The way to do this is to include only a corner of a room in each photo. You can have a more attractive photo by following the rule of the third and placing the single point where all the lines of the wall will draw the eye into the photo on the left or right.
- Keep the room simple and clean
The aphorism “less is more” is true in the case of real estate photography. Removing unnecessary stuff from the room before photographing. Some extra tips you can follow while taking photos of different rooms are:
Do not photograph the interior from a corner. Instead, walk around the room and find a place from where your photo can cover the room completely from all the sides. Vertical lines like walls, shelves, curtains, must look perfectly straight. To give a more ravishing look place a bouquet and a bowl of fruit on the table.
Clean up any dust you see on any at any corner of the room before the shoot. In this way, you can save a few dollars and time on editing the untidy photos. Remove the kitchen appliances and cutlery from the countertop as the kitchen looks the best when they are free of any clutter. Similarly, do it at the toilet to keep it free of all the bathroom related items to keep it open. Remove any old or slightly/completed damaged furniture from the room. Although they might still be comfortable, they will degrade the quality of the photo.
Tip: Never fake views from the window as with this you might showcase your Photoshop skills but you will lose the trust of the buyer and the plot will have a greater chance of going unsold.
- Expose the house properly
Exposure is very important to showcase a home properly. The buyers love to see the entire home exposed so make sure there are no dark corners visible in the photos. This is because they want to feel how the house would look like when open to sunlight rays. From the photo, they must be able to view the shop on the other side of the street for instance and but be able to gaze through the interiors.
HDR or High Dynamic Photography removes any visible dark corner from the photos allowing more depth and exposure. Agents homeowners are usually in a hurry to sell off their property by putting the listing online and targeting potential customers. Placing a flash unit with the camera will help to move around the room or house easily. When using this just make sure it bounces off the light walls.
This is to soften the light from the flash. All experienced photographers do suggest opening up the curtains or window blinds of the house to have a more alluring view of the room, especially for outdoor view. Opening up the blinds and curtains do have another advantage which is it makes the house look more beguiling and larger allowing the buyers to view both the interior and exterior of the house at the same time. This also reduces glares that may shine back from the camera when taking the shots. Also, remove the window screens before taking the pictures.
- Shoot holding the camera steadily and use wide lenses
When shooting with the camera at different angles it is very important to make sure the hand does not shake when holding on the camera. if the camera is slightly up or down, the vertical line will move in one direction. Choose the height of the tripod so that the picture looks natural, and it looks balanced.
It is advisable not to take the shot from a significant height as in that case the ceiling will be more visible than the liveable area and it is the same if you plan to capture from below the average height of the room. A wide-angle lens has to film the interiors. However, ultra -wide-range zoom lenses are well expensive but it will not be necessary for normal estates as the 24 mm lenses which do come at a low price can cover them than the former.
- Check on whether to keep the lights on or off
Every object has its own light temperature. For instance, if you take a photo of a bulb a white or yellow light will come out of the light source. Decide whether to turn the lights on or off. Turning on the lights makes the place feel more pleasant. When post-processing it will be crucial to balance the alternating light temperature. The absence of light provides an even light temperature for the photo but the photo looks frigid. There is a tool called Adjustment brush(this when an increase in size and strength gives a more soft blend to the photo) available in various image editing software. Use it to make the surrounding look clinical and fuse well with the surroundings.
- Use advanced editing techniques or a photo editing service
The editing does not restrict options such as Image Background Removal or add a different style to the backdrop. You can also use the graduated filter and adjust with the Hue and Saturation to make the surrounding look classy and darker. If you have too many pictures to edit as a part of bulk order you can use a real estate photo editing service. Do not post too many photos or too few photos. If you post very fewer photos, the buyers would wonder about what is not being shown of the property
Tip: Use drone photography and video to showcase the neighborhood. A photo from the window may just roughly show the neighbor but drone photography will give a broader view of any amenities around the property like the golf club, basketball court or a swimming pool. This will help in marketing the property to potential buyers who will be interested to buy it at the said price.
Final Words
The Real Estate Industry revolves around the property’s venue, price and time of rent. It is very important to correspond with the agents so you get the pictures to them on time. Also, keep the editing tools in place to make sure you can get the pictures ready as soon as possible.
This can be a viable option for those who enjoy filming different household and exploring its essence. Like any other career options if you would like to be a professional in this field, consistency in the process and look will be expected of you. The tips provided in this article will be enough to guide your passion to engage enthusiastically in the real estate photography arena.
