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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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Posts By Larry Lohrman

Larry Lohrman
Latest posts by Larry Lohrman (see all)

Congratulations Brian Doherty - June PFRE Photographer of The Month

In: 
24/06/2016
15 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Brian Doherty of Boston MA who the jury has voted PFRE photographer of the month for June. This is Brian's second win as the PFRE photographer of the month. His first win was back in July of last year. Here are all the entries that the jurors awarded points to this month:
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Is There A Cheaper Alternative To The CamRanger?

In: 
20/06/2016
15 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Camranger wireless controllers are connected to the camera using a cable, allowing you to control the camera from a distance without touching it, reducing camera shakes, and improving video stability and photo sharpness. However, they tend to be pricey, and you might need a cheaper alternative to the Camranger.   Is There a Cheaper Alternative to […]

Be Careful, It's Possible To Physically Misrepresent A Property With Sky Replacement

In: 
31/05/2016
By: Larry Lohrman
Randy makes a great point: I’ve been doing sky replacements on homes shot on days when the sky is just not exciting to look at or it was a real dreary day, and needs some big billowy clouds overhead. I recently have noticed photographers offering twilight conversions where daytime skies are being replaced with beautiful […]

Congratulations Brandon Beechler - May PFRE Photographer of The Month

In: 
24/05/2016
12 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Brandon Beechler of Orange County, CA who has won the PFRE photographer of the month for May. This is Brandon's second win. His first win was back in March of 2013. Here are the contestants that the jurors awarded points to this month:

What To Do If You Find Someone Using Your Image On A Website Without Your Permission?

In: 
09/05/2016
16 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Pierre asks: I have a question regarding the internet blog "Curbed". They are using my photos regularly to write articles about the Los Angeles Real Estate Market. They comment on various listings that I shot getting their information and images from the MLS. They have no way to know those are my photos because the […]

Congratulations Sharon and Lyndon Davey - PFRE Property Video March/April

In: 
03/05/2016
3 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations again for the second video contest in a row won by Sharon and Lyndon Davey of Rockingham (just South of Perth) Western Australia. Here is their winning video. Sharon and Lyndon are a husband and wife team that shoot property video for their listings. Sharon does the on-camera work and Lyndon does the camera and editing work. […]

How Long Should A Property Video Be?

In: 
02/05/2016
11 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Peter who is new to video but not new to photography asks a classic question about property video: ...the main question on everyone lips is "How long should a real estate video be?" followed by "my brother in law (or fill in the relationship) says no online video should be longer than ___ (fill in […]

Congratulations Brandon Cooper - April PFRE Photographer of The Month

In: 
26/04/2016
18 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Brandon Cooper of Fort McMurray, Alberta who has won the photographer of the month for April. This is the third month in a row Brandon, you need to give someone else a chance! Here are the contestants that the jurors awarded points to this month: Brandon Cooper Barry MacKenzie Justin Jordan Tony Colangelo […]

Congratulations Brandon Cooper - March PFRE Photographer of The Month

In: 
23/03/2016
12 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations again to Brandon Cooper of Fort McMurray, Alberta who has won again this month. Brandon is on a roll! Here are the contestants that the jurors awarded points to this month: Brandon Cooper Brian Doherty Seamus Payne Rajan Milosevic Andrew Pece Peter Bentley Trace Tague Barry MacKenzie Matt Davis Canek Estrada

What Are Your Secrets for Getting Great Window Pull?

In: 
22/03/2016
17 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Here are some quick and easy ways how to get great window pull in any room. Use these techniques effectively and enhance your real estate images.

When Should Real Estate Photographers Get Paid?

In: 
18/03/2016
31 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
There have been several questions recently about collecting payment. Alex in Ohio asked: I have heard about real estate photographers charging at time of sale instead of requiring payment at time of shoot. What are your thoughts on this? It makes sense because no one gets paid till the home sells, why would the photographer […]

Do Real Estate Photographers Shoot In Rainy Weather?

In: 
17/03/2016
14 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Both Dave in Seattle and Trevor in Orlando ask about canceling shoots in rainy weather. Dave said: I have what's becoming a serious problem in my business and wondered if you'd encountered it, since you lived and worked up here for so long. And how did you handle it? Many of the brokers in this […]

How Do Real Estate Photographers Handle Empty Homes?

In: 
16/03/2016
12 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Timothy in Indiana asks: I am very new to the art of real estate photography and photography in general for that matter. At the moment I am just shooting some homes for realtor friends when I get the chance simply for the experience. My question is how to handle empty homes. What are the do's […]

Congratulations To Sharon and Lyndon Davey Winners Of The Jan/Feb PFRE Video Contest

In: 
02/03/2016
8 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Sharon and Lyndon Davey of Rockingham (just South of Perth) Western Australia, who the PFRE video jury just voted the winner of the Jan/Feb video contest. Here is their video. Sharon and Lyndon are a husband and wife team that shoot video for their listings. Sharon does the on-camera work and Lyndon does the […]

Could You Get By Shooting Interiors With Just A 24mm Tilt-shift Lens?

