Aerial Real Estate Photography

Aerial Real Estate Photography

Agents, brokers, and homeowners may struggle to sell their properties due to poor images that don't capture a property's features and appeal. Here's how you can use aerial real estate photography as a valuable tool in the competitive photography and housing market, letting your shots and edits stand out and helping your clients boost sales.

Aerial Real Estate Photography: Benefits, Techniques, Equipment, and Post-Processing

Aerial real estate photography has evolved significantly with the growth of drone technology, allowing professionals to create stunning images that were once impossible or prohibitively expensive. As you utilize aerial photography and professional editing techniques, you can help real estate professionals set their listings apart, attract more potential buyers, and close deals quickly at better prices.

The possibilities for aerial real estate photography are limitless and downright exciting. Taking shots from a drone and performing aerial shot photo and video editing brings a whole new set of creativity to your portfolio.

 A man holding a drone

Overview of Aerial Photography

Drones allow photographers to capture images of towns, residences, or the surrounding landscape that will showcase the advantages of living in that area. Aerial photography and editing contribute to highlighting these positive aspects by making them stand out in the photo whether through explicit or implicit effects.

To emphasize the location of these properties, aerial photos have been immensely useful in recent years. Aerial shot photo editing must also consider strategic points of taking photos. 

Whether it's a mansion, apartment complex, or bungalow, it is not enough to take aerial shots of the property from up high. You must think carefully about how to present the photo so that it serves its purpose.

Key Concepts in Aerial Photography

Aerial photography has revolutionized marketing by offering unique perspectives that showcase properties in captivating ways. You can leverage composition techniques, optimal lighting conditions, and post-processing to create visually striking aerial images for property listings. 

These aerial photographs give potential buyers a comprehensive understanding of a property's layout, size, and features, giving them a competitive edge in the market. As a drone photographer, you must familiarize yourself with aerial real estate photography concepts.

These key concepts can help create aerial shots that best highlight your clients' listings:

  • Aerial photography allows potential buyers to grasp property details more effectively.
  • Composition techniques like the rule of thirds and leading lines enhance visual appeal.
  • Angles and heights offer creative framing opportunities.
  • Golden hours provide optimal lighting conditions for aerial shots.
  • Post-processing adjustments improve image quality and balance exposure.

Aerial Photography Shot List

Selling a property requires a good presentation of the home both inside and out. Utility and beauty play a significant part in drawing people’s attention and letting them feel like the property is for them to purchase. 

 An aerial view of a big house

However, one element that listings also must take advantage of is the fact that a property’s location helps sell it big time.

Before using our editing services for your aerial real estate photography, you need to think about what photos to take, including their angles. Here is a shot list to help you get the best property images for your clients:

  1. Rooftop shots: The effect of shooting directly from above shows where the property is located. More importantly, it gives the potential buyer a quick view of what the size of the property is. It also shows the density of the neighborhood which some people might consider as a selling point.
  2. Aerial shot: This shot will give you a chance to angle the photo to show the roofing and the home together in one shot. The advantage is to present the details and material used in the roofing, which can be important for potential buyers as well.
  3. Angled shot of the vicinity and neighboring areas: Having this shot will help later on during real estate photography editing, especially when a beach or a city is located near the property. It will show approximate distances that people may want to know or estimate.

Basic Aerial Photography Techniques<

Basic aerial photography techniques can give you the ability to capture captivating images from above. Aerial photographers use this angle to provide a unique perspective for potential buyers of properties and their nearby amenities.

  • Adjust camera settings to optimize image quality and create compositions that add depth and dimension to aerial shots.
  • Explore different heights and angles to showcase architectural elements like pools and gardens.
  • Use drone flight modes to capture consistent and smooth footage.
  • Compose shots that highlight unique features of the property and its surroundings.
  • Experiment with time of day and weather conditions to create diverse and appealing visual content.

Advanced Aerial Photography Techniques

Advanced aerial photography techniques build upon traditional photography methods by incorporating specialized skills and equipment to capture aerial photographs from higher positions. These techniques often involve complex camera settings, creative compositions, and challenging flying conditions to produce exceptional aerial photographs.

  • Apply long-exposure techniques to create stunning light trails or smooth water effects from the air.
  • Use high dynamic range (HDR) photography to balance extreme contrasts in the surrounding landscape.
  • Apply nighttime aerial photography for dramatic cityscapes or star-filled skies.
  • Shoot panoramic aerial photography images to showcase other areas or the surrounding landscape.

Legal and Safety Considerations for Real Estate Aerial Photography

Aerial photography offers creative possibilities for selling properties in the real estate market. However, flying drones requires an understanding of certain legal and safety issues:

  • Understand city ordinances or local drone laws and regulations.
  • Know where drones can be flown and altitude restrictions.
  • Obtain necessary permits and licenses for commercial photography.
  • Conduct a pre-flight check.
  • Stay updated on weather conditions.
  • Avoid flying near airports or crowded areas.
  • Maintain safe distances from people and property.

