In 2021, Texas reported 417,050 total housing sales, which are projected to increase by 6% annually. The majority of homes sold have been in the $300,000-$399,999 range due to the shortage of lower-priced homes.
The Texas real estate market is expected to continue to thrive. If you want to gain the attention of eager buyers, then you want the best real estate photos possible.
It takes a trained eye to showcase a home to potential buyers in a way that draws them in. If you want to know the secrets from top Houston real estate photography experts, then keep reading to learn more!
Why Real Estate Photos Are Important
In 2021, 95% of homebuyers used the internet to search for their home. That means the majority of homebuyers scroll through pages worth of images.
High-quality photos in real estate listings are so important because they are the first impression a buyer gets of your home. With the many options available in Texas, it’s important to grab the attention of potential buyers before they move on to the next listing.
Real estate photography services not only consider the composition and lighting for each shot, but they also go the extra mile by staging and preparing each space professionally.
More than just snapping some photos on your mobile phone, real estate photography is an art. It can truly make or break a listing!
Even the most beautiful home might be overlooked if it is poorly photographed. Taking photos indoors can be challenging without the right technique and lighting.
Ready to start improving your real estate photos? Here are some tips from Austin real estate photography pros.
Find the Best Composition
In photography, composition refers to the overall position of elements in the frame that results in an engaging shot. It is the structure of the photo. The composition of real estate photos is just as important.
It draws in viewers and can make a photo aesthetically pleasing to the eye. You want to consider the angle of the photo and where things like furniture, windows, doors, columns, etc. are arranged.
Professional photographers follow the rule of thirds when composing a photo. In fact, most cameras have a rule of thirds grid overlay. The rule of thirds uses a grid of four lines (two vertical and two horizontal) placed evenly apart.
This divides the frame into thirds. The rule of thirds works for all types of photography and is a method for making visually appealing photography.
To make your photo instantly more interesting to the human eye, you should position the focal points of your photo at one of the gridline intersection points.
This simple rule is used by all real estate photography services, as it is a major factor when it comes to taking great photos!
Let There Be Light
The composition also includes lighting elements in the space you are photographing. Try to look for the brightest angles of a room depending on the light source and wall colors.
Never shoot towards a window. This is going to cause silhouettes and harsh contrasts. Instead, photograph windows at an angle or with your back to them so the room in front of you is lit up.
It also takes experience with camera settings to capture the best lighting in a room. Even the most expensive cameras aren’t going to take professional-looking photos without you knowing what settings to use.
For dark rooms, it is recommended that you set your image quality to “raw,” camera mode to “AV mode,” ISO settings to “400,” Shutter Speed (automatically determined by the camera), Focus Mode to “Single-Shot Autofocus,” White Balance to “Auto,” and Metering to “Spot.”
Generally, to take brighter photos, you want to take note of three main camera settings: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
The aperture is the opening of the lens when taking photos. Keep the aperture between f/7.1 and f/9.
The length of time to take the photo is the shutter speed. This should stay between 1/60 and half a second.
Lastly, the ISO is the camera’s sensitivity to light. This could be kept under 400.
Good Lighting Depends on Timing Too
The lighting of your photo is one of the most important aspects of San Antonio real estate photography. Sometimes you have to wait for the right time of day or weather to make your photo pop.
Natural light is your best friend when taking real estate photos. The best time of day is about half an hour before sunset or early morning. These times of day offer the best natural light
Don’t take your photos on a cloudy day. Natural light means bright and saturated colors in your pictures. The sun should be behind the house for the best lighting.
Make sure you draw open any curtains to let further light in. You should also turn on all the lights in the house even when photographing the outside of the house and yard.
Plus, using a wide-angle lens can help rooms look larger and more spacious than a regular camera. Choose a full-frame camera that can help you capture more light as well.
The professionals in Dallas real estate photography invest in an external flash. This is perfect for those difficult to light spaces.
Take a Walk-Thru
Before you start walking around and snapping photos, it’s important to take a look around the house and yard from the perspective of a pro.
To start, take 2-3 test photos of each room, 1-3 test photos of the backyard, and 1-2 experimental photos of the front of the house. Afterward, look at each photo closely to see what stands out as an important feature for each part of the home.
Sometimes you can’t tell what that is by just looking with your eyes. Seeing it through the photo helps you identify what a potential buyer is interested in when looking at a listing.
You may also spot some glaring imperfections that need to be fixed or reorganized to make that space more appealing in photos.
When you’re photographing real estate, you also want to make sure any natural lines of your home are straight. Otherwise, the photo might look messy and unprofessional.
Use a tripod and make sure it is level to get the perfect photo and keep your home from looking crooked!
To go even further with your photography, using aerial photos with the help of a drone makes your listing stand out.
Try Different Angles
When you’re ready to start photographing a home, it’s important to have a plan of the areas and features you want to showcase. Don’t be afraid to stage certain areas to make them look inviting.
For example, you could set out a set of glasses and a pitcher of lemonade or a vase of fresh flowers.
Try different angles and perspectives to see what looks best. Experiment with viewpoints and directions. Sometimes what looks good in person doesn’t translate into real estate photos and vice versa.
This also applies to standing in different places around the room. Try positioning yourself in the center of a room. Then take a photo from the doorway.
The key is to stay at a height of five feet. Too high can skew the image, and being too low makes the photo look cramped. Your camera should always be level and straight when taking real estate photos.
Edit to Perfection
After taking all the necessary photos, it’s important to take the extra time to edit them.
This means adjusting the saturation and brightness or adding a filter to enhance the overall photo. If a room looks too yellow from the lighting, you can work with the temperature adjustments to fix the tone. You can also crop photos to frame the shot better.
Another important thing to fix is the distortion caused by wide-angle lenses. This can be done with the lens correction feature in editing software.
Real Estate Photography Services
Taking amazing real estate photos is a key component to successfully selling a home. That’s why taking the time to properly stage, shoot, and edit real estate photos is so important.
With the number of homes for sale today, the competition is steep. You want a home’s photos to stand out and also showcase the value of the home.
Truly mastering real estate photography takes time. If you need high-quality real estate photography near Austin, Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio, reach out for our professional real estate photography services today!