PFRE-Logo-white-bg
Reading
blue-triangle-element

Articles

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.
All Articles
blue-triangle-element

Latest

Unlocking Real Estate Leads: Are Tradeshows the Missing Piece in Your Marketing Strategy?

If you’re a real estate photographer trying to grow your business, you might be overlooking a goldmine of opportunity hiding in plain sight: tradeshows. These high-energy events are where deals are made, connections are sparked and visibility skyrocket ...

Read More
Contest
blue-triangle-element

OVERVIEW

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. 

Contest Rules
blue-triangle-element

CURRENT CONTESTS

View / Submit
blue-triangle-element

PAST CONTESTS

View Archive
Resources
blue-triangle-element

Resources

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.
blue-triangle-element

Conference News

No items found

Best Photography Books [2024 Review]

In: 
10/03/2023
No Comments
By: PFRE Admin
We reviewed the best photography books in the market, taking into account their year of publication, best features and format in our reviews.
Read More
Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn

How to Get into Real Estate Photography

In: 
19/01/2023
No Comments
By: PFRE Admin
Becoming a real estate photographer is a unique and rewarding career choice. Ready to take the next steps? We tell you everything you need to know.

Best Real Estate Photography Classes Online [2024 Review]

In: 
01/11/2022
No Comments
By: PFRE Admin
Photographing for interiors and exteriors is among the most challenging niches you can do. However, you can improve your photography skills at home thanks to the advancements and accessibility of online learning. I'm compiling a list of real estate photography classes and what you can learn from them. Best Real Estate Photography Classes You can […]

Top 53 Real Estate Photography Tips

In: 
26/07/2021
By: PFRE Admin
Homeowners and agents want to sell properties at their target prices, so they hire a professional real estate photographer who can take enticing and high-quality pictures to market listings. That’s why I'm going to discuss real estate photography tips involving equipment, settings, exposure, compositions, shot list, editing, and work ethics. Real Estate Photography Tips Real […]

Announcement: The Art and Science of Great Composition Video Tutorial by Tony Colangelo

In: 
05/06/2019
14 Comments
By: Brandon Cooper
I am so excited to officially announce a brand new video tutorial from Tony Colangelo, a long-time contributor to PFRE and one of the most respected people in my community. Over the years, many people have benefited from Tony's advice on the PFRE Flickr group and especially, from his in-depth comments made as a juror […]

Conquering the Glare of Stainless Steel Surfaces

In: 
22/04/2019
3 Comments
By: Tony Colangelo
Lane, from Topeka, KS writes: It doesn’t seem to matter how hard I try to get it right, my kitchen shots get killed by bright reflections and glare coming off of stainless steel appliances. This gets really bad with the fridge, which ends up looking like a circus mirror! What can I do? There’s no […]

You Can Shoot Real Estate with Only a 24mm Lens!

In: 
07/06/2018
30 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
in Gig Harbor, WA (just south of Seattle) says: Here's a 750 sq ft home I shot with a 24mm. If this doesn't prove that all those zoom-wide lens aren't needed I give up. I literally never go any wider than 24mm these days (often 50mm). The 24mm TS-E hasn't been off my camera in […]

Why Is One-Point Perspective so Popular in Swedish Real Estate Photography?

In: 
08/05/2018
7 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
in Sweden asks: This past year, I have seen quite a lot of real estate pictures being shot "straight on," with nothing but straight (or rather, as straight as they could get them aligned) lines. Is this some sort of new phase? Or why are they repeatedly doing this in the majority of the shots? […]

Three Part Real Estate Photography Book Series by Nathan Cool

In: 
10/03/2018
No Comments
By: Brandon Cooper
Overview: From gear to editing, composition, lighting, settings, techniques and more, real estate photographer Nathan Cool provides a comprehensive guide for shooting high-quality interior real estate photography from start to finish. Learn how to not just take, but also "make" great real estate interior photos with an efficient workflow and cost-effective tools to speed up […]

Why Don't the Architectural Digest and Dwell Websites Give Photo Credit to Photographers?

In: 
08/02/2018
17 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Craig in Virginia asked: I've noticed that seemingly legitimate websites like AD and Dwell are featuring MANY homes using photo citations such as "Photos Courtesy of Coldwell Banker" or "Courtesy from listing on Trulia." One in particular from today (1/30/18) is this one. These are full feature articles written by staff writers of prestigious magazines. […]

How Do Interior Photographers Get Rid of Unwanted Lens Flare?

