Barion McQueen
How the Real Estate Photography Business is Changing?
Updated: Dec 14, 2020
It used to be that when you wanted to buy a property, you had to look for listings in papers and magazines or reach out to a real estate agent to shop around for you. And while it is still recommended that you contract the aid of a seasoned real estate agent to ensure you get the best possible deal out there, this sector of business has changed significantly.
Nowadays, a potential buyer can spend hours searching the internet, and get tailored results to fit his specific needs. They can search by price, location, and features. And one defining aspect of any listing is the gallery that accompanies it.
See, since people are highly visual creatures, they respond well to visual stimulants.

Real Estate Photography is taking center stage.
As the possibilities expand, and it becomes easier for buyers to search properties, the business of real estate photography naturally expands. Any successful property listing needs a good set of high-quality photos to showcase all its best aspects.
So, there is a lot more demand for photographers who are skilled and know all the best angles and lighting tricks to show a property in the best possible way.

Staging is also becoming more important.
Staging a property refers to setting it up in such a way that it will be visually more appealing to the buyer, helping it sell more quickly. Much like preparing the set for a movie, it subtly highlights a certain mood or vibe, without being too in your face about it.
The trick behind staging is setting the room and the house up in just such a way that the buyer can imagine themselves living there. Depending on the type of property you are looking to sell, staging can make it look more professional, or give it a cozy, home-y vibe.
Again, the staging is something a real estate photographer is in charge of. Why? Because once again, it falls in the realm of visual stimulation. A real estate agent will not have the same ease in determining the right staging as a photographer will do.
That is because staging is mainly just a visual trick. It helps you sell a picture, except instead of it being an actual picture, it is the image the buyer gets in their head when they see the listing.
So, in this way also, real estate photographers are taking on a more complex role.

Photographers are using more complex technology.
There is something unique and highly appealing about an aerial view. It makes the listing look more professional – someone obviously put in time and effort to create this – and more mysterious. If someone went to all this trouble of shooting a property from way up in the sky, then it must be a good property.
That is how a client thinks, and that’s why real estate photographers are getting more involved with technologies and devices, like drones, 360 cameras, camera stabilizers and gimbals that allow them to capture interesting and innovative views of the property.
So, there is also a lot more digitization going on. Yes, you still need to be good with the camera, but you also need to know more than that.