Category: Real Estate Photography

Never underestimate the importance of photography when it comes to capturing property. While it’s important to find the right photographer, you also want someone who can capture the essence of a property in every season.

Seasons can influence buyer perception and property appeal, which is why tailoring your photography of listings is important to highlight seasonal advantages and attract buyers to view the property. Let’s take a look at some of the best tips for capturing properties in all four seasons.

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Spring Photography Tips

Spring real estate photography is a beautiful time of the year to capture a client’s property. The bright natural light on offer is not too harsh, making it easier to capture and highlight aspects of the home, inside and out.

Focus on areas of the home where spring is in bloom. It might be a property that has lush greenery and an attractive garden to appeal to all those green-thumbed buyers out there.

Longer daylight hours mean you can capture all of the indoor shots without stressing too much about losing the light. However, be sure to draw back all curtains and blinds to ensure maximum daylight is achieved throughout the photography session. You may want to switch on a few lights in any dull spots of the property that might not be getting much natural light.

Summer Photography Tips

When buyers are looking for properties during the summer, they’ll lean more towards the properties that showcase all of the summer fun that can be had in and around the property.

With that being said, it’s worthwhile to focus on specific outdoor areas for summer real estate photography. Like the pool, if the property has one, or an outdoor living space. You want to capture the places where potential buyers could visualize themselves enjoying during those warmer months of the year.

Capture vibrant skies, strong sunlight, and manage shadows effectively so that you’re not losing any of the finer details that the property offers. This may be a little difficult at times, as harsh sunlight can overexpose a picture – nothing that editing can’t usually fix.

Fall Photography Tips

With most people spending the majority of the fall at home, it’s beneficial to capture those cozy spots within the property. That might mean dressing up the spaces so that they look more autumnal and inviting.

Showcase colorful foliage, accompanied by warm lighting and other cozy interior features like a log-burning fire or strategically placed throws and fluffy cushions on the couch or bed.

Creating an inviting scene is highly important when it comes to fall real estate photography. There’s a lot of inspiration online that you can pull from when decorating the spaces for fall.

Winter Photography Tips 

Winter can be a tough one for getting prospective buyers out the view properties. That means you need to present the homes you’re listing as comfortable, warm and inviting. 

If the property has a fireplace or two, be sure to have them lit, alongside drawn curtains or blinds and cozy interior design touches. Ensure properties are decorated tastefully with holiday decor so they can transition beyond the holidays if they’re still on the market.

Closing blinds or curtains can help you control your light setup through the use of artificial light. Turn on all existing lights in the room to help handle the contrast of using flash in low-lit rooms. For snow reflections, common with winter real estate photography, be sure to use a polarizing filter to reduce glare and adjust your camera’s exposure just slightly.

Equipment & Editing Considerations

For property photography by season, it’s important to consider what equipment you use and what editing tools will help to perfect the photos.

You should avoid over-editing to keep the seasonal realism intact, as well as not to trick the buyers into seeing something that, in reality, is not there.

The best camera settings for real estate photography are a wide-angle lens (16-35mm or 24-70mm), as this helps to capture more of the space within the rooms.

Aim for a manual mode for good depth of field with aperture at f/8-f/11. Use a tripod for stability, as this can be helpful when capturing photos at slower shutter speeds.

When it comes to editing, it’s beneficial to capture your photography in RAW so that it allows for more flexibility. Here are a few tips for each season:

• Fall – Capture warm light during golden hours, use tripods with a polarizing filter and just white balance for warmth.
• Winter – Overexpose by +1 to +2 stops for snow, use a fast shutter speed (1/250 secs or faster) and prioritize low ISO (100-400) for noise-free imagery. 
• Spring – Use a wide aperture and a fast lens to capture floral scenery and landscapes. Use your camera’s manual mode for efficient editing and correct white balance, boosting contrast and saturation to enhance colors.
• Summer – A versatile zoom (18-50mm f/2.8) is useful for general use and to help manage bright conditions; use an ND filter. Boost saturation, white balance temperature for warmth and adjust highlights and shadows to recover detail.

Capture the Best in Seasonal Home Photography For Your Clients

When you’re looking for real estate marketing photography tips, this guide will help you take advantage of the potential that every season offers when capturing your client’s property. There’s no such thing as a bad time to take seasonal property photos. 

