By Angelina Harper
Real estate ads without photos belong to an era long gone, as nearly every piece of property that goes for nowadays has a picture next to it. However, the amount of pictures, what they show, and their quality is a matter for serious debate, as they are often inadequate due to the oversights made by real estate agents who are most often the photographers as well. If you wish your agency to go to the next level of doing business, you need to step up the imagery as well. That why it is useful to know several simple tips on how to properly take photos of the real estate you sell or rent.
No Smartphones!
You can own the latest smartphone model but it should not be used as a professional camera. Sure, it is good for capturing images on the go, but if you are purposefully going to a house to take photos of it to be posted online then bring with you a professional camera. They are light in weight and small in size, which renders them ideal for a purse or a leather man bag. They have a string attached to them that minimizes the chances of dropping the camera, so you can rest sure that a good-quality camera will last several years.
The Use of Correct Lenses
Having acquired a professional camera, you are going to need to choose which types of lenses will suit your needs the best. The images you take will have to show entire rooms, so they need to be wide but at the same time realistic. The basic notion behind taking photos is for potential customers to get the feeling as if they were standing inside the apartment in question. That is why a wide-angle lens is ideal for real estate photography. Furthermore, depending on if your camera is a full-frame body or a cropped sensor body you will need to use a 16mm lens for a full-body camera or a 13mm lens for a cropped sensor.
How the Pros Do It
All the most popular photographers of today actually started their professional careers in real estate photography. This just goes to show how easy it is to snap photos of rooms if you know exactly what you are doing. Of course, pros have a few more tricks up their sleeve, as some of them use real estate Lightroom presets which add color to shots and enhance the imagery. Admittedly, your photos need to be as realistic as possible, but that doesn’t mean that they should be discolored, so it is useful to know of such collections of presets that are used for real estate and architectural photos.
Should I Use a Tripod?
The photos you take need to be absolutely clear, as there is a zero tolerance margin for the blurriness. This depends on the photographers and calmness of his nerves and muscles, so if you can’t stop your hands from shaking, do not despair, you are not a bad realtor! All you need is a little help in the form of a tripod. They will reduce the chance of an uneven shot and possible blurred lines. Additionally, you will finally be able to avoid shooting yourself in rooms that are full of mirrors, like the bathroom or the bathroom. The camera’s timer coupled with a tripod ensures that there are no people in your photos.
Decluttering the Scene
Taking a photo takes less than one second but this doesn’t mean that you should rush the photo shoot and get it done in a matter of minutes. Before each new photo, you need to make sure that the room you are inside is free of any clutter. This is especially important when you wish to take a photo of an apartment or a house that is currently lived in. You can arrange with the tenants that they declutter all the rooms themselves or you can do it for them. Remember, the impression of order pictures give out has a huge impact on the mindset of prospective buyers.
The final few pieces of advice seem logical as they apply to all images. Don’t shoot after dark, open the windows shutters, and take your time finding the best angles. Such common sense combined with the 5 tips listed here will ensure that you start making stunning real estate photos for your agency’s online catalog.
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