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PFRE is the original online resource for real estate and interior photographers. Since 2006, it has been a community hub where like-minded professionals from around the world gather to share information with a common goal of improving their work and advancing their business. With thousands of articles, covering hundreds of topics, PFRE offers the most robust collection of educational material in our field. The history of real estate photography has been documented within these pages.
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Image banner for the March 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month Winner Alex Vincent, with a featured image of his winning photo titled "Kitchen."

Congratulations Alex Vincent! March 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month

Congratulations Alex Vincent, March 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Kitchen". Alex Vincent - #906 Yvonne Raaijmakers - #909 Peter Wingfield - #902 Here's what Alex has to say: Thank you for the award of Photographer of th ...

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For over a decade, photographers from around the world have participated in PFRE’s monthly photography contests, culminating in the year-end crowning of PFRE’s Photographer of the Year. With a new theme each month and commentary offered by some of the finest real estate & interior photographers anywhere, these contests offer a fun, competitive environment with rich learning opportunities. 

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PFRE prides itself on the depth and breadth of the information and professional development resources it makes available to our community. Our goal is to help real estate and interior photographers be successful while bringing the community together and elevating the industry as a whole.
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How Long Do You Take To Deliver Real Estate Photos?

In: 
11/12/2014
21 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Todd recently asked the following: I love that every so often you post polls that help me get a better understanding of the industry. Did you ever do one on the typical length of time between shooting and delivering the final images? No, I never have. But here is the poll that Todd requested. As […]
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Congratulations Jacob and Jamie McNeil PFRE Videographers Of The Month For Oct/Nov 2014

In: 
02/12/2014
6 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations Jacob and Jamie McNeil, of PlatinumHD Canada, PFRE Videographers Of The Month For Oct/Nov 2014. The video jurors  used a new more structured scoring system this month. And again, if you haven't read the comments by the jurors I invite you to take a look in the Videography contest forum. Here are the points […]

What Lens Should Real Estate Photographers Use On APS-C DSLRs?

In: 
29/11/2014
By: Larry Lohrman
Several readers have already asked if the 18-55mm lens that came with that DSLR that they just picked up at a Black Friday sale will work for real estate. So my guess is there are others that have the same question. The answer is no, not completely. The 18-55mm kit lens that usually comes with low-end […]

Using Vintage Lenses On Sony A7, A7r and A7s

In: 
03/11/2014
7 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
PFRE reader Jukka Töyli in Tampere, Finland is an avid Sony enthusiast. Recently Jukka sent me some tips that he'd like to pass along for other real estate shooters interested in the new mirrorless cameras (Sony A7, A7R and A7s or MFT). Jukka says: I just found out that old vintage lenses can be really good and affordable. […]

Congratulations To Mike Leland PFRE Photographer Of The Month For October

In: 
31/10/2014
By: Larry Lohrman
Mike Leland of Tucson, AZ has won the October, PFRE Photographer of The Month award. Update 11/2: I have to apologize, initially I said that this is Mikes third win of this contest. It's not, its his first. I mistakenly thought that Mike is the same Mike Leland that won this contest in Sept & […]

Put Your Real Estate Photos In The Right Order!

In: 
29/10/2014
By: Larry Lohrman
Tim Wilson pointed out this article at Inman.com today. Tim said what caught his attention in the article was the following: What I found super-intriguing was that the sequential order of the photography made a difference. The participants I interviewed wanted to see the photos flow in an order emulating how they would naturally walk […]

Which Is Best For Real Estate Photography - Canon 70D or 7D?

In: 
24/10/2014
9 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Isabel in Costa Rica says: Hola, I have a basic gear question for you: I want to buy the best equipment for RE photography without spending a fortune. According to all the reviews the best Canon lens for interior photography is the Canon EF-S 10-22 mm. I decided I am going to buy this lens, […]

PlanEdge: Create Floorplans On A Tablet With A Laser Measure

In: 
21/10/2014
15 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
PFRE reader Sean Elliott at Exposure Property Marketing told me about some new floor plan creation software. Sean said: Whilst the market is quieter I thought I would take the opportunity to contact you about a new product I am using at Exposure Property Marketing.  I have helped a software company here in the UK Boxcubic […]