Hiring a professional photographer or adopting seasonal shooting strategies will help elevate your efforts when capturing the best photos for your listings. 

Today’s real estate market is more competitive than ever and because of this, photos matter. Prospective buyers with positive first impressions are more likely to enquire further. 

Visuals matter even more if you want to publish photos on MLS listings. As the backbone of the U.S. property market, you need great photos on here to stand out on these networks. 

Fortunately, this guide is here to help you meet U.S. MLS photo standards, whether you’re an agent or photographer. We discuss the specific requirements, how to photograph each key area, and some common mistakes you’ll want to avoid. 

Understanding MLS Photo Requirements (U.S. Specific)

Learning how to photograph real estate for MLS starts with understanding the requirements. These are in place to ensure consistency and comparability between properties. 

Most MLS platforms require images in standard HD, 1024×768 format with a maximum 10 MB file size. It’s best to save photos in JPEG as this format is the most universal. 

MLS guidelines state that photos must show the true likeness of properties. As such, they must depict them as they are, not how you or the editor would like them to be. 

You are allowed to make basic adjustments to the brightness and contrast. However, you can’t remove things like permanent fixtures or damage from the photos. 

The MLS service in Seattle applies all these standards and guidelines. It wants to ensure that every photo is a truthful representation of the underlying property. 

Pre-Shoot Preparation Checklist

If you want to take great photos of a property, you need to prepare it properly first. Here’s what to do: 

• Clean and declutter, making sure you remove any personal items from view and focus on tidy kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms
• Check the exterior is presentable by trimming the hedges and mowing the lawn
• Schedule when you take the photos, preferably during the late afternoon or early morning when the sun is the right height in the sky
• Turn on any lights in the home, including lamps, sconces, and wall lights
• Set the stage by improving the furniture arrangement

Following these real estate listing photography tips should get you well on your way to better-looking photos. If you hire a photographer, you may want to work with them to prepare the home first before starting the shoot. 

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Photograph Each Key Area

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Buyers care about different parts of properties to varying degrees. Therefore, professional property photography for MLS means going through each area and ensuring you provide details that potential purchasers want. 

Exterior

For the exterior, focus on taking a picture of the entire home in its setting and then close-ups of any interesting features (like the porch or conservatory). Try shooting from several angles to improve curb appeal as much as possible. 

Living Room

Use a wide-angle lens to capture most of the living room. Capturing the entire space gives audiences a greater impression of size. 

Bedrooms

For bedrooms, focus more on the layout and closet storage (if any). Ensure that the bedside tables and beds are tidy, and there aren’t any clothes on the floor. 

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are trickier. You’ll want to show any unique fixtures and try to make it look as spacious as possible. Clear away any toiletries and close the toilet seat. 

Kitchen

For the kitchen, take photos of standout features, like the island, and keep surfaces clean. Also, take photos of appliances if they are unique. 

Camera Settings and Shooting Techniques

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The best camera settings for real estate are as follows: 

• Low ISO in the 100 to 400 range
• Auto-adjust white balance to match the strength of lighting
• Use a sharp depth-of-field aperture (f/8 to f/11)
• Opt for a wide-angle lens and full frame

Professional real estate photographers also apply various techniques to help their images come out right and to fit MLS photo requirements 2025. 

For example, many shoot in RAW to make post-processing easier. They also use high dynamic range to make rooms with window pop more. 

Having a tripod and a flash is also good practice. These accessories help to keep the camera steady and illuminate dark alcoves (if there are any). 

Post-Processing Tips to Meet MLS Standards

MLS standards allow you to adjust photos sometimes, but you need to be careful. 

For example, you can adjust the brightness and other basic settings, like exposure, as mentioned earlier, as well as being allowed to correct colors and straighten lines if you have wide-angle distortion.

However, you must stick to MLS image size standards and avoid adding virtual staging. You shouldn’t put furniture in edited photos, for example, that isn’t there in real life. 

If you can keep edits subtle to reflect reality, that’s even better. You don’t want to confuse in-person buyers who can’t draw a comparison between the images they saw online and the property in real life. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid in MLS Photography

DIY real estate photography can also be problematic if it doesn’t meet MLS standards. Even if it attains the required benchmarks, it can still fall flat.

