gq1nyc Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 My wife was asked by a friend who works in Real Estate to photograph houses for listings. How much should she charge and is thier any tips for Photographing housing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stock-Photos Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 One factor in the pricing might be the price range of the houses, also the time involved etc. Another factor would be they quality of the photos your wife can provide, versus the quality of the photos a broker can make, using a P&S camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles_Webster Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Interiors? Exteriors? Point and shoot or hi-rez? Not enough information to answer your question. Generally realty pictures don't pay well if they are just exteriors, because most RE agents can do as well them selves. Where RE pictures begin to pay off is when shooting interiors of high-end (multi-million dollar) houses, either for the realtor or the builder/decorator. However, the later pays well because it is not easy, and generally requires dozens of stobes, reflectors, wireless triggers, etc. An acquaintance does this and carries 15 or 20 low wattage slave stobes to replace incandescent bulbs in light fixtures and to hide behind couches etc to show the room at its absolute best. <Chas> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gq1nyc Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 Sorry for the lack of information. These properties are in communities. I'd say ranging from $150K-500K. Probably will do both interior and exterior. My wife is shooting with a Rebel XTI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles_Webster Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 If all the gear she has is the camera, she's a long way from being able to photograph houses for listings. She needs some lights, stands, etc. for doing interiors. I think she might need to practice a little first before deciding how much to charge. One house might be one hour, or one day. <Chas> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah_fox Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 If you want to photograph homes in that price range, think in terms of coming in with an on-shoe flash, running around the home, snapping maybe a dozen JPEG pictures, perhaps taking a few 360 shots if you have the equipment, and then making a hasty exit. Pull the photos off of your card, don't edit them, and deliver them -- yup, right out of the camera. That's all the realtors want, at least for this price range of house. Check out the prices of your competition in the area, and charge a bit less to get started. (You won't make very much.) IMO, real estate photography is one of the most difficult markets to crack. And if you're actually a *skilled* photographer, you're already overqualified for it. A more direct answer to your question is to check local real estate listings, perhaps on www.realtor.com. Pay attention to who photographs the homes in your area. Go to those photographers' web sites, and their package prices will probably be listed there. That will give you a good idea how to price your work (or rather your wife's). Incidentally, a Rebel XTi is neither here nor there with regard to interior real estate photography. It's really all about the lens, because you'd be surprised how inadequate most lens' angles of view can be. With a crop frame camera, you'll want a 10-22. You probably won't need much longer, but it might otherwise work well in combination with an 18-55 IS. With a full frame, I like the Sigma 12-24, combined with Canon's 17-40L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gq1nyc Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 Thanks everyone, I think there just looking for the front of the house and a general photo of each room. Probably empty houses, not interior design stuff. We will have to get a lens in the 22-24 range as we have a 18-55mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summerleif Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Here are some examples of journeyman real estate photographs by a photo.net member that might serve as a measure of quality to strive for: http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=584820 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_bayless Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I have been a Real Estate Photographer for the past eight years in the Portland, OR area and I might have some helpful information for you. Spend some time with the folks on the Flicker Group for Real Estate Photography, http://www.flickr.com/groups/photographyforrealestate. You might also want to visit Larry Lohrman�s Blog, http://photographyforrealestate.net/. Larry has an excellent and inexpensive ebook that could also be useful. You might even find something on my website that is beneficial http://realestatephotographer.us. If you still have questions, send me an email and I will try to answer any questions you have. The two essential pieces of equipment are a wide angle lens in the 12-24mm range and a good external flash. Good luck and let me know how you are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gq1nyc Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 Man I love this sight, it's like instant school but you learn the stuff you need to learn when you need it. Thanks everyone, very helpful and I appreciate all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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