In: 
05/01/2018
16 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
?Ron in Texas says: I use a Canon 17-40 mm on a 5D MKIII and for the most part, it performs well. However, even when shooting north facing windows or otherwise shade-side windows in certain circumstances, l experience lens flare. The inconsistency of it is what drives me crazy. Is there a magic camera-to-window angle […]

I Don't Need No Stinken Gray Card!

In: 
14/12/2017
16 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Brad in WI asked the following: Does anyone use several grey cards in a room to get accurate color balance? There are plenty of tutorials on how to use a single grey card but they frequently have it placed near a window or tungsten light. Frequently, it's near the edge of the frame which can […]

A Short History of Real Estate Photography

In: 
20/09/2017
12 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Jody who has been in real estate for a long time says: I know you've done a lot of articles on the new/correct ways to photograph real estate but I haven't seen any articles about how the process is really changing. Just 15 years ago, you weren't even able to see a house for sale […]

A Foolproof Digital Workflow for the Professional Real Estate Photographer

In: 
29/04/2017
By: Larry Lohrman
This is a guest post by Marc Weisberg of Irvine, CA. Marc is giving a workshop in NYC, June 5th and 6th. Having a foolproof digital post production backup system for architectural and real estate photographers is essential. Below, is a detailed look at the workflow and post production system I use at my studio. I've […]

How Can Real Estate Photographers Speed up Bracket Processing?

In: 
20/02/2017
24 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Tod in Virginia says: In the past, I've worked mainly on my own but I'm going to work (as a contractor) for a small boutique-ish staging and photography group.  It's all good and the pay is nice, the only possible drawback is I do all the post processing myself  I love Lightroom, but for my […]

How to Create Real Estate Floor Plans

In: 
27/10/2016
By: Larry Lohrman
Ivy in New York asks: I was wondering if you know where I can learn how to create floor plans for my real estate clients? Is there an app you can recommend. There is a huge number of floor plan Apps. Most people that do floor plans use some kind of laser measuring device 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 […]

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 […]

Floor Plans and Room Dimensions for Real Estate Listings

In: 
10/04/2015
17 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Photographers offering floor plans and room dimensions for real estate listings are becoming a hot trend. You may sometimes wonder whether there is anyone else who can offer these services, how they charge for it and whether they succeed with specific floor plan creation apps or software.  Floor Plans and Room Dimensions for Real Estate […]

How Do You Learn Composition For Interior Photography?

In: 
20/01/2015
19 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
A while ago Sandy raise an excellent question: Are there any books out there that would be beneficial to learning composition techniques for RE photography? I think I could use a little help with the basics. My initial answer was no, I know of no books that talk specifically about interior photographic composition, and recommended […]

Real Estate Photographers - Always Shoot RAW!

In: 
06/01/2015
52 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
the holidays, Willie asked: "Why shoot in RAW instead of jpeg?. This reminded me of the days years ago when I used to have heated discussions here on PFRE about whether or not you should shoot RAW. The video to the right by Jared Polin is a funny argument from that era. Nowadays there's no […]

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 […]

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 […]

How To Prepare Photos For The MLS and Why You Care

In: 
24/08/2011
6 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
Just yesterday I was accused of not having a anything on the blog or in my book about preparing photos for the MLS. This post will fix the blog part and I'll make sure I have similar material in my book in the update that is coming soon. There are a bunch of discussion threads […]

Perspective Distortion In Real Estate Photography

In: 
07/06/2011
23 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
A very real issue in real estate photography is perspective distortion. It comes up all the time because real estate photographers use wide angle lenses which are famous for two types of distortion: Barrel distortion: This is a lens defect prominent in ultra-wide zooms where straight lines near the edge of the image are curved. […]

Photomatix vs Enfuse: Two Ways To Do HDR

In: 
25/03/2008
31 Comments
By: Larry Lohrman
I did a shoot this weekend of a new listing I have and decided to use both my usual lighting technique (primarily on camera flash) and Enfuse and use what ever worked the best. It turned out not to be much contest; I like the Enfuse results best. Here are a sequence of photos that […]
End of Content
magnifiercrossmenucross-circle