Here are some of the most common mistakes we see: 

• Personal belongings cluttering images, especially in bedrooms and living rooms
• Missing areas of the home not photographed (such as the mudroom or utility room)
• Dark photos that don’t “pop” or show sufficient detail
• Using a smartphone instead of a proper DSLR or mirrorless camera
• Lack of wide-angle lens to capture room details
• No post-processing or quality control once photographs have been taken

Ideally, if you want your photographs to look polished, use a professional. Photographers often spend significant time ensuring that everything is just right so you get high-quality images. 

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this real estate photography MLS guide. As a recap, strong listing photos boost engagement and buyer trust. Therefore, even if you are a DIY agent, it is always worth considering how you can improve your photos and really make them stand out. 

Need help on photography for your listing photos for MLS? Let our expert team at HD Estates take that shots to meet all standards.

Choosing the right gear matters when taking real estate photographs because buyers depend on them for high-quality insights into your properties. Think about it, the images you present online or through physical listings are the first impressions buyers have of a particular property. As a consequence, you need the images to look absolutely fantastic and draw people in, which leads to more enquiries. 

This brings us to today’s topic: drone vs DSLR for real estate photography. Both provide high-quality imagery, but which one is the best? We’ve done a deep dive into this topic to compare the two and help you make the right decision. 

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DSLR Cameras: Strengths & Limitations

A DSLR camera is a handheld digital camera with an interchangeable lens that’s used by 25% of realtors daily, according to the latest statistics. The right DSLR real estate photography setup can yield impressive results, but here are the main pros and cons: 

✅Pros: 

• Easily the best option for high-quality and detailed interior shots
• You get a deeper level of control over the photo settings as you can adjust aperture, ISO, lighting, and more
• DSLR cameras are compatible with wide-angle and tilt-shift lenses, so you can capture shots with perfect framing

❌Cons: 

• You’re unable to capture any aerial shots with a DSLR camera
• DSLR setups require far more equipment than drones (tripods, light boxes, gimbals, etc.)
• You need good editing skills for dynamic lighting

Drones: Strengths & Limitations

A massive 83% of realtors use drones, but what are the drone real estate photography pros and cons? Having a camera that can effectively fly up high means you produce some unique imagery – though it will inevitably have a few drawbacks. 

✅Pros:

• Simply the best for exterior, aerial, and large property visuals
• Provides you with the most unique marketing angles, as you can pinpoint things like the roof, lot size, and surrounding areas with ease
• Extremely fast and easy to use – you can complete an exterior photography session within moments

❌Cons:

• Unlikely to use a drone for any indoor photography
• Drone usage is subject to FAA regulations and licensing in the US
• Battery life can be a bit iffy on some drones
• Unable to use your drone in bad weather conditions

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When to Use DSLR vs Drone in Real Estate Photography

You should probably stop comparing drone vs DSLR for real estate photography and start accepting that both serve different purposes. Either one can be the best for you to use – it depends more on when you should use them. Here’s a quick look at some common scenarios and a note on which photography option makes the most sense. 

• Interior-focused listings: A DSLR camera is the only true choice here because it’s near enough impossible to fly a drone indoors. 
• Luxury homes, large estates & rural properties: A combination of DSLR for amazing interior photos and drones for external shots works the best in this scenario. 
• New developments or construction: Drones work better here because there are no interior shots just yet, so you really need to nail the expansive, aerial views. 
• Condos or small homes: More aligned with DSLR cameras because you’re mainly taking interior shots again. 

Legal & Licensing Considerations

You don’t need a license to use a DSLR camera, but there are some FAA rules for drone real estate photos. Primarily, you need to obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate under the FFA’s Small UAS Rule (Part 107) to operate and use a drone for commercial photography. This will require you to pass the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) knowledge test, and you’ll need to complete recurrent training for this every 24 months. 

Alongside this, some states have Privacy Laws that prohibit the use of drones in some areas. The FAA also has a list of resources explaining all of the no-fly zones for drones, which you can check out here to learn where you’re unable to use your drone.

DSLR & Drone Photo Editing for Real Estate

Both options will have editing requirements in post, though the type of editing varies between DSLR cameras and drones. 

• DSLR: You’re mainly focusing on color correction, lens distortion fixes, and general decluttering of the image space. It’s sort of your “standard” photo editing skillset, but this can be hard to master and takes time to perfect. 
• Drone: By contrast, drones require slightly less editing due to how the images are captured. Your main focus is on sky replacement, dynamic range tweaks, and motion blur cleanup – all of which are usually easy to do, and most editing software can do it automatically. 