Congratulations To Travis Rowan - Winner Of Aug/Sep Property Video Contest

In: 
04/10/2014
17 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Travis Rowan, of Maui, HI, who has won the August/September property video of the month contest with his video at the right. Click the image to the right to watch the video. Also click the numbers listed below to see each video that the jury awarded points to. This is the second win in a row for Travis. He won the […]

Congratulations Aaron Flores - PFRE Photographer Of The Month For September

In: 
25/09/2014
12 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Aaron Flores, Phoenix, AZ who has won the September Photographer of the month contest with his photo at the right. Click the image to the right to see a larger version of Aaron's image. Aaron is a second time PFRE photographer of the month. He won this same theme (Patio, Deck or Garden Space) last September! I […]

How To Connect With Agent Clients When You Are Starting Out In Real Estate Photography?

In: 
05/09/2014
15 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Not too long ago I got some real estate photography business starting out questions from Chris in New Jersey. I think the questions are classic and important enough to look at in detail. Here is Chris's initial question: I have been trying to get a real estate business up and running since October of 2013 […]

Congratulations Kate Benjamin August PFRE Photographer Of The Month

In: 
23/08/2014
9 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Kate Benjamin, Detroit MI, who has won this months Photographer of the month contest with her photo at the right. The jurors really liked Kate's image of this quaint old home. Click the image to see a larger version. This month, there were 48 great images! Many of them were extremely well executed. The competition is […]

Inexpensive 12 Foot Tripods As An Alternative To Painters Pole

In: 
21/08/2014
14 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
I've had several readers point out this video on large construction tripods for use in photography and videography. Giant tripods are very popular with real estate photographers but you have to lay out around $2K USD for a Gitzo carbon tripod with the extendable center section that will raise a  heavy DSLR and lens to […]

Congratulations To Travis Rowan - July PFRE Videographer Of The Month

In: 
02/08/2014
11 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
The winner of the July video contest is Travis Rowan of Maui, HI. Juror Hamish Beeston's says: A lovely, classy film. Beautifully shot. Great light balance. Love the mix of wide angles and close-ups for textures / finishes, which real estate videos do so well. Also really good mix of slider and jib shots. My favourite shot […]

Congratulations To Ling Ge July PFRE Photographer Of The Month

In: 
24/07/2014
13 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Ling Ge of Irvine, CA, who has won this months Photographer of the month contest with his photo at the right. Click the image to see a larger version. Again this month, a bunch of great images! The competition is intense! Here is the jury’s voting results: 35 points, #10, Ling Ge - irvine, CA. 27 points, #15, Matt Harrer - St Louis, MO […]

Ethics Considerations In Real Estate Photography

In: 
09/07/2014
15 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Bob in Michigan asks: How much to remove from photos? Flying my drone for real estate photos, I've followed the philosophy of removing or cleaning up anything that could be done with a broom, a hose or picked-up (dirt on a driveway, yard signs, cars and trash cans). Yesterday I was asked to remove overhead […]

Congratulations To Anders Carlson - June Videographer of The Month

In: 
02/07/2014
8 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
The winner of the June video contest is Anders Carlson of Kailua Kona, HI. Anders has the distinction of being the first person to win both the still contest (multiple times) and the video contest! Juror Hamish Beeston's comment was: Fantastic. Really like this one. Great mix of shots (lots of quality details and all verticals vertical!), […]

Congratulations Tony Colangelo - PFRE Photographer Of The Month For June

In: 
24/06/2014
21 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Tony Colangelo, Victoria BC, who won this months close still image contest. This is Tony's second win. He won this contest back in August of 2013. A lot of great images this month! The competition is getting very keen in this contest. This month the voting was much closer than it's been for a […]

Congratulations To PFRE Videographer for May - Hamish Beeston of Bristol, UK

In: 
31/05/2014
By: Larry Lohrman
And the winner is Hamish Beeston of  Beeston Media, in Bristol, UK. Patrick Kerwick, one of the two video jurors this month said: I am absolutely astounded by the quality of work that was submitted this month, it was a pleasure just watching each of the videos for my own education as a fellow videographer. As you […]

Congratulations To Sebastian Erras May PFRE Photographer Of The Month

In: 
23/05/2014
10 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Sebastian Erras, Amberg, Germany, who captured the jurors attention with this image at the Bay of Saint-Tropez, France. There is a lot to be learned this month by looking through the contest entries and reading the discussion on the entrants photos. There was more discussion this month than there has been in the past. Studying […]

PFRE Videographer of the Month for April: Congratulations Patrick Kerwick!

