How to Become a Real Estate Photographer
Follow these easy steps and you’ll find out how to become a real estate photographer. It’s a great career that is continuing to grow year after year. It can be a lucrative side hustle or grow into a full-time job and there is plenty of money to be made.
Additionally, if you are looking for real estate photography courses to help you get started on your business journey, check out our article Best Real Estate Photography Classes.
Table of Contents
How to Become a Real Estate Photographer
Get the Gear
Step 1: Get the gear.
You can’t be a real estate photographer without the necessary gear. What gear you choose will decide how you plan to photograph real estate.
Do you plan to offer videos? You’ll need a good gimbal for that.
Do you want to incorporate flash photography? Go ahead and look at the best flashes for real estate photography.
If you’re not sure what gear you need, check out this article: Inside a Real Estate Photographers Camera Bag. You’ll see all the gear that I use daily. You may not need every item, but it will give you a good starting point!
Also, feel free to browse through our Gear page to read up-to-date reviews on all the best gear for real estate photography. Choosing your gear is the first step in figuring out how to become a real estate photographer.
Create a Portfolio
Step 2: Create a portfolio.
Your portfolio is going to be the thing that convinces future clients to work with you. It’s extremely important that you take your time creating the best portfolio possible since it’s a representation of your skill level.
If you’re not too confident in your real estate photography skills yet, then check out this article featuring tips for taking great real estate photos. Capturing the best images possible is probably the most important part of how to become a real estate photographer.
If you’re just getting started building your portfolio, then read our article featuring 4 Tips on How to Build a Real Estate Photography Portfolio. It’s full of ideas on how to get into portfolio worthy homes and neighborhoods.
Build a Website
Step 3: Build a website.
Now that you have a solid real estate photography portfolio, you’ll need a way to display it and send it to prospective clients. Although sites like VSCO and Tumblr offer quick and easy ways to display photos, you’re going to want a full website of your own. It’ll look for more professional and gives you more flexibility to display other things like prices.
If you’re brand new to website building, then a website builder like Squarespace or Wix is probably going to be best. If you have some experience designing websites and you’re confident in you skills, then you probably already know that Word Press is the way to go.
Once you’ve decided on the site builder you’re going to use, check out our list of 7 Examples of Great Real Estate Photography Websites. Use these sites as a guide for how to properly design yours for maximum appeal.
Land Some Clients
Step 4: Land some clients.
With your portfolio displayed on your new website, all that’s left to do is land some clients. There are many different tried and tested ways to land real estate photography clients. The most important thing is that you pick a strategy that works for you and then stick to it.
Read our article 5 Tips on How to Get Clients for Real Estate Photography. It outlines 5 ways that are sure to get you some clients. Once you land your first few, you’ll want to set up some sort of referral program where any client that refers someone to you gets a discount on their next shoot.
It might take some time, but if you stick to it and deliver quality images, you’ll end up with a list of clients calling you for real estate photography services. Landing clients will really make you feel like you’ve answered the question how to become a real estate photographer.
Additional Information
If you follow the steps above and stay dedicated, you’ll become a real estate photographer faster than you might think. Real estate photography can be a great side hustle or a full-time business. It just depends on how many clients you want and how much you want to work.
If you’re interested in starting a full-time real estate photography business, give our article 7 Steps to Starting a Real Estate Photography Business a read. Also, check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of helpful tips that will get your real estate photography career started on the right path.
Be sure to check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of articles with helpful ideas and tips exactly like this one. Our Business Resources page has all the resources you’ll need to get your Real Estate Photography business started on the right path.
Finally, go check out our Gear page to get up-to-date reviews and recommendations on todays best gear for Real Estate Photography.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do real estate photographers make per shoot?
The answer depends on where you work and what services you offer, but generally speaking a real estate photographer can make anywhere between $100 – $500 per shoot.
Is it hard to be a real estate photographer?
Learning the skills necessary to be a real estate photographer can be difficult for some, but in general, it’s not difficult to become a real estate photographer.
Is there demand for real estate photography?
Yes! Absolutely there is demand for real estate photography. The demand also continues to grow over time.