How to Organize Your Real Estate Photography

How to Organize Your Real Estate Photography

Real estate photography is more than pointing your camera and pressing the shutter button. When I was starting, I wondered why my photos never caught the viewer’s attention. Later, I realized it’s all about organizing your interior and exterior photos. Let me walk you through how to organize your real estate photography.

Why Organization is Key

Organizing anything helps you find it out of the pool whenever you need it. You need to assign unique identifiers that distinguish. For instance, you can rename by description or location of the image. 

Laptop with installed apps

This helps you search in the sea of items/files by doing a word search in the search bar. You can also group similar items to identify them in larger characteristics. Categories can take the form of dates and general locations.

A real estate photo shoot involves many images. In the case of real estate images, it can be parts such as skies, interiors, exteriors, and living rooms. Do not limit yourself to any of these methods as there could be several other ways to organize photos.

Get a Separate Photo Organization Software

After a real estate photo shoot, you need to keep the images in an organized manner. You may be wondering why a real estate photo organizer is better than creating a computer folder. Well, it’s because real estate photography can be demanding in volume and quantity. 

Having an automated partner reduces the effort of organizing on your end. Here are some reasons to consider an organizing app for house photography.

  1. Automated organization – While you take photos, the camera assigns a date. You can toggle the date format with your camera settings. Some applications can detect these dates and sort them. So, you don’t need to click and drag each time you create a folder.
  2. Safety and storage – Most real estate photo applications have organization storage through the cloud. This removes the danger of disruptions or corruptions in your computer hard disk. Also, the cloud has limitless storage. That means you can expand your storage at a small fee.

This list will be a diverse set of choices with a wide range of features. You only need to choose which application suits you best on size, functionality, cost, and ease of use. At the end of the day, it will aid you in your style of work and objectives.

  • Google Photos

Google offers a smart way to organize photos. It creates backups on the cloud. This allows you to access it through your computer or the cloud storage. With its algorithm, it can also suggest classifications and organization methods.

  • Photo Basic 4 (Studioline)

This is a free and easy-to-use application. The features for adding descriptions and tags are straightforward. It has a provision to help you share the images. Although not advanced, you can do some basic editing through the app. This allows you to keep photos that are to your liking already.

Woman editing images with her laptop

  • Adobe Lightroom CC

Adobe Lightroom CC is one of the most advanced tools. It allows organization through tags and locations. The organization is through the catalog system. It also has cloud access so you can snap your images and upload them right after. This is the best option for a professional photographer.

  • FastStone

FastStone Image Viewer is also an organizer and editor all wrapped into one. I love this application because of its metadata capabilities. This feature allows the real estate agent to view, change, and edit tags in real time and save those changes.

  • Apple Photos

For avid Mac users, Apple has its in-house application. It allows a real estate photographer to store your listing photos for free. It synchronizes across other Apple devices. You access the images from anywhere. The user interface is user friendly. You only need to search and view a specific image.

  • Corel Aftershot3

The price point on this application is great compared to other options like Lightroom. It has batch processing capabilities for the conversion of file types. It allows you to categorize photos based on your tagging and rating. It can also distinguish between device types of images depending on what you used in the photo shoot. Smart, huh?

How to Prepare the Home for Real Estate Photography

Even with good editing skills, there are elements and features you can't remove or add. For instance, you can’t freshen up landscaping and trim the flowers in an editing app. So, to ensure you capture amazing photos from the word go, use the following tips depending on whether it’s exterior or interior.  

Front Exterior Photos

Front exterior photos are generally the first photos the client will see. Use the following tips to create a positive impression with these photos. 

  • Remove distractions: Distractions draw attention away from the house. Hide garbage cans, lawn equipment, toys, and bicycles. Park cars out of sight if possible.
  • Freshen the landscaping: Curb appeal is key in exterior photos. Mow the lawn to ensure it's clean and neat with defined edges.
  • Reschedule when necessary: It’s not a must for you to take all the photos on the same day. Don’t take exterior photos if the weather is unfavorable, such as rain. The aim is to capture the photos when walkways and pavements look best. 

Overhead view of a modern living room

Back Exterior Photos

The back exterior photos allow you to showcase things like the backyard, patio, deck, and pool. The photos make buyers envision things like hosting barbecues and playing with kids. To capture great back exterior photos:

  • Clean the patio: Sweep away leaves, debris, and dirt. In case the home has a swimming pool, clear it to maintain clean, inviting water. Remove any pool toys and floaties.
  • Show the green: Lush green grass, vibrant flowers, and full trees create a more inviting atmosphere. Target the area where the lawn and gardens are flourishing.

Interior Photos

Interior photos go beyond just showing the space. They can tell a story about the lifestyle the property offers. That means you need to highlight the unique features. Consider the following to make the photos reflect what the property will look like:

Staging the Interiors

You are dealing with empty rooms. Most buyers need an idea of how the room will look once furnished. It's boring to take several photos of the same empty room. Turn on interior lights and place furniture strategically to highlight the layout and flow of each room. This makes the buyers connect with the space. 

Adding Wall Art and Decor

The same as staging, you want the walls to look aesthetically pleasing. Consider adding large pieces of art. This makes the room look homey like someone is already living there.

Removing Clutter

As you try to make the room look as realistic as possible, make sure it doesn’t look cluttered. Remove clutter from the countertops. Remove your photos from the walls. For closets, empty them before taking the photos. Remove trash cans and electronic cables. 

Showing Luxury and Beauty

All rooms are not the same. For instance, some rooms might have windows facing great views such as lakes or mountains. In the same way, some might have the windows facing the fencing wall. Focus on luxury and beauty. Try to create window pulls for the amazing views. 

Spacious living room with a leather couch and glass center table

Storage Areas

This is where you’ll have kept the trash cans, toys, and bicycles when taking the other interior and exterior photos. Usually, these areas are cluttered, and most clients won’t even ask about them. Omit the storage areas from your photos if they’re not necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Order for Real Estate Photos?

The best order for real estate photos is to start with the aesthetically pleasing front exterior photos. Show the entryway, the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the primary bedroom, and then the other bedrooms. 

Consider 3 photos for the exterior front, 1 photo for the entrance, 3 photos of the living room, 2 kitchen photos, and 1 dining room photo. Capture 1 photo of the hallway bathroom, 2 master bedroom photos, 1 photo for any other bedroom, and 2 back exterior photos. 

How Do Photographers Organize Their Photos?

The best way to organize the photos is to use photo organization software. The application allows you to pull out the photos you need from a large collection of photos. This prevents the confusion of which photo belongs to which property.

How Do I Make a Real Estate Photography Portfolio?

Select your best photos showcasing a variety of properties and organize them into categories. For instance, you can organize into residential and commercial. Create a website or portfolio platform. Post the photos and include information about the featured properties. You can then highlight your skills and contacts.

Conclusion

Imagine stumbling upon a listing where photos jump from a bedroom to the kitchen and then the exterior. You won’t browse the listing! Learning how to organize your real estate photography encourages viewers to browse through the entire listing. The above real estate photo applications help you do exactly that: organization. 

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