The real estate market has been booming this past year so having a real estate photography business is a lucrative industry to be a part of right now. Realtors are always in need of finding a professional real estate photographer with the proper skills to get their house sold in a timely manner. Realtors are looking for superior real estate photos so they are going to hire the best real estate photographers they can find. Read on and follow these tips to be the best real estate photographer out there!
When Is the Best Time of Day to Photo Shoot the House?
Weather and timing are both important factors when photo shooting a house. Before you shoot, make sure the weather outside is sunny for the best light, no rain or clouds, to get the most optimal photos of the house. You also don’t want it to be too early or too late but just at the right point in the day where the sun is still out to take some breathtaking photos of the house. This natural light will create the most remarkable photos of the house that you, the Realtor, and the possible home buyers would admire.
Examine the Property Before Shooting
Take a walk through of the property’s exterior and interior first so you can gain a perspective on your surroundings and what would be best for the photo shoot. Focus on how the property is decorated and the best features that the house has that you should show off during your photo shoot. Some areas of the house will be more difficult to shoot, so think of ideas that will accentuate that room just like the others.
Position Yourself Correctly
Don’t stick to the same angles for every room in the house. Be BOLD! Shoot from several different angles in each room to give yourself and your clients multiple options to choose from when examining the photographs. Just remember when shooting these images, always shoot from a height of 5 feet. If you shoot from too high or too low the image can get misaligned and the image won’t be as clear.
Edit Your Photographs to Perfection
Depending on the type of lens and camera equipment you are using, you might have some photos that look contorted or somewhat off. There are several programs that will help you edit your photos like Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paintshop Pro, or PicMonkey. These are just a few examples, but there are many other helpful programs out there to edit your photos. If you have a busy schedule and a lot of houses to photograph, there are also photo editors who will do the same job for you.
What’s a Good Price to Charge Your Clients?
You are not only charging your clients for your service, but also your time that you spent through the whole process of shooting the house and editing. Also, your camera equipment that you used when photographing their home is another component to keep in mind when setting your prices. Many photographers will not price based on an hourly rate, but based on the quality of the photos they took. There are several other pricing components to consider when pricing your photographs. These include:
- Set your pricing that suits the property type: Depending on the size of the property the price should be adjusted also. If it’s a much larger home the pricing should be higher since there are more areas to photograph where as if it’s a small property you can photograph it in a much shorter amount of time. Also, bigger homes will usually have more photographs to edit which take more time.
- Set your pricing according to the time of day: If you are photographing a house at the perfect time of day with the sunlight creating the best natural light for both the inside and outside of the house then these photographs will be worth more. If it’s a gloomier day when photo shooting, these photographs will not turn out as good without the natural light so these should be priced less.
- Price according to the value of the home: If the property is valued very high and is a larger home, then the home sellers will be looking for more wealthy individuals to purchase their property. These clients will be expecting the absolute best possible photographs for their home buyers. Taking more high quality photographs will require the best equipment and more time of your day to make sure you have the highest quality photographs possible which can affect your pricing.
- Drone Photography: If you’re using drone photography with your real estate photography business then this is another factor that can affect your pricing. Professional drone videos will cost a lot more than regular photographs which will increase your pricing.
A portfolio is something else to consider if you’re trying to grow your real estate photography business. Show off your work to potential clients and see your business grow. Create that portfolio and follow these real estate photography tips and pricing components and you will become a very successful photographer in the industry!