Nearby military facilities or government locations may not allow privately flown objects in the vicinity, getting you in trouble. Compliance and safety practices help aerial photographers responsibly capture images that can give properties an edge in the competitive real estate market while avoiding legal issues.

An aerial view of a house with red roof

Shoot in RAW Mode

Aerial photography plays a significant role by offering a unique perspective that benefits both property sellers and potential buyers. Aerial shots offer a bird's-eye view of property layouts and surrounding areas, providing an overall comprehensive view that allows buyers to get a good look at the listing and for your clients to offer a more compelling and informative presentation of the property.

This innovative approach to showcasing properties and natural landscapes highlights distinctive features that set a property apart from the competition.

Necessary Equipment for Aerial Photography for Real Estate

Investing in quality equipment for aerial real estate photography can help you capture stunning, high-value property shots that can significantly enhance marketing efforts and attract potential buyers.

Advanced drone technology aids photographers in showcasing properties from a unique perspective and in the most favorable light. This is why choosing the right aerial photography gear contributes to enhancing the visual appeal and perceived value of property listings.

1. Drone

A drone is perhaps the most valuable tool in aerial real estate photography. The right drone will let you shoot high-quality aerial shots and provide efficient, professional operations. Here are six important features to consider:

  • Long flight time of at least 30 minutes for extended shooting sessions
  • High-resolution camera quality with at least 12 megapixels
  • Capacity to record RAW files
  • Adjustable settings to adapt to various lighting conditions and capture properties in the best light
  • Advanced flight modes and superior maneuverability for capturing diverse angles and compositions
  • Compact drone weight and size for easy transport and maneuverability in tight spaces
  • Robust build quality to withstand outdoor conditions and frequent use

2. Stabilization System

As a drone pilot, knowing how to select the appropriate stabilization system can make all the difference in drone aerial real estate photography. This can minimize unwanted vibrations that could compromise the final image quality.

We recommend investing in quality propellers to give you more control as you capture unique perspectives with precision, even in challenging conditions or tight spaces. The right stabilization setup captures smooth aerial drone footage and crisp stills, revealing a property's features in their best light.

3. Accessories

To make sure you're prepared for any aerial photography situation, these accessories can help maximize your efficiency and capture stunning images without interruption.

  • Drone remote controller for precise control and extended range
  • Spare propellers to let you continue flying a drone if damage occurs
  • Memory cards to store high-quality images and footage
  • Extra batteries to extend flight time for longer shooting sessions
  • Charger to keep your batteries ready for use
  • A sturdy case to protect your drone equipment during transport

 An aerial view of a house with red roof

Post-Processing Aerial Photos

Aerial photography editing techniques do not differ much from basic photo editing. We use editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, to speed up post-processing, so you can deliver those stunning images to your clients fast.

1. Selecting the Photos

You will probably take multiple shots from your drone to make sure that you have a lot of aerial photographs to choose from. Our editors will filter your shots and choose the best ones for editing. We will organize them into corresponding folders to easily export a group onto the editing software.

2. Editing for Brightness

Light is an important aspect to pay attention to in real estate photography editing. Rooftop and angled drone shots will cast shadows which can be a pain if they cover a lot of the important aspects of the locations. 

Our aerial photography editors will remove those shadows and increase the sharpness of the houses in the photo, letting your images stand out from the rest. 

A good sky replacement is also favorable in cases where the sky on the horizon is not as bright as the one in a commercial or residential area. Finally, we can liven up the streets and brighten them using the dodge tool as needed.

3. Location Identifiers

Identifying the critical locations that will put the property on the map is a must for taking better real estate aerial photos. The house or building must be properly identified using creative means such as pinned location markers or a brighter exposure compared to the surrounding landscape to make it pop out.

For other significant locations, we will use pins or arrows to point at them and label them to give the potential buyer a glimpse of the proximity of these locations.

A man monitoring the shots of his drone camera 

Related Questions

Is Real Estate Drone Photography Worth It?

Drone photography is worth it to agents and home sellers as it offers a unique perspective that can significantly enhance the saleability of listings. It provides a stunning aerial view that showcases a property's full scope, layout, and surroundings, making it a valuable investment for serious sellers and agents.

Is There a Demand for Aerial Photography?

There's a growing demand for aerial photography as it helps listings stand out in a competitive market. Global demand for drone photography services in the commercial market expects a $2.73 billion growth by the end of 2034. Aerial shots provide potential buyers with a comprehensive view of the property and its surroundings, often leading to faster sales.

Conclusion

Aerial photos provide potential buyers with a comprehensive view of a property, its surroundings, and its relation to nearby amenities, making them great assets in modern real estate marketing. After doing your job of skillfully taking aerial photographs, we will meticulously post-process and produce final images that accurately and attractively represent the property.

 

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