Cost & ROI Comparison

In terms of a cost comparison, both drones and DSLR cameras offer different price ranges to suit your budget. The best camera for real estate photos in 2025 is the Canon EOS R5, which sets you back around $3,000. By comparison, most people swear by the DJI Mavic 4 Pro as the ultimate drone for photography, and that can cost over $5,000 with all the bells and whistles. 

However, DSLR cameras also have additional costs, such as buying different lenses, tripods, etc. You’re also able to pick up more budget-friendly drones that are just a few hundred dollars, yet provide more than ample aerial imagery – a great choice if you don’t take that many exterior shots. 

All in all, they’re both going to cost similar amounts, though a drone may have slightly lower ongoing costs. That’s because a DSLR may need replacement lenses now and then, which can be quite costly. 

Conclusion: Which is Better in 2025?

So, drone vs DSLR for real estate photography – which is better? To be honest, it depends on the listing. If your listing is interior-focused, then a DSLR will always come out on top. If it’s mainly focused on the outside, then drones are superior. More often than not, you’ll need both to capture the interior and exterior shots as best as possible. 

A study by Redfin found that professionally photographed homes sell an average of 3 weeks faster and for over $10,000 more than similarly valued homes with amateur photos. This shows the sheer importance of taking great pictures – but what are some of the biggest real estate photography mistakes you can make? We often see the same errors crop up again and again, so here are seven issues you need to avoid, along with tips on how to fix up your property photography. 

1. Poor Lighting or Overexposure

Lighting often shows the true difference between professional vs amateur real estate photos. If your images are too dark or overly bright, then this hides key details within each shot. It’s hard for buyers to see what the bathroom looks like when your photo is overexposed and the titles seem to merge into one. Dark images create shadows that make rooms look unappealing and turn people away. 

Fix this by using HDR and shooting during golden hour to get the ideal lighting qualities. If you can’t do this, then invest in proper lighting equipment so you can fill every room with professional studio lighting that reveals all the finer details. 

2. Wide-Angle Lens Abuse

Using a wide-angle lens means you unrealistically stretch the rooms and mess up their proportions. This is one of the most common real estate photography errors because it makes your property look different from reality. 

Sort this out by either avoiding the wide-angle lens when it isn’t necessary or using a properly calibrated one that can be corrected in post-editing. We appreciate that this is quite a step up in photography skills for some of you; in which case, working with a professional real estate photography company can help. 

3. Cluttered or Dirty Rooms

Nothing ruins your listings quite like cluttered or dirty. Of all the photography tips for realtors to follow, this one is the simplest: clean every room and use pre-shoot staging to make everything look neat and minimal. 

Nobody will be interested in a cluttered home because the mess distracts from the space. It’s almost impossible to receive inquiries, and your listing will be up for months before you’re forced to knock the price down significantly. 

4. Crooked Lines or Slanted Angles

What makes a good real estate photo? From a professional perspective, everything needs to be at the right angle. Images should never be slanted or crooked; this looks super unprofessional and can be a bit jarring for viewers. 

Instead, you need to use a tripod and set up gridlines on your camera to keep everything steady and aligned. This may require some editing in post-processing, but the result is a much more professional image where everything is centered properly and nothing looks weirdly skewed. 

5. Ignoring Exterior Shots or Curb Appeal

Never forget to take photos from outside your property. Buyers want to see the entire property – and exterior shots add to a listing. In some cases, these photos can genuinely push someone to inquire about your home because the backyard is a USP for them. 

So, make sure you capture the outside areas from as many great angles as possible. Look into aerial photography and videography for this to showcase incredible views and give buyers an idea of how big the outside spaces are. 

6. Using Filters or Over-Editing

It’s so tempting to edit your photos and provide filters that enhance the images. However, this ends up as one of the biggest real estate photography mistakes because it can warp how a property looks. Your photos look fake and can be misleading as they present rooms to be lighter or darker than they are. 

Cool it on the editing front and focus on making things look natural. Avoid any crazy filters; you want to enhance the photo, not transform how it looks. 

7. Skipping Post-Processing Altogether

While over-editing is a problem, one of the key real estate listing photo tips is to ensure you do some level of post-processing. You will need to edit images slightly – this could mean cropping, altering the angles, etc. 

