It has been observed that a clear photograph speaks worth a thousand words. This is why a real estate photography checklist needs to be kept in check and executed accordingly. After all, why would you need to write long paragraphs on your property when you can illustrate them beautifully with the help of a single photograph?
The recent market of real estate has seen buyers doing an online research before they think about purchasing any property. Henceforth, your property’s need to be on display and the need for it to look GREAT is an absolute necessity. This job can only be done if you have hired a professional photographer who is experienced to capture and present photographs of your property in such a way that would allow you to stand at the top of your competitors.
We have provided a real estate photography checklist for you to consider if you are thinking about getting the best photographs for your property, leading to a potential sale of the same within no time.
Real Estate Photography Checklist
Preparation
- Draft a contract:
Not every agent knows about the time required for setting up a photography session for a property. It is, therefore, necessary that a proper contract is signed before the assignment starts.
Some of the following points before you draft the contract are as follows:
- What is the deadline of the assignment? Is the deadline that you are assigned with realistic?
- What will be the payment procedure? By the hour, per photograph or a complete flat charge upon completion of assignment?
2. Talk with the homeowners:
It is essential to have a friendly chat with the homeowners. Before you are ready to click the photo of their property, you would want to develop a mutual understanding.
You need to consider various things that would ensure that the property is looking top-notch in photographs and in real-life. Talk with the homeowners to make sure that they make the necessary adjustments so that the property looks great inside out!
3. Charge up and keep backups:
Ensure that your batteries are charged up so that there isn’t issue with your camera or its power while shooting the photos. You can also carry an extra camera in case you want to stay on a safe side!
In addition to extra cameras and various light sources, you need to ensure that proper speed lights and strobes are used to show every room’s details without anything missed out altogether. Although carrying a strobe light isn’t fun, it would surely bring a lot of difference to your complete real estate shoot.
On Location
Exterior
- Make sure that the grass outside your property is nicely trimmed and cut. Remove any weeds and vegetation that looks odd.
- Sweep the driveway, decks, sidewalks and patios so that it looks clean and well maintained.
- Remove all vehicles from the driveway. Also, remove any trashcans in front of your home.
- Place some furniture to highlight the outside living area.
- Uncover the grill.
- Open the patio umbrella.
- Declutter the garage area if it needs to be photographed.
Interior
- While arranging the furniture inside your rooms, make sure you do so in such a way so that the rooms look big than usual. You might need to make the necessary adjustments accordingly to the furniture likewise.
- Make sure that the kitchen counters and the bath area are appropriately cleaned. Clean all windows and mirrors since the photographer wouldn’t handle any personal hygiene items.
- Open the curtain blinds at a 45-degree angle so that the light gets pointed towards the roof. This will not show anything outside the window while the photographer is clicking interior photos.
- Remove any curtain that is outdated or has a dark colour.
- Remove any magnets, calendars, etc. from the fridge.
- Turn off the ceiling fans and turn on the lights. Turn on every light in the room to provide a great visual of your property. Check if there are any burned out lights and replace them as soon as possible.
- Make the beds and keep the bedrooms neat and clean. Remove any items that are on the bedside tables.
- Remove any residing items on showers on tubs. Check that the bathroom towel racks are tightly fixed. Arrange the towels in an orderly fashion.
- Close all toilet lids.
- If you have excellent flooring, make sure that you cover any rugs or mats lying on the floor.
- Clear off the bookcases leaving only a few items on each shelf.
- Do not attempt to hide things under the bed. While clicking the photos, it would be visible.
- Remove any cell phone chargers, lamps and computers out of sight.
- Remove any home office clutter and keep all loose papers in one place, preferably stacked up in a box.
- Remove any personal picture of you or your family from sight. Since these images would be posted online and viewed by multiple people, remove any private information from sight.
- Remove any signs that you preferably own a pet.
- While the photo for your property’s interior is clicked, please keep your pets away from sight or take them off from the property temporarily.
Real Estate Photography Equipment Checklist
There is some equipment which is necessary for ensuring that good photographs of the property are taken. These are as follows:
- Tripods
A good and sturdy tripod would make it easier to capture sharp and clean pictures, even inside rooms that are dimly lit.
For real estate photography, flimsy and lightweight tripods are not the best option! Therefore, one must have a tripod with a big and tall structure, making it easy to click real estate and architectural photographs easily.
We will be including the list of best tripods for real estate photography checklist on our website for you to pick the most suitable product according to your requirement.
2. Camera Lens
Having the right focal length, while doing real estate photography, is necessary. Since the whole session includes shooting a range of subjects, from interiors to vast exteriors, a single job often requires a medium, ultra-wide and a telephoto lens.
3. Tilt-shift lens
The need for a tilt-shift lens is beneficial when it comes to shooting images of building or rooms or shooting vertical lines, whenever you are adjusting your camera accordingly to get the perfect click.
You can try checking out our top 10 best tilt-shift lens for real estate photography checklist and purchase one which suits your budget accordingly.
4. Wireless flash
This equipment’s need is the most intimidating for a photographer who has not clicked portraits or any other similar subjects. When you are using a flash for real estate photography, the client would think that you are an absolute professional and strive to make the results worth every penny!
Do check out our best wireless flash for real estate photography checklist to get the most recommendations in the industry with your profession.
5. Drones
Drones are becoming extremely popular when it comes to real estate photography checklist. This equipment is handy when it comes to clicking some fantastic photos with an aerial view of the whole property.
Usually, drones could cause a big chunk of money to come out of your budget. Still, suppose you are looking forward to being the best photographer in the real estate industry. In that case, this is the option you should consider.
6. Camera
Finally, we would need a camera that can click photos of both the interior and exterior areas of the property. During such sessions, carrying two cameras is always advisable since you might never know what problems you might get into while using a single camera.
Wrapping it Up!
If there are any decorative artworks or photographs in your property, leave them as it is or you can try placing them in an aesthetic region in your home. Remember that your property would be marked as a product now. It is essential to declutter as much as you can to make sure that the elegant wall and floor spaces are appropriately featured.
Do keep in mind that your photographer wouldn’t be staging your home. If you require any assistance with staging your home, you might want to check with your real estate agent. Remove any items that you do not wish to be displayed in the photographs.
Usually, a real estate photo shoot requires 45 to 90 minutes to be completed depending on your property’s size. All of the furnished rooms would be photographed, which includes the bathrooms. No unfinished areas would be photographed unless your agent requests you to do the same.
Hope you liked our article on Real Estate Photography Checklist. Check out our complete Real Estate Photography Guidance for more information!
