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.
Lightroom Classic CC catalog functions as a database to track and manage your photos. You can store your Lightroom Classic catalog on an external hard drive if you have less space on your internal drive, use more than one laptop, or need access to the catalog while traveling.
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.
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.
In a previous article, I explained what it means to have a “Licensing Mindset” when it comes to shooting photos of residential and commercial spaces. As you adopt and develop this mindset, you can start to make money by licensing your images to product vendors. These are companies like tile companies, cabinet makers, faucet manufacturers, and so on.
To help get you jump started, we’ve prepared an easy step-by-step guide on how to put this into practice so you can add licensing into your workflow.
If you want to dive deeper into these steps (and much more) and learn how to proactively license your photos using the systems, techniques, and email templates that have helped me earn tens of thousands of dollars in additional revenue, then enroll in the Learn to License Your Photos course that’s available now at LicenseYourPhotos.com. PFRE readers can enjoy $100 off the course by using code: PFRE at checkout.
Step 1: Shoot Photos
Real estate, interior design, or architecture shoots all have potential.
Consider shooting more than your client needs for potential licensing opportunities.
Consider bringing a few extra props to help stage and style a space.
Look for wide, medium range, and tight compositions that show off the products within the space.
Shoot at a higher f-stop so more products in the frame are sharp.
Don’t forget to look for logos of product manufacturers while on site.
Shoot commissioned for a tile company (not the one shown in this photo). Shot other areas in the home for licensing potential. Brought in a soap bottle from my “props kit” to help stage the scene. Licensed to the tile company and faucet company.
Step 2: Edit Photos
Remove distractions.
Crop so the composition shows off the product(s) the best way possible—make the products the star of the image.
Shot for a builder. Licensed to the sink company by using the full crop and removing the Jacuzzi logo. Cropped in where outline is and licensed to the sauna company that distributes Jacuzzi.
Step 3: Identify Products & Vendors
Look for logos.
Use your client’s Instagram tags to help you.
Ask your clients.
Step 4: Contact Vendors
Find a contact at the company.
Send an email pitch to the contact that includes low-res samples.
Shot for an interior designer. Asked the designer on site who made the light fixture. Licensed to the lighting company.
Step 5: Negotiate Prices
Know how valuable your images are to the company.
Don’t trade for “credit” or “tags”.
Step 6: Deliver Files/Invoice & Get Paid
Send the vendor the images they requested.
Send the vendor an invoice.
Wait for your money to arrive.
Shoot commissioned for a tile company (not the one shown in this photo). Shot other areas in the home for licensing potential. Licensed to the bathtub company
Step 7: Celebrate Your Win
My go-to is a vegan donut, but you do you.
Step 8: Rinse & Repeat
Get back out there and do it all over again.
Look through your archives to see if you have any existing images you can try to license.
Shot for a design/build firm. Licensed to the cabinet company.
Adam Taylor is an interior and architecture photographer based in Oahu, Hawaii, previously working in Southern, California. Photo by Jordan Powers.
Based out of Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, Brandon runs Realpics, a successful volume based real estate photography business that photographs 750-1000 homes per year offering photography, videography, 3D tours, and measurement services.
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