Min Xiang Lee · Follow
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If you’ve read my previous article, you know how important it is to post GREAT real estate photos to attract attention from high-quality clients that will convert into a sale. First impressions matter.
Before we jump right into the 3 tips, let’s get real…
You’re first and foremost a real estate agent/broker/negotiator, and not a professional photographer. I’m not saying you can’t be both, because if you were, you wouldn’t need to read this article.
Now, if you’re serious about stepping up your photography game and attract more attention but don’t know where to start, here are 3 quick tips on how to shoot 5-star real estate photos that will help you generate more leads.
Bonus: You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on an expensive camera.
Every professional photographer worth their salt will ALWAYS prepare a shot list before every photoshoot, and you should do too.
So, what is a shot list?
Shot list — A checklist to help you plan, organize, and keep track of all the shots of the property that you want to include in your marketing and sales content. A shot list can be as detailed or broad as you want it to be.
Based on the experience and advice of multiple professional photographers, it pays to put in the work upfront and be as detailed as possible so you don’t waste time missing shots, figuring out angles, staging the property at the last minute, and coming back to retake shots that didn’t meet your expectations.
Before you even charge your camera batteries, before you set up your tripod and lights, and even before you grab the keys to the property, above everything else, make sure you prepare a shot list!
How do I decide what goes on the shot list? Do I need to shoot everything?
A typical shot list includes a mix of wide angle and regular, eye-level shots of the property’s interior and exterior, bedrooms, bathrooms, living area, kitchen.
Most professional photographers take:
- 2 wide angle shots of every bedroom, living area, bathroom, and the kitchen
- 1–2 wide/regular shots of the front the property. One from across the street and one from the front lawn/lobby (for high-rise properties)
- 1–2 wide/regular shots of the backyard/garden/balcony (if any)
If there are any unique features of the property such as the intricate details on the Balinese front door, the amazing koi pond, 1990s -themed arcade room, or the fully equipped gym, you’d want to include those into your shot list as well.
In addition to the locations, you’d also want to list down the camera angle, zoom length, and lighting setup on your shot list. This helps you visualize what the shots will look like so you know exactly what you’re doing when pressing the shutter.
I’ve created a shot list template JUST for you. You can download it here: http://bit.ly/shotlistRMY.
If you want a more DETAILED STRATEGY on what to include in your shot list so you can maximize appeal and attract high-quality leads, reserve your FREE real estate brand and marketing eBook here.
In my previous article, I mentioned why it is important to stage your property. Not only does it give the space character and mood, it also inspires and makes it easier for the prospect to imagine themselves living there.
“When you stage your house, you sell buyers on a lifestyle, creating a home that makes them say, ‘I want to live like that,’ ” — Ella Zetser, owner of The Last Detail.
If you’re thinking: “But it costs a lot of money to stage a property!”
Well, not exactly…
Staging your property can be as simple as rearranging the furniture, cleaning up any mess, painting over any stains, and adding little decors such as candles, plants, artwork, and lamps. No idea where to begin? You can get inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram. Think of it as a little $1,000 investment to improve the look and feel of the property.
However, if the property you’re selling is in shambles…
Where the paint is peeling off the walls and the floors have scratch marks from dragging heavy furniture…
It would be wise to advice your client to invest in improving the property by hiring an interior designer and contractor before putting it on the market. Doing so will allow you to increase the value of the property, which is why you need to think of it as an investment instead of a cost.
Buyers want to buy, they don’t want to do work (mentally and physically). There’s a reason why you can now hire workers to assemble your IKEA furniture and live happily ever after your significant other. So, help them reduce the mental and physical work by making the necessary fixes and staging the property before taking your excellent pictures.
The basics of taking a decent photo is the proper use of light. As a rule of thumb, you want to make sure your pictures are well-lit and not over/underexposed.
Most professional photographers prefer to use as much natural light as possible and supplement it with artificial lighting from their camera’s flash, external flash, and even the property’s light fixtures. This gives the property a more natural, homey, and inviting feeling.
Here’s a quick trick that the pros use to get lighting right: Bracketing.
Bracketing is basically taking multiple shots of the same view with varying degrees of exposure (amount of light going into the camera). These shots will then be combined in software such as Photoshop or Lightroom to produce an almost perfectly exposed shot.
If you are taking your own real estate pictures, you should at the very least be using a digital camera or a DSLR. There are multiple ways to bracket your shot, and the simplest way is to adjust your shutter speed.
A faster shutter speed produces a darker image, while a slower shutter speed produces a brighter image.
Take one regular shot, then another two at a faster and slower shutter speed. Once you’re done, you can process them as HDR in Lightroom or make a composite in Photoshop.
You’ll probably end up with hundreds of images to process and you’re a busy person, but fear not. You can also outsource this post-processing work to freelancers around the world via platforms such as Upwork and Freelancer.com for a reasonable fee.
If this whole process seems too much work for you, leave your email in the comments below and I will send you a list of professional photographers to help you get those 5-star real estate images.
Want more tips, insights, and strategies? I’m putting together the ULTIMATE Real Estate Branding & Marketing Guide for Agents with Multi-Million Dollar Listings, where you can find the complete list of strategies and tactics to help you generate consistent, high-quality leads.
The guide is completely FREE. Join the waitlist here and be the first to get a copy.
Have a question or problem about branding and marketing that I can help you with? Text me via Whatsapp here and I’ll do my best to help you succeed.
Thank you for your attention,
Min X. Lee
