How to Take Good Real Estate Photos with a Mobile Phone

This post is for everyone who wants to take pictures of their apartment or house with a mobile phone for a real estate portal as good as possible. Let's be clear right away – it is possible. Not every time can you use the help of a professional photographer, and that's why we've compiled tips to keep in mind when you want to take pictures of your home yourself.

• Think through and write down what pictures you exactly need

The more, the better – an ad with one or two pictures won't attract anyone. If you know which rooms and corners should be in the pictures, then you can move on to the next point.

• Clean the surfaces

Clear all surfaces of unnecessary clutter. Then the room will make a much better impression than with excessive visual noise. And the viewer of the picture will get a better understanding of the room as a whole.

Put away during photography:

• small knick-knacks (no matter how tiny they are),
• dish soap, sponge, spatula and other things on the kitchen counter (okay, you can keep two wine glasses waiting to be filled),
• refrigerator magnets and shopping lists,
• all jars and small bottles that you have on the bathroom shelf.

• Set the rooms ready for photography

After you've hidden the unnecessary things in the cupboard, put covers on the beds and close the cabinet doors and toilet seat. Put flowers in a vase, fruits in a bowl and a few candles here and there. Did we already mention that the vacuum cleaner and iron shouldn't appear in the pictures? Otherwise, one might think that there isn't enough storage space in this home.

• Don't shoot directly against the light

Light is the most important thing when it comes to photos! If you take a picture directly against the light, only the light source will be visible and the rest of the room will be in darkness. That probably wasn't our goal, right?

• Don't use flash

This tip has two reasons. The mobile phone's flash only illuminates the objects directly in front of it and the back part of the room remains dark. Secondly, the flash can reflect off a surface or mirror and that's certainly not what you need in your pictures.

• Take pictures in natural light

In daylight, all colors are purer and shadows are more natural. Draw the curtains open. Your rooms will make the best impression this way and potential buyers won't think you're selling a cave. However, avoid situations where direct sunlight shines through the window – this too can leave corners dark.

• If necessary, turn on the lights

Not all rooms may have good natural light. When photographing the kitchen, turn on the work surface light and other spot lights.

• Don't end up in the picture yourself

Make sure that you don't appear in any of the pictures. When photographing a room with a mirror, this can easily happen.

• Avoid vertical pictures

This means that if you're holding your mobile phone in the normal position, then turn it sideways now. That's it, very good!

• Don't take pictures of things you're not proud of

You don't have to immediately show off the worst things about your property. You might scare away some potential buyers who would actually really like your house or apartment. This doesn't mean you shouldn't be honest in describing your property. We're not talking about hiding, just not showing.

• Try to get as much of the room as possible in the picture

You should get as much of the room as possible in one picture. If necessary, move some furniture a bit or take the picture from between the doors.

• Do a little post-processing

Make the pictures a bit brighter and lighter if necessary.

Once the pictures are taken and the ad is up and a first meeting with potential buyers is scheduled, you can start preparing your home for these important guests. We'll write more about that soon.