In: 
29/02/2016
By: Larry Lohrman
Patrick recently asked: I LOVE my 24mm PC lens but when I try to use it to shoot an entire listing I find I am having to compromise the composition in certain situations. I end up going back to my car and getting my 14-24mm. Thoughts? I can certainly identify with that. Although I've never […]

Congratulations To Brandon Cooper - PFRE Photographer Of The Month For February

In: 
24/02/2016
21 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations Brandon Cooper of Fort McMurray, Canada who the PFRE jury has voted February PFRE photographer of the month. This month's theme is living rooms or family rooms. Here are the contestants that the jurors awarded points to this month: #10 - Brandon Cooper, Fort McMurray, Alberta #17 - Barry MacKenzie, London, Ontario #22 - […]

Are Matterport 3D Tours A Money Making Product For Real Estate Photographers?

In: 
28/01/2016
By: Larry Lohrman
Kelvin in Big Sky Country recently asked the following: Searching your site regarding Matterport, I found some thoughts about it from 2014 that would sway me to believe that the value wasn't there as compared to the $4500 investment.  I'm curious to know if that has changed, or if anyone reports recouping that investment and […]

Congratulations To Kerry Bern - PFRE Photographer Of The Month For January

In: 
25/01/2016
11 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Kerry Bern, Ankeny, Iowa who the jury has voted January PFRE Photographer of the month. This month's theme is exterior twilight shots. Here are the contestants that the Jurors awarded points to this month: #2 - Kerry Bern, Ankeny, Iowa #9 - Brett Gray, Brisbane, Australia #16 - Andrew Pece, San Clemente, California […]

How Do You Deal With Mixed Color Temperatures In Interiors Photography?

In: 
08/01/2016
10 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
John wants to know: How others fix white balance issues on white ceilings. Color casting from adjacent walls, interior lights of varied temperatures and some sunlight all make for a challenging fix. I have been adjusting by using local adjustments brush on the ceilings and using WB tool, a little desaturation and increasing brightness. Wondering […]

Congratulations Travis Rowan - 2015 PFRE Videographer Of the Year

In: 
31/12/2015
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Travis Rowan, of Maui, Hawaii who the video jury has just chosen as the 2015 PFRE  videographer of the year. The  stunning video to the right is Travis's video that won video of the month for May 2015 that got him included as a contestant for videographer of the year. The jurors struggled with this vote. […]

Explanation Of Real Estate Photo Licensing For Agents

In: 
30/12/2015
By: Larry Lohrman
Eric in Southern California asked for the following: I've been looking through the site for a basic simple explanation on copyrights and usage for real estate agents to understand. I've been a photographer for most of my life and doing real estate photos for about eight years and in working with several different agents in […]

Congratulations to Jason Roehner - PFRE Photographer of the year for 2015

In: 
24/12/2015
16 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Jason Roehner, PFRE Photographer of the year for 2015.  Click on the photo to the right to see the large version of this image. Below is the results of the jury's voting. Click on the month to see each photo or go to the PFRE Contest Flickr group to see all of them. This list […]

Congratulations To Hamish Beeston - Oct/Nov Videographer Of The Month

In: 
02/12/2015
10 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Hamish Beeston of Bristol, UK who the video jury has voted PFRE videographer of the month for Oct/Nov. Click on the image to the right to have a look at Hamish's winning video. Hamish has the distinction of being the first contestant ever to win both the still photo contest and the video […]

Congratulations To Hamish Beeston - PFRE Photographer Of The Month For November

In: 
24/11/2015
11 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Hamish Beeston, Bristol, UK who has won the November PFRE photographer of the month. Another UK winner! Wow, these UK shooters can't be stopped! Here are the contestants that the jurors awarded points to this month: #17 - Hamish Beeston -Bristol, UK #28 - Barry MacKenzie - London, Ontario #9 - Tim Krueger - […]

Examples Of Real Estate Video Shot With The DJI OSMO

In: 
23/11/2015
20 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Back in October I did a post on the introduction of the DJI OSMO. Just recently both Jim Barnes and Fred Light shared some of their real estate video done with the OSMO. Here are their videos: Jim Barnes's test video Fred Light's test video Here are Jim's comments on the DJI OSMO:

Sky Replacement For Real Estate Photography - Should You Do It For Free or Charge Extra?

