5 Easy Ways to Compose Better Real Estate Photos
Composition is a common pain point for new real estate photographers. To help with this common problem, I’ve put together guide which outlines five easy ways to compose better real estate photos.
These tips are designed to help you take more appealing and engaging photos of any property, regardless of how it’s designed or decorated.
Table of Contents
Why Composition is Important to Real Estate Photography
To start, composition is important in every type of photography. For real estate photography specifically though, it plays a critical role in how a potential buyer perceives a property.
Well composed photos can help showcase the property’s features, highlight its strengths, and create a sense of space that can make a property more appealing to potential buyers.
A properly composed real estate photo can create an emotional connection with a potential buyer, which can then inspire them to imagine themselves living in the space and envision the home as their own.
On the other hand, poorly composed photos can make a property appear unattractive or uninviting, turning off potential buyers and making it less likely that they can imagine themselves in the home.
You realtor clients will take notice if your photos are expertly composed and will be far more likely to rehire you for their future listings.
5 Ways to Compose Better Real Estate Photos
1. Declutter the Space
Before taking any photos, take the time needed to declutter the space. Remove any unnecessary items that may detract from the composition, such as toys, magazines, and other clutter.
Check out our Free Home Staging Checklist to Give Realtors. It’s a great resources to give to your clients, but also to use for yourself when you’re decluttering a house.
2. Highlight the Architectural Features
If there are any interesting architectural features in the room, such as a fireplace, a unique ceiling, or great woodwork, be sure to highlight them in your composition.
Finding the architectural features of a property is a great way to start your composition. Many times, including these features into your photo is the best way to go about composing the perfect shot.
Once you’ve fit the key features into your shot, your composition is likely close to being ideal. Only slight adjustments might be needed.
3. Use the Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a composition technique that involves dividing the photo into thirds both horizontally and vertically, and placing the main focal point at one of the intersections. This can help create a more balanced and visually appealing composition.
Once you understand and master the rule of thirds, you can put it into practice in all of your real estate photographs. It’s key to understanding great composition in both real estate photography and other genres.
4. Think About the Rooms Purpose
Think about the purpose of the room and how you want to convey that in the photo. We want people imagining themselves in to room, so the rooms purpose is very important.
For example, if it’s a bedroom, you may want to emphasize the bed, closets, and anything else that helps to show the comfort factor. If it’s a kitchen, you want to highlight the appliances, counter space, and eating area if there is one.
5. Use Leading Lines
Leading lines can be used to draw the viewer’s eye towards a particular point in the photo. Use architectural features like walls and floors to create leading lines that guide the viewer’s gaze.
Using leading lines in combination with the above mentioned rule of thirds is a great way to nail your composition. Think about the viewers eye and where you want them to look in the photo.
If you can have leading lines guiding them into one of the thirds of the photo, chances are you’re lining up a great shot.
Recommendations
As I stated in the beginning of this article, composition can be a make-or-break type factor in the home sales process.
An expertly composed photo will help the perspective buyer better imagine themselves living in the home, which will help them a ton in the buying process.
Likewise, your clients will take note of your skill level and will be thrilled to see their listing photos composed so perfectly.
Composition is something that you will get better at over time the more you practice it. The above tips are sure to help you get to the expert level faster.
Additional Resources
If you’re just getting started in real estate photography, check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of helpful articles and tips that will guide you in the right direction as you begin your real estate photography journey.
You can check out our Gear section as well to see reviews and recommendations on the latest real estate photography gear.
If you’re more interested in other resources that can help your real estate photography business, check out our Business Resources page.
