Beginners Guide

How to Transition into Real Estate Photography from Another Photography Genre

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How to Transition into Real Estate Photography from Another Photography Genre

If you’re a photographer who’s been working in another genre and are considering making the transition into real estate photography, this article will help get you started.

In this article, you’ll learn about the key differences between real estate photography and other, similar types of photography, the equipment you’ll need to get started, and the skills you’ll need to develop to be successful.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to make the transition and start building a successful career in real estate photography.

Table of Contents

The Key Differences Between Real Estate Photography and Other Genres

There are 5 key differences between real estate photography and other, more common genres of photography that you should understand before you get started:

  1. Purpose: The main purpose of real estate photography is to showcase properties for sale or rent. This is done by highlighting their features. The secondary purpose of real estate photography is to create marketing content for the real estate agent. Other genres of photography may focus on capturing emotions, telling stories, or creating art.

  2. Technical Demands: Real estate photography requires a specific set of technical skills, including an eye for detail, an understanding of lighting, the ability to shoot with a wide-angle lens, and the ability to compose images in a way that shows spaces properly.

  3. Post-Production Work: Real estate photography often involves significant post-production work, including color correction, object removal, sky swapping, distortion correction, and even virtual staging. Many professional photographers choose to pay an editor to handle these tasks.

  4. Client Focus: Real estate photographers work with clients who sell or rent properties. Many other photographers may work with individuals, businesses, or magazines who are looking to photograph moments or emotions. Real estate agents are concerned with sales and marketing above all else.

  5. Marketing Strategy: Real estate photographers must have a strong marketing strategy to reach potential clients, showcase their portfolio, and convince realtors to hire them. This is widely agreed to be one of the most difficult aspects of real estate photography.

Necessary Equipment to Get Started

Chances are you’ll have at least some of the necessary equipment since you’re already working as a professional photographer.

The 3 most important pieces of equipment are the following:

  1. Camera: A full-frame camera with good low light performance is ideal, but chances are if you’re working professionally as a photographer already, the camera you own is good enough. Check out our article, Best Cameras for Real Estate Photography to see if yours is on the list.

  2. Lens: A wide-angle lens is absolutely essential for real estate photography. This is the most common piece of equipment missing from a photographers kit that works in a different genre. You’ll want a lens that’s as wide as at least 18mm, and 16mm is really the most common. Check out our article, Best Lenses for Real Estate Photography, to see the best options.

  3. Tripod: A sturdy tripod is necessary to ensure stability and prevent any sort of camera shake. Although lighter, travel style tripods can work, a heavier, very well built tripod is ideal and will be very helpful. Check out our article Best Tripods for Real Estate Photography to see the best options.

Secondary Equipment That's Helpful

After you have the necessary equipment, you can start to decide what secondary pieces of equipment you think you’ll want to use.

Here are some of the most common secondary pieces of gear used by real estate photographers:

  1. Remote Shutter Trigger: Although not strictly necessary, it can be extremely helpful if you’re planning to incorporate flashes or capture multiple exposures.
  2. A Flash: Using a flash will help make sure your colors are correct and help fill a dark room with plenty of light.
  3. Light Diffuser: When using a flash, you’ll want to have an umbrella or some sort of light diffuser so the light coming from the flash is softer.

Skills to Develop Quickly

The top skill that you’ll need to develop is your sense of space and how to properly photograph it. Composition is key to great real estate photography and you must be able to properly compose photos.

Check out this article to develop your skills in real estate photography composition: 5 Easy Ways to Compose Better Real Estate Photos

Another great skill to develop will be wither HDR photography or gaining an ability to properly use a flash. Lighting is extremely important in real estate photography and can make or break the photo.

Our article Best Lighting for Real Estate Photography will help you get an understanding on what lighting techniques work best.

Recommendations

Real estate photography can be a great career if you are prepared for the lifestyle that comes with it. It’s pretty common for professional photographers to make the transition into real estate photography since it can be low stress when compared to other genres.

I would recommend that you don’t jump in blind though. Although it will certainly help that you have already worked as a professional photographer, there are some major differences between other photography industries.

You should be sure that you are capable of handling these differences and up to the challenge. If you’ve decided that you are up to the task, then welcome! It’s a great photography business to run and can be very rewarding.

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.

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About author
Matthew Digati is a professional Real Estate and Architectural Photographer. Matthew has worked as a Real Estate and Architectural Photographer since 2015 and has photographed properties and projects all over the United States.
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