mrbill6771 Loc: Aztec, NM

I have just this morning been contacted by a local real estate agent about taking listing photos for her. I have never done this before and need some input concerning pricing for my services and any other advice.

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

1. Do you have the time to be available at the agents call ?
2. Do you have wide angle fast lens for rooms without all lights on ?
3. What do you consider your time worth ?

Remember, outside views with sunlight and landscaping.

Inside views true color and not 'fisheye' just wide angle.

My wife does real estate and has her own dedicated camera I gave her. She is so disappointed in some out-of-focus, dark photos on real estate sites.

The agent expects your pictures to show her property to its best advantage.

Sarge

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

1 Don't undercharge (work out a realistic rate per hour including travel time and post processing/PP).

2 How are you on PP for perspective 'correction' and shadow detail?

3 A SERIOUS wide-angle (at most 18mm full frame, 12mm APS-C) is invaluable for interiors.

4 Use a tripod and a level.

5 Consider HDR.

6 Consider shootng 2-3 houses free, for you to learn and the realtor to make suggestions -- but tell them your (high) hourly rate before this, so they realize what they're getting free.

Not for you, but for anyone else reading this: if you don't understand this advice (even if you don't agree with it), you shouldn't be doing this.

Cheers,

R.

mrbill6771 Loc: Aztec, NM

Thanks Sarge and Roger,

Time is not an issue. I'm retired and would enjoy the opportunity to do some "work" on the side. I do have a good 18-55mm Pentax lense, tripod, level, etc. I'm fairly good at PP. I do like the idea of a "trial shoot".

Thanks again guys!

birdpix Loc: South East Pennsylvania

Roger and Sarge are spot on. I have done some of this type of work. Remember, Real Estate Agents only get paid IF the house sells so they are looking to get the best value for their money. They want to minimize the potential loss if there is no pay day. Professional photography is only affordable on higher end houses, probably $600,000 and up. You could probably work out a fee arrangement based either on the number of rooms or the Square footage of the house. In the end, you are probable looking at no more than $400 to 600 for a days shooting.

Some tips: Don't shoot the interior at night, no matter how many lights they have. The windows will be black holes. I have used bouce flash to great effect and I include one or two slaves strategically placed and hidden around the room. Balance the flash with the outdoor exposure so the windows are not burned out whites or blacks.

mrbill6771 Loc: Aztec, NM

Great advice everyone!! THe old sponge between my ears is soaking up all it can.

senad55verizon.net Loc: Milford, NJ

A strobe with a lot of power is a good place to start. Add slave units when the spaces get large.

Consider the use of a good diffuser on your flash unit(s), such as can be found at http://www.garyfongestore.com/.