In: 
01/05/2014
20 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
And the winner is Patrick Kerwick of  Vantage Photography, in Santa Fe, NM. Allan MacKenzie, my video judge said: I have to say mate was that was tough! Hawaii certainly is well represented with good talent and make the top 3 cut but just got taken at the finish line with the personal touch portrayed by the homeowners, they […]

Congratulations To Barry MacKenzie April PFRE Photographer Of The Month

In: 
28/04/2014
By: Larry Lohrman
A bunch of great images this month. Congratulations to Barry MacKenzie capturing the jurors attention and winning by a significant margin. Here is the jury's voting results: 48 pts #25, Barry MacKenzie, London, ON 20 pts #41, Alasdair Mcintosh, York, UK 10 pts #49, Robert Ekins, Sydney, AU 9 pts #30, Dean Hales, Melbourne, AU 8 pts #27, […]

Congratulations Kate Benjamin PFRE Photographer Of The Month March 2014

In: 
24/03/2014
21 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Wow, that was a hard job deciding on a winner. Seventy-seven photos and a bunch of good ones. PFRE jury has chosen Kate Benjamin of Detroit, MI as the PFRE photographer of the month. To the right is Kate's winning photo. Click on it to view larger. Don't be discouraged if you got just a few […]

Congratulations Ryan Wicks PFRE Photographer Of The Month Feb 2014

In: 
24/02/2014
10 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
This month the PFRE jury has chosen Ryan Wicks of East Sussex, England as the PFRE photographer of the month. To the right is Ryan's winning photo. There was a big increase this month in commenting and favoriting the contest images. Thanks for everyone's participation. I think this level critical analysis and discussion is very […]

Congratulations To George Gutenberg - January PFRE Photographer Of The Month

In: 
23/01/2014
20 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to George Gutenberg of Palm Springs, CA who is the PFRE photographer of the month for January. This month I had 36 amazing twilight images entered in the January contest. Both the readers (as indicated by the favorites feature on Flickr) and the jury agreed that George's image was the winner and Jonathan's was […]

Congratulations Ethan Tweedie - PFRE Photographer Of 2013

In: 
23/12/2013
12 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
The PFRE jury has voted Ethan Tweedie of the Big Island of HI the PFRE photographer of the year for 2013. Ethan's winning photograph is on the right. Click on it for a full size image. Here are the voting results: Ethan Tweedie - 37 Dan Ryan - 22 Aaron Flores - 20 Brandon Beechler - 17 […]

The Most Popular Lens For Real Estate Photography: Canon 10-22mm

In: 
17/12/2013
20 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
After watching the poll on the lens table for many years, I can't help from commenting on the results. I'm totally stunned that the Canon 10-22mm is the most popular lens, and it has been for the entire three or four years I've had a lens poll. Not that it isn't a great lens, it […]

What About Being A Real Estate Photographer And A Real Estate Agent

In: 
16/12/2013
32 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
I've had quite a few discussions with people concerning some aspect of being both a real estate agent and a real estate photographer. I find when a subject like this pops up out of the blue from a bunch of different people I usually indicate a trend going on. There were four different questions that […]

Congratulations Tony Colangelo PFRE Photographer Of The Month For August 2013

In: 
26/08/2013
By: Larry Lohrman
The PFRE jury has voted Tony Coangelo of Victoria, BC the PFRE photographer for August. Tony's winning photograph is on the right. Click on it to view a full size image. Here are the voting results: Tony Colangelo – 24 Cal Mitchener - 20 Jared Saulnier - 11 Conrad Rowe - 10 Saul Goodwin - 5 Sebastian Erras […]

