My days are spent doing photography of all sorts but I find the Real Estate Stuff pays the bills in these parts. I've put a lot of time into learning but I feel I have a long way to go. My problem with shooting property is the fact that most clients aren't willing to pay for what is involved in taking a 20 layer photo so I've learned to bracket a few shots, level my camera and rely on lens correction, lightroom, photomatix, and photoshop to produce about 20 images per house. I am in and out in less than an hour and always try to shoot in the evenings depending on positioning of the houses. I would like to improve my work so looking for some feedback. I've shot over 200 houses ranging from 2 bedroom shacks to 7million dollar mansions and the one thing I have definitely learned if anything is that no matter who it is they always complain about the price so my question is how much work should actually go into photographing Real Estate if the end result usually is a photo on a property management , realestate, or VRBO site?
Regardless of industry, it's always important to keep in mind that it's not worth overworking yourself just for scraps. Professionals deserve a living wage, so don't ever let the sharks get their way. At least it sounds like you've found a model that is economical (bracketing) when the pay is low, so stick with it but always find ways to improve it.
Considering your experience and desire for better production, I'd definitely branch out to the development community if you haven't already. My clients never argue pricing, respect my creative vision, and understand quality takes time. (longer production and post-production windows) If you market to them with contemporary homes, I think you'd do well. Best of luck!
You've got a great eye and clearly know what you're doing with the camera. The bigger question is client-focused, which can be hard to crack because we're not the clients, nor the owners of $7m homes, etc.
I've found that realtors are reluctant to pay much and I think it's because for them this is a single transaction. They need photos to help make a sale, but they don't particularly care about the photos or the property so long as they're good enough to do their job. Also whatever they pay for photos comes right out of their commission (which they haven't been paid yet, because the home hasn't sold).
Architects and developers however have a different perspective. The home is their work, their creation, their reputation, and they've spent years getting it designed and built. They will use the images for years to come and they will make a big impact on how they show their work to the world (and their potential clients).
I would think rental agencies would have a similar perspective - they're able to charge more and get more attention on their properties if they look incredible in photos.
Happy to discuss if you have any questions! And keep up the great work :)
rental agencies are the cheapest b@stards. they usually try to make the homeowner pay the cost of the photos here. I've been doing it for so long at such a cheap price that I have screwed myself. I slowly try to raise the price each year and I often find other photographers creeping in at lower rates. I read somewhere once that you should always quote your base price really high even if you aren't up to that level yet and give your clients discounts to the rate you feel according. This way as you progress in your work , you can gradually charge more without pissing them off. thanks for the feedback guys
Sorry to hear it's been such a struggle. Have you had any luck shooting for homeowners themselves, so they can then send your great photos to their rental agencies? The point here being, the owners are basically running a business (a rental property), and if they own the house, perhaps they're the most interested in having it look great online.
Bigger picture, finding the party that benefits most from great photos might bring the respect and bigger paycheck.