Professional vs. Cell Phone Real Estate Photos?
Professional vs. Cell Phone Real Estate Photos? What’s The Difference
Ah, yes, the age-old question: “why do I need a professional to take my real estate photos? Can’t I just do it myself?”
Y’all, if we had $1 for every time we were asked that burning question by a person selling their house, we’d be a roaring success in the real estate marketing arena. Oh, wait. We are a roaring success in the real estate marketing arena. But still, you know what we mean. We get asked that question a lot.
“I have a really cool smartphone,” they tell us. “It takes awesome pictures,” they say. “I took a photography evening class,” they debate.
Right, let’s settle this once and for all. We get it. Smartphones have come a long way and you might be tempted to DIY it, but we’re going to level with you. Having a professional real estate photographer is not something you need, it’s something you want.
Think of it this way. There’s no rule, per se, that says you need a professional barber to cut your hair, but chances are if you do it yourself, you’ll be wearing a hat for the foreseeable future. Get it?
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DIY? Try D.I. DON’T
DIY is such a huge thing these days. You can watch a YouTube video on everything from repairing your car to doing your own plumbing, hoping to save some money. We recommend neither, friends.
As you’ve noticed, the real estate market, despite climbing interest rates, fails to slow down. Homes are selling at record speed. You’d be forgiven for thinking that you could cut corners – hey, maybe you don’t have to try so hard. Maybe DIY photos are good enough. Well, think again, because real estate photography is not the place to skimp.
We might make real estate photography look easy, but trust us, it’s not. So, please, if you are planning on selling your home, step away from the smartphone and leave it to the professionals. Here’s why:
- Agents want to look the part
Professional, glossy magazine-quality photos reflect well on an agent. They need to show that they mean business and that they care about the successful sale of their properties enough to invest in professional real estate photos. Here’s a nugget of truth for you: people judge the quality and professionalism of an agent by the images of the homes that they sell.
Agents, if you’ve got low-quality photos, it can look bad. Show the world you care about your image and reputation, and never let poor quality be associated with your brand.
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- Amateur photos get lost in the crowd
With low-quality photos, your home will get overlooked. As folks flick through homes on Zillow, MLS, or Realtor.com, amateur shots blend into the beige rather than stand out like the glorious technicolor of professional shots.
The sad thing is that your home is gorgeous, but people won’t see its beauty. It’ll get lost in a sea of competition. And hey, nobody puts Baby in the corner.
Spot the difference
Still not sure? We recently compared professional photos and cell phone photos, and let’s just say it was a slam dunk for the professional shots. When you compare amateur images and professional images side by side, they’re night and day. But it’s not a fair contest. Let’s recap why:
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- Photographers
Experienced, passionate photographers with buckets of experience know how to capture your home at its best. They understand exposure, clarity, perspective, and the most flattering angles. They get how to feature the stylish and unique features that your home offers, making it stand out as special and different.
Professional photographers use proper lighting – something that no matter how many lights you turn on at home, can be almost impossible to achieve. They also carry out professional editing, allowing for final touches and clarity.
- Equipment
When you’ve got state-of-the-art equipment, it’s not a fair fight. Professional photographers use various lenses and appropriate accessories like a tripod, filters, and settings that a smartphone doesn’t have. The right equipment allows for accurate colors and tones and avoids overexposure.
The wide-angle lenses that professionals use allows for a more expansive image, allowing you to see the room in full. Professional equipment produces high-resolution images which are essential for printing high-quality materials such as brochures. It’s also essential for allowing buyers to zoom in on details. Unless you like pixels…
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In a different league
So, it’s official, then. Professional real estate photos crush amateur DIY photos every day of the week. We’ve got expert photographers. We’ve got the equipment and editing software. We’ve got a dreamy suite of add-ons to really elevate the images and blow amateur photos out of the ballpark.
Save yourself time and leave real estate photography to the professionals. And not just for the million-dollar homes, we believe that every home should be professionally photographed. 96% of buyers browse for their next home online, which means that images have never been more important. Let’s get it right.
Our team would be pumped to show you some examples of our work, so get in touch because we could talk real estate marketing with you all day long. You can browse our website to see exactly what we can do for you.
You’ll be impressed. We’ll be flattered. And most importantly, that home you’re hoping to sell will be gone, baby, gone. And it all starts with some professional real estate photos. Who knew?
