Tips for Real Estate Agents photographing homes themselves

If you are a Real Estate agent taking photographs of your listings yourself, here are some tips for taking better images to use for your marketing.

NO DIRECT FLASH
Don’t use your on camera flash to blast light into a room. At the very least, use a flash diffuser to scatter the light and make it softer. It’s best to point your flash at the ceiling or a wall behind you in order to “bounce” light around the room more evenly.

WATCH YOUR VERTICALS
Walls and cabinets are supposed to look vertical. They don’t converge and aren’t tilted or angled. Make sure you compose your shots with the idea of straight verticals in mind.

CAMERA HEIGHT
Often times eye level in not the ideal camera height for real estate. Try lowering your camera for better interior views. For exterior shots, try elevating your camera for a nicer view of a walkway or garden.

METER YOUR SHOTS
If you point your camera at a window, chances are the outside window view will look great, but the interior room will look too dark. If you point your camera at something inside, you’ll likely have a better exposure for the room.

CHECK YOUR WHITE BALANCE
Interior lights often times have a yellow tint to them. Some lights can look more green or more blue. Your camera should have a white balance setting that you can adjust for the color temperature of the room.

FIND THE BEST VIEW
Don’t just stand in a doorway and take a photo of the room. Walk around the room to see if you can find a better angle to shoot from. Take multiple photos of a room from different viewing angles. Then choose the best shot when you are ready to upload to the MLS.

USE A TRIPOD
To steady your shots, it is best to use a tripod. A longer shutter speed will introduce camera shake in hand-held shots which causes blur. Also, your camera may increase the ISO setting automatically which increases digital noise in the images. In the end, it’s best to use a tripod.

It is important to show off a property in the best way possible. Hopefully some of these tips will help you take better images of your listings. If all else fails… call a professional!

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