billybob40

You know what your time is worth. But you have some one willing to give you a shot at it is great. After you do some of them the word will get around you do this type of work and do a good job at it, the money will come in like you want. This may help....
INTERVIEW WITH NIELS JOHANSEN, REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHER
By Lori Allen in Alexandria, VA
LORI: Hi Niels. Thanks for agreeing to share some of your photography secrets with us today. I know real estate photography isn’t as easy as just showing up to a realtor and telling them you want to take photos of their listings, but, on a scale of 1-10, how hard do you think it is compared to fashion photography or commercial work?
NIELS: Well, on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the easiest and 10 the hardest), real estate photography is weighing in at about a 2 or a 3. Just think about it, you don’t have to deal with models, divas, bridezillas, neurotic hair-stylists, or a cranky art director. It’s just you and the building, the most patient model you will ever work with.
The only unpredictable element you have to deal with is the weather and, sometimes, the Blackberry-engulfed realtor walking into the shoot. As someone who also does fashion and lifestyle photography, real estate photography is V-E-R-Y attractive.
On top of that, it requires minimal equipment and may just be the perfect field of photography to start out with if you are a beginner. If you follow a few ground rules, you’ll be able to produce great images that sell real estate -- and that’s what it’s all about: Pictures that sell real estate! Once you master that, people will be calling you for jobs.
LORI: Can you give us an idea of what kind of equipment you might need?
NIELS: Sure, you’ll need a digital camera with a rectilinear wide-angle lens (non-fisheye) that can shoot in manual or semi-auto/creative mode, a decent tripod, and editing software. You can spiff it up with a shutter release cable and a bubble level, but basically that’s it.
LORI: What is a typical day like in the real estate photography business?
NIELS: A typical day starts with a carefully-planned week. On Mondays, I work in my home studio shooting portraits, headshots, and whatever else needs studio work. That’s the “side effect” of real estate photography -- you get a lot of referral work…and all new agents (and old) need headshots. You can easily pick up an extra $200 to $400 on a lazy Monday while the cappuccino machine is brewing a hot latte and the music is blaring from the speakers in your studio.
Tuesday through Thursday is dedicated to field work and I try to fit all agency real estate shoots into one day if possible. Every property gets Google-mapped with satellite view -- to get an idea of the orientation toward the sun -- and then scheduled accordingly.
I am “in and out” in less than an hour. An average 2,000-square-foot home can be done in 30 minutes if you have successfully instructed the real estate agent how to prep the property. Working like this, I can usually shoot four to six agency real estate listings in one day. Real estate agency listings are usually always shot during daylight hours. If the property has night-shoot appeal, it will be done on a different day and for additional fees.
When I return home, I download all images from the day, sort them into folders with property addresses, and begin processing. Once the computer has done its miracles, the images are ready for the final touches. I open each image to check for any technical issues. It takes about a minute per images, and, since most real estate listings yield between 12 and 20 images, I typically have about a couple of hours in post-processing.
Finally, Fridays are for catching up on everything that didn’t get done during the week.
LORI: You said this was open to beginners. Do you think someone with no training could do it or would you need at least a little training?
NIELS: This is definitely something beginners could do, mainly because it is less stressful to fashion, portraiture, and the likes (which involve photographing people and extensive knowledge of PhotoShop). Architectural photography (which this is) is all about lines and how to control them. You have to practice the rule of thirds and also learn how to capture all vertical lines as true vertical in the camera or in post-production.
The technique I’ll be teaching in San Antonio is also based on available lights only, making it a lot simpler than having to deal with strobes and flash. There are just a few technical terms to learn for this type of photography…it doesn’t change much after that.
LORI: If you had to name three characteristics of a good real estate photographer, what would they be?
NIELS: The first is to be punctual and expect the same from your clients. The second is to have a fast turn-around. This is all about real estate commissions and you are delivering THE most important sales tool for the Realtor. Finally, a good real estate photographer should consistently produce high quality, unique images.
LORI: And, I can’t let you go without talking about money really quick. You told me on the phone that you charge about $500 a day for this kind of photography. Do you think that’s typical across the country? And, how many listings can you get photographed in one day?
The “typical” day I just described to you, is really two days’ worth of work if you want to have a life, as well. At the $150 per listing that I charge for an average 2,000 to 2,500-square-foot home, it still brings in around $500 per day if you do the math. Also remember that you can also offer to sell virtual tours, videos, etc. I think that anywhere in the world where real estate is sold, you have a potential market regardless of market conditions. As a matter of fact, a depressed market needs more and better pictures, right?

billybob40

A lot of good info on youtube too. In there search type in "Real Estate Photography" and set back and learn.
Back 60 years ago if I had youtube and the internet I wouldbe worth millions, your luck to have all this free info out there. Just make it a fun thing.

mrbill6771 Loc: Aztec, NM

Thanks, billybob40,

Great interview.

asylum1972 Loc: Hilton Head Island, SC

I'm so glad I found this thread!!! I was approached by a realtor who is also interested in me shooting residential real estate for his listings!!!

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

I do books for a real estate agent and the photographer she uses doesn't charge more than $200 a shoot. The OP that said that agents are looking for the best price hit the nail on the head. They do not want to outlay a lot of cash in case the property doesn't sell. HTH.

The agent knows I'm a photographer and I told her that I was interested in real estate, but then when I saw what this photog was charging I was like hmmmm.....a lot of work for little cash.

lorenww Loc: St. Petersburg

Consider hdr. Before anyone says no way, you can keep the effect to a minimum for a very realistic image.
The pros are that if there is a view, you can see it as well as the interior of the home.
Years ago and I didn't know anything about hdr, I shot images for a hotel and processed hdr and they came out awesome.
I showed the owner the original images, with and without flash and hands down accepted the hdr images.
Just a suggestion.
I had the lite/free version of Photomatix and it just did a blend of the images, no tone mapping or compression. not sure if they still offer that anymore.