I have found that there are various levels of Real Estate Photographers, particularly in my area around Lubbock. They fall into about five different categories. These include non-photography professionals including real estate agents that are awful at it and some who are fairly good but lack a certain level that can be found in better photography professionals. However, there are also supposedly professional photographers who are awful as well. Perhaps they are good at other types of photography, but they are not when it comes to real estate. Then some proficient professional photographers have a good idea of what they are doing but lack the fine touch of the best professional real estate photographers. And of course, there is that last class of professionals who are very good at real estate photography, though they are few and far between. Let’s examine a few of the worse.

Many of the worse examples come down to geometry. These are all photos that builders and real estate agents have posted on Facebook. The first one is by no means a good photo, but it’s even uneven. It needs to be rotated, which I have done through editing in the second photo. That doesn’t make it good. The focus is mainly on the garage rather than the front door. Garages are just not very interesting. Furthermore, the sky is completely blown out and is a good candidate for a sky replacement. This photo should have probably been taken at an angle to the left of the photo. 

Once again this is a matter of geometry. We want vertical lines if at all possible and probably a little more photo to either side of the house, which may have been present in the original photo. I straightened up the verticals but that even left less room on either side of the house. This is the type of photo that should have been taken correctly in the first place with vertical lines. The third house is a photograph I took and is unedited, except for a sky replacement.

This next shot is a Single Point perspective and is a perfectly acceptable walk-up shot. Unfortunately, from a Single Point perspective, the geometry has to be exactly right. Not only do the vertical lines need to be straight, but also the horizontal lines. I have corrected this through editing but it’s also preferable to get this right in the original photo. 

Interiors are often shown with horrible vertical lines. This is not even that bad of an example, but it’s also got a subtle lens issue. On the left-right side, the edge of the wall and the cabinet are not out of alignment by the same amount. This is probably an issue with the lens not being properly corrected. Of course, there are other issues in this photo, including some color temperature and color cast problems and the lighting being a little blown out.

The garage should not be the focus of this real estate

Once again, don’t make the photo about the garage. This should be taken from a completely different angle and it’s impossible to fix with editing.  Indeed, this photo mostly features a torn-up driveway. 

I don’t blame realtors and individuals for wanting to save a few dollars doing the photographs themselves or hiring a low-budget photographer, but it can mean dollars in the pocket to get it right. You want people to visit the property at least and a little care can make a difference.