Completely unedited photos lack polish and appeal; buyers will be more interested in your property listing if the images look professional. It fills them with more trust and confidence, which leads to more inquiries. 

All in all, these seven real estate photography mistakes are easy to make, but even easier to correct. Use the tips and guidance above to learn how to take better property photos that improve your listings and can help you sell a property for more money in less time. Of course, if you’d rather get the help of seasoned real estate photography professionals, then feel free to contact us today and we’ll give your listing the boost it needs. 

If there’s one tool in every real estate agent and home seller’s arsenal that’s proven most effective in this competitive market, it’s staging. 

Described as the art of preparing a home to look more visually appealing, staging can be drastically beneficial in terms of speed of sale and selling price. On average, the Real Estate Staging Association estimates that staged homes sell up to $40,000 over the original listing price. At the same time, these properties typically sell 73% faster, with unstaged ones staying on the market for up to 108 days.

However, for staging to work, there needs to be specific intent behind each area. Rather than just filing it up for the sake of decorating, staging each room with mindfulness helps buyers better envision themselves there. Currently, one of the best rooms you can stage in an entertainment room. This is in line with a 2024 Space Solutions report that reveals up to 80% of respondents want a dedicated entertainment room in their homes.

That said, given that people have varying ideas of what an entertainment room looks like, here are easy tips on staging this kind of space in a way that will attract everyone:

Showcase social seating solutions

For most people, entertainment rooms double as lounges meant for extended periods of use, usually with the addition of guests. As such, you’ll want to include seating solutions that specifically focus on comfort and connection. Sectionals are a type of seating that can work best in this kind of room, since they can be modified to suit diverse spaces and occasions. This means that while their larger build can accommodate a bigger number of people, the units can be rearranged for optimal mobility and functionality.

The chain store IKEA even has models like their Friheten, which has a sleeper unit. In a pinch, you can use this to stage an entertainment room that doubles as a guest room. Just make sure to mind your sofa placement. As a rule of thumb, try not to disrupt traffic patterns or stick your furniture up against other bigger pieces so the room looks usable and inviting for everyone. Instead, try to place your sectional in the middle of the room, with enough room between units. This also serves to ground the space and provide a clear visual focus. Doing this will also ensure that your prospective home buyers will not have to struggle to navigate the room during their visit. This is markedly important if you’re trying to highlight the accessibility of the space or if you’re hosting something like an open house, where the area may be more crowded. 

Highlight key electronics

In an increasingly digitalized era, most homebuyers are looking for spaces that can accommodate the gadgets and devices they regularly rely on. This is especially true in entertainment rooms, where it’s likely that most of the home’s tech will be featured anyway. With this in mind, it’s wise to include these innovations in your own staging.

The smart electronics on QVC can work well in this regard, given that they’re highly accessible and fit into what most entertainment setups require. In particular, the Bose Smart Ultra Sound Bar and LG StanbyME Rollable Smart Touch Screen can successfully paint a picture of a versatile space. After all, you can use this screen for a variety of interests, like movie marathons, game nights, and the like. Since it’s also got full swivel rotation and a five-wheel design, you can easily move this around to suit whatever new scenario or prospective buyer you’re staging for. For best results, remember to position these electronics in places that are natural to the room but where they can be fully captured and appreciated, even if viewed through pictures or virtual open houses. These can include on your media console, facing in front of your seating solutions, or next to plugs, ports, and sockets.

Incorporate flattering lighting

Lastly, invest in the right lighting, as this can make or break how effectively your staging captures your desired ambiance. Depending on the lighting choices you make, you can liven up and elevate a space that may otherwise look too cold and detached. This is why even professional photographers are careful to choose the right time of day to flatter real estate properties under natural light.

In regards to an entertainment room, you’ll want to concentrate on warm and cozy lighting solutions, as these can encourage ideas of relaxation and intimacy. On a more practical level, this kind of lighting treatment will also better complement any screens you may be using, ensuring the room doesn’t feel too bright or harsh. For maximum flexibility, a staged entertainment room can benefit from floor lamps with flexible necks, such as Target’s Willard Multi Joint Floor Lamp. Since this uses multiple joints along its length, you can direct it to illuminate specific areas of the room in line with whatever activity you’re simulating for your staging. Generally speaking, you’ll want to concentrate most of the illumination around the busiest parts of the room. This includes couches, coffee or activity tables, reading nooks, and snack bars.