5 Composition Tips for Real Estate Photography

Transcript

Transcript of the recorded lesson. Recorded 2023, reviewed 2026.

Guys in this video we're going to share five composition tips for real estate photography. When it comes to real estate photography, composition is one of the most important variables in creating great photos. Tip number one, make sure your lines are straight and the camera is level. When we talk about straight lines we're talking about your camera being level, both front to back and side to side. Your camera doesn't have to be perfectly straight as you can make minor adjustments during the editing process. But it has to be pretty good. We recommend trying to get your lines as straight as possible when you're shooting properties to minimize your editing time.

Many cameras have built-in levels where you can see if your camera is straight or not. I usually like to look through the viewfinder or the monitor to see if the wall lines are straight up and down. If they are, then I know that the camera is pretty level. Tip number two, set an appropriate tripod height. It's important to always adjust your tripod height based on what you're shooting. If you're shooting a two-story home, you want to make sure not to cut off any parts of the home. Typically you're going to have a taller tripod setting for a two-story home versus a one-story home on the exteriors.

When shooting inside a home, you want to manage how much of the floor and ceiling you're showing. I recommend showing a little bit more of the floor than the ceiling. Some homes might have huge ceilings and tall walls in certain rooms, so you may need to raise your tripod for those shots. Tip number three, pick appealing angles. Now it might be tempting to walk into a room and shoot the easiest and most obvious angles that you see. The standard angles are definitely good to help show an entire room, but you also want to pick angles that help engage potential buyers. Instead of just shooting a room, pay attention to the furniture and layout of the room

and pick an angle that helps a potential buyer imagine themselves relaxing and enjoying the room. Tip number four, no fixtures in the corners of your shots. Make sure not to have fixtures such as chandeliers and fans in the corners of your images. Doing this will make your fixtures look distorted, so in the case of ceiling fans, you'll notice some blades will look stretched out and very distorted. So do your best to avoid putting objects in the corners of your shots. And tip number five, shoot towards the opposite corner. When shooting interior shots, you typically want to have the opposite corner in the center of the frame.

Pointing your camera too far to the left or to the right often messes up the room symmetry. Pointing towards the opposite corner is a great way to show the entire room. However, there will be times when a straight on shot facing a wall is the best way to showcase a room. In that case, make sure to balance the corners and remember to keep those lines straight. Alright guys, so these are five composition tips to keep in mind when you're shooting real estate photos. Every home is different, so you'll run into other challenges depending on the specific home that you're shooting. But keeping these five tips in mind will help you create better photos

and reduce the number of complaints that your customers will have after you deliver your photos. If you pay attention to each of these tips, you'll be shooting excellent real estate photos in no time. Reach out if you have any questions. We'll see you guys on the next one.