In: 
18/11/2015
14 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Kimi in Minneapolis has the following questions about sky replacement, adding fire in the fireplace and putting images on TVs: The Minneapolis photography market is getting a bit more competitive these days, and one thing that a local photography company is doing as part of their package is replacing grey skies with blue, adding flames […]

Congratulations To Tony Colangelo - His Photos Helped Clients To Win 2015 Gold CARE Award

In: 
07/11/2015
17 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
This last week Tony Colangelo in Victoria, BC told me that his photos helped four of his clients win the top prize in the 2015 CARE Awards. The CARE awards are a big event for the Victoria Residential Builders Association. Tony said: Last week, the largest professional builders' association on Vancouver Island (the Victoria Residential Builders […]

Congratulations To Richard Hookway – PFRE Photographer Of The Month For October

In: 
26/10/2015
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Richard Hookway, of Hampshire, UK who has won the October photographer of the month. The UK folks dominated this month's contest. Probably because shooting with large poles has been popular in the UK for a long time. They may have invented PAP. Here are the contestants that the jurors awarded points to this month: #19 […]

How To Deal With Small Bathrooms On A Real Estate Shoot

In: 
21/10/2015
19 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Bill in Southern California recently asked: Helping an agent complete her interior decorating in a 2 bed/2-bath mid-century newly remodeled home earned me the invitation to shoot it for her upcoming listing. Searching through the PFRE blog postings, I couldn't find anything on how to shoot problematic spaces like the REALLY small 5' x 8' […]

What's The Best Online Booking Application For Real Estate Photography?

In: 
08/10/2015
16 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Wanda asks: Does anyone have a suggestion for a scheduling application that they use for their business. I have been trying booker.com but it just does not fit well for a real estate photographer. I have an assistant that is in the office from 9 -3 but most REALTORS want something that is available to […]

What Can Real Estate Photographers Do To Control The Color Problems When Shooting HDR?

In: 
05/10/2015
18 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Soo recently asked: I am a real estate agent and photographer. I like to do my own photos and I have a Nikon D750 with a 16-35mm lens. I use Photomatix for HDR for the convenience and Photoshop to edit. However, I have never learned how to get rid of the yellow color cast nicely […]

Congratulations To Steve Dolinsky - Aug/Sept PFRE Videographer Of The Month

In: 
01/10/2015
7 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Steve Dolinsky of Nyack, New York who the video jury has voted the PFRE videographer of the month for August/September. Here is Steve's winning video. And here is the ranking results of the jury's voting. To view the videos click on the entry numbers below and then click on the video link in […]

My Wacom Epiphany - Everyone With Multiple Monitors Needs A Wacom Tablet!

In: 
25/09/2015
16 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Epiphany: An experience of sudden and striking realization. Generally the term is used to describe scientific breakthrough, religious or philosophical discoveries, but it can apply in any situation in which an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective. Yes, that's what happened to me! After last […]

Congratulations To Travis Rowan - PFRE Photographer Of The Month For September

In: 
24/09/2015
13 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Travis Rowan of Maui, Hawaii who has won the September photographer of the month for September. Travis has won the PFRE video contest three times so he thought he'd try his hand at still photography. Travis is the second photographer/videographer that has won both the video contest and the still contest. Anders Carlson […]

Wayne Capili's Sony A6000 Epiphany

In: 
15/09/2015
24 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
This is a guest post by Wayne Capili. Wayne was the very first PFRE real estate photographer of the year  in 2008. Back then I called it PFRE Idol Contest. If you are a regular in the PFRE Flickr group you've seen a lot of  Wayne's work there. The photo to the right is work […]

The Canon 10-18mm Lens Is a Reason To Start Real Estate Photography With Canon

In: 
09/09/2015
7 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Elsa recently ask the following question: My name is Elsa and I ran into your website today as I was doing some research on the startup of a real estate photography business. I am 19 years old and I want to get this going as soon as possible. The earlier the better right. it would […]

Are There New Rules In California For Real Estate Photographers?

In: 
04/09/2015
18 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Micah, a real estate photographer that recently moved to California asked the following: I heard something interesting today that I hadn't heard of before but thought maybe you knew: Someone was telling me that photographers who shoot real estate in California need a real estate license in order to do it legally. Is this true? […]

Congratulations Alasdair McIntosh PFRE Photographer of The Month August

In: 
24/08/2015
8 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Alasdair McIntosh, York, UK, the PFRE photographer of the month for August. Alasdair is a first-time winner. He's been a regular contestant for a long while. I must say, I really like this beautifully composed exterior shot of this idyllic English cottage. Great job Alasdair! Here are all the contestants that the jurors awarded […]

Should I Be Shooting More In Portrait Mode Since Mobile Devices Are Used So Widely?

In: 
07/08/2015
18 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Billy posed the following question recently: With there being so much mobile traffic now a days and their native resolutions being in a portrait/vertical orientation vs landscape - have you or any other photographers considered framing more shots in this manner? I've yet to run across a real estate specific website that will auto scale […]

Congratulations To Charlie Dresen - June/July Videographer Of The Month

In: 
01/08/2015
8 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Congratulations to Charlie Dresen of Steamboat Springs, Colorado who the video jury voted the June/July videographer of the month. Here is Charlie's winning video. Here are the ranking results of the voting: #4, Charlie Dresen, Steamboat Springs, CO #6, Steven Dolinsky, Nyack, New York #5, Jared Saulnier, Portsmouth, NH #7, Allan Mackenzie, Moolooaba, Australia #2, […]
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