How to Take Real Estate Property Photos without Hiring a Professional for Thousands of Dollars
Let’s say you’ve purchased your first income property and completed the entire renovations process. Now all that’s left is to market your listing and rent the property out to the right tenant. Just when you may start thinking that the difficult part of the job is over, you’ll find yourself in front of another challenge - finding the right tenants.
Although this process includes several stages such as screening applicants and doing showing tours, we’ll go back to the very beginning of it - attracting A quality tenants. In order to attract the right tenants in the first place, you need to present your listing in the best possible light, which is where photography comes to play. Here are a few tips on how to take stunning real estate photos without having to spend thousands of dollars on a professional photographer.
#1 Invest in a Professional Camera
Although most new smartphones feature high quality cameras that can compete with entry level DSLRs, I would still recommend investing in a professional piece of equipment that’s going to last. You don’t have to purchase the best state-of-the-art camera on the market but it’s a good idea to invest in something of higher rank to ensure your property photos don’t look like they’ve been taken by an amateur. While you’re at it, make sure to get a camera with a wide-angle lens, as this allows you to show more of a room compared to using a conventional lens.
#2 Prepare Each Room Before Shooting
Cleaning and decluttering the property is the obvious next step. You need to prepare each room for the shooting by removing any unnecessary objects, removing stains off of floors and walls, wiping all countertops and sweeping the floors. Make sure everything is neatly organized before you hit the camera trigger. If you want to take things to the next level, consider staging the property but don’t overdo it. Make sure all towels in the bathroom match and make sure there’s a nice set of dishes on the kitchen table. Go with a bowl of fruit on the counter or something similar to create a more home-like vibe.
#3 Take Care of Lighting
The most important thing you need to focus on if you want to match the quality of professional photography is lighting. The lighting in the area can make or break your success as a real estate photographer (or an amateur who’s trying to get the best out of the shoot for their investment property). Keep the lighting consistent and try not to combine interior lights with natural light, as this can cause blurriness and generally lower quality in photos. Ideally, try to use natural light only but, if necessary, you can switch to artificial light too. Make sure all photos feature similar lighting as there should be some form of consistency on your listing.
#4 Take Steady Shots
Moving too much while taking photos causes blurriness and poor quality. You should try to be as steady as possible when snapping the photos. The best way to do so is to use a tripod instead of taking hand-held shots. This will significantly improve photo quality and allow you to take better interior shots, especially when the lighting is not ideal.
#5 Adjust the Camera to the Room
Here’s a trick that professional real estate photographers use. They align the camera’s vertical axis with walls and other vertical objects in the room. This will make the photo seem as natural and as realistic as possible. Using a tripod will also help you out here, as you will be able to take the steady shot while keeping the camera properly aligned.
Mix Things Up
Last but not least, keep in mind that your potential tenants will be viewing dozens, if not even hundreds of other listings. That’s why yours needs to stand out either with more creative photographs or something like 360 view or aerial shots. If you want to go all in, purchase a drone or hire a drone professional to take aerial shots of the property and take your listing to the next level. You can still schedule a free call with me if you’re interested in purchasing your first income property without using your own money.