Congratulations Ron Putnam July PFRE Photographer Of The Month

In: 
23/07/2013
4 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
The PFRE jury has voted Ron Putnam of Chico, CA the PFRE photographer for July. Ron's winning photograph is on the right. Click on it to view a full size image. Here are the voting results: Ron Putnam – 44 Don Miller - 23 Charles Lynch - 10 David Jones - 8 Chad Geauvreau - 4 Barry MacKenzie - 4 Jonathan […]

Congratulations To Ethan Tweedie PFRE Photographer For June

In: 
24/06/2013
7 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
The PFRE jury has voted Ethan Tweedie of the Big Island of HI the PFRE photographer for June. Ethan's winning photograph is on the right. Click on it for a full size image. Ethan is another second time winner. Here are the voting results: Ethan Tweedie - 40 Aaron Flores - 23 Barry MacKenzie - 13 Ash […]

Is Misrepresentation A Serious Problem In Real Estate Photography?

In: 
20/06/2013
34 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
I talked to a producer today from ABC News that is working on a piece ABC is producing on the subject of photos that misrepresent properties. She was looking for examples of cases where marketing photos misrepresented properties to buyers. This well documented case in Melbourne about a year ago that I posted on was […]

Do Use A Diffuser For Real Estate Photography? Which One?

In: 
17/04/2013
19 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
In the last year or so I've had several readers tell me how much they liked the Graslon Prodigy Dome Diffuser for real estate photography. I must admit that I'm not a big user of diffusers that attach to your flashes. Probably because I learned everything I know about small flashes from Scott Hargis so […]

Can You/Should You Use Micro Four Thirds Cameras For Real Estate?

In: 
08/04/2013
18 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
I get questions about using micro four thirds cameras for real Estate. Can I/should I use micro four thirds for real estate? The important criteria for choosing any gear for real estate photography use always boils down to two main considerations: Can you get a quality wide-angle zoom lens ( between 16 and 24mm effective). […]

Congratulations Jason Roehner February PFRE Photographer Of the Month

In: 
25/02/2013
7 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
The PFRE jury has voted Jason Roehner's photo of this Scottsdale, AZ property as the winner of the February contest. This month is Jason's second photographer of the month win. He won back in September 2012. Here is the voting results: Jason Roehner - 49 Ilona Berzups -19 Nestor Trillo - 16 Luke Phillips -12 David […]

Congratulations Dan Ryan PFRE Photographer of The Month January 2013

In: 
24/01/2013
10 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
The PFRE jury has chosen Dan Ryan's twilight shot of a home in Madison, New Jersey as this month's winner. This was a difficult group to judge there were a record number of contestants (48) and there were a bunch of great twilight shots. Click here or on the photo to the right to view […]

Congratulations To Tim Furlong For Being in AD's On The Market Section

In: 
28/12/2012
By: Larry Lohrman
Just before Christmas Tim Furlong, jr told me that "The Avish", a 24 acre estate in Harrods Creek, KY, that Tim photographed recently is going to be featured in the Architectural Digest, On the Market section which features estates on the market around the world. Here is Tim's complete shoot of the Avish. It appears that […]

Congratulations Iran Watson: 2012 Real Estate Photographer of The Year

In: 
18/12/2012
29 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations Iran! The PFRE jury has chosen Iran Watson's as the Real Estate Photographer of the year. Iran is a Realtor/Photographer in Marietta, Georgia. This was a very difficult task to pick a winner from the fantastic field of entrants! The voting results are as follows: Iran Watson - 40 Jason Roehner - 19 Charles Lynch - […]

Should You Photoshop The Grass In Real Estate Photos?

In: ,
06/12/2012
15 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
I got an anonymous question today about photoshopping the grass in listing photos. Here is the question: How far can retouching go before it becomes dishonest and a misrepresentation? The images in question (one of which is the one to the right) show VERY obviously fake PS grass, to the point where it is almost carpet-like. I agree […]

Congratulations Charles Lynch: November PFRE Photographer of The Month

In: 
26/11/2012
By: Larry Lohrman
The PFRE jury has voted Charles Lynch's  photo of this elegant penthouse in Adelaide with a view of Adelaide's most prestigious beach as November's photo of the month. Here are this months voting results: Charles Lynch - 39 Elly Ball - 18 Paula Susi - 12 Jason Roehner - 10 Kerry Bern - 10 Thom Neese - 7 Matt Waclo […]
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