Boost Social Media Photography with Top 5 Tips for Realtors

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in comparison to other sources, 46% of real estate companies claim that social media produces quality leads. Social media is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools to promote real estate agent branding and their business.   

Agents currently recognize the essence of using visuals on social media. They’re demanding high-quality and social-friendly photos to impress audiences.  Shooting social-friendly photos might be a challenge for photographers due to the constant changing in social trends. In this blog, we gather the top 5 best practices to leverage real estate social media photography suggested by Esoft's experts!  

1. Social Media Photography Application for Real Estate Agents  

Did you know that 90% of agents use Facebook and Instagram to promote their listings?  Social media has become an inevitable part of real estate marketing and branding. Here are 3 reasons why these platforms are critical to real estate agents.   

1.1 Better promote real estate listings 

Social media is where people share, engage, and connect with others. In terms of real estate agents, they can attract potential buyers, open a dialogue, and nurture customer relationships. That is why agents choose to promote properties on social media. It has become so effective for both buyers and sellers. To overcome other competitors on social media, real estate agents need attractive and creative visuals to stand out, such as virtual tours and virtual timelapse videos.   

1.2 Lead generation  

Unlike traditional channels, real estate agents use social media as unlimited opportunities to go viral. Only one piece of viral content attracts thousands of reach, impressions, and interactions, which can convert into potential buyers. However, to win the social media algorithm, real estate agents are required to invest in eye-catching visuals. Vertical walkthrough videos and creative teasers showing beautiful properties or virtual tours visualizing dream houses are creative ways to impress social media audiences.  

1.3 Leverage branding 

In most customer journeys, social media will be the touch point between agents and the audience. Everything agents show on social media will contribute to their branding image. Therefore, they demand high-quality social media photography (photos and videos) to showcase their properties. Agents might also want a professional introduction or promotional video to promote their branding.  

2. Top 05 Tips to Upgrade Social Media Photography  

2.1 Lighting is everything with real estate social 

A virtual dusk photo professionally post-productioned by Esoft 

The most basic and crucial part of any image is lighting. Using an appropriate lighting source will enable photographers to set up the mood for social photography or highlight the main content. Even if you have found the perfect angle to showcase the property, but the external light is too hard, the social media photo will be ruined with the silhouetted ground and weird shadow. In this case, bracketing photography might be a proper solution to balancing exposures in property photos.   

Natural lighting is always the most efficient option for a socially friendly image. However, since you cannot control the sun, the objective here is to choose the right time to get proper direction and softness. A dusk or dawn photo is a social media photography example in which photographers require lots of preparation to approach the timing. One familiar concept is the “golden hour”, the hours after the sun rises and before the sun sets. At this time, the light is soft and at a low angle.  

Suffering inefficient lighting, photographers might need an artificial source such as studio light. Since you can control light properties, you might need to set up ambient light in the most balanced position to create contrast or fill in unwanted shadows. Another option is using flash, but it is less preferred since it can wash out the photo details, especially indoor photography.   

Otherwise, it can be a game for virtual renovation, while photos go through editing methods to meet perfect lighting, for example, virtual dusk and virtual timelapse.  

2.2 A focused subject is perfect for every social photo 

Facebook revealed that audiences only spent 1.7 seconds on a video when watching on a computer and 2.5 seconds on mobile phones. Since real estate agents have only a few seconds to catch user engagement, they want a photo that highlights a specific object.   

In fact, we tend to use our phones in a vertical orientation almost universally, with a staggering 94% of vertical screen time for banking, chatting, calling, scrolling through our news feed, or even watching videos.  Horizontal photos seem not to be mobile-friendly and then not social-friendly either.  Vertical and square photos might be the perfect match for social media photography shooting.   

However, consider that formats lose part of the image along vertical edges. Particularly for real estate photography, position yourself as far back as you can and focus on the most representative part of the building with doors and windows.  

Another thing you can do to improve real estate social photography is always put the main objective in the middle of the vertical. For example, when you shoot a house, try to stand far enough to capture the whole house in the frame, and the house should be placed exactly in the middle.  

Photographers should take photos in a portrait frame for later cropping. Also, we recommend leaving enough space next to the main object so that when processing 16:9 cropping, the photo is in a good composition.  

2.3 Interesting and unusual angles are a good idea  

When shooting social photos, photographers might need to consider if the images might be resized or reformatted to be most optimized for social media platforms.   

Notably, selecting a focal point and showcasing it within the composition along with surroundings captures a stunning one-point perspective shot. You should ensure that the straight horizontal and vertical lines (in the frame) remain parallel. This technique creates a sense of depth and draws the viewer's attention toward the focal point.   

Additionally, Esoft recommends positioning the camera at a low angle to emphasize the subject's height and create a dramatic effect. Experimenting with different angles and perspectives can add interest and uniqueness to your social media photography.   

2.3 Storytelling with collages is needed  

Besides focusing on the frame, photographers might need to take multiple photos with different angles and distances to make sure to have the best output for social media. Try to tell a story by focusing on specific aspects of properties.  

In social media photography shooting, you have the power to tell a story through your images by creating collages. Collages allow you to combine multiple photos into one cohesive piece, conveying a narrative or theme.   

Experiment with different angles and lighting setups to find the best way to highlight the textures and layers of the properties, agents, and other objects. Additionally, consider the context and story behind the collage and how you can capture that in your images.  Getting closer and more personal with the objects captures the intricate details and nuances that make them unique. Collages are complex and dynamic, so it may take some time to truly capture their essence.   

With these tips, you can create stunning collages that tell a powerful story and captivate your audience. Additionally, you can leverage editing to a uniform shooting style if needed.   

For high-quality image retouching, there are a few things you should consider:  

• Consider the shadow and highlight to make social photos more realistic and vibrant  

• Apply filters if they contribute to the storytelling. Do not overuse overlays since they might damage the photo details and quality.  

• Double-check the quality after cropping and editing. Social media algorithms always prefer high-quality images.  

2.4 Say no with manual zoom  

A wide-angle photo

Zooming can be a common mistake when taking pictures with your smartphone. While it may be tempting to zoom in on your photos to get a closer look, this can diminish the social media photo quality and possibly cause your social media followers to swipe right past it.   

Alternatively, social media photographers should simply move closer to the subject with the rule of thirds in mind. It ensures that the subject is properly framed within the shot.   

Another option is to find a more creative background that enhances the photo without being closer. On the other hand, you can always use the crop tool after taking social media photos to adjust the framing and composition of the shot. It can help you create a more polished final product that showcases your subject in the best possible light.  

3. Final Thoughts on Social Media Photography  

More and more real estate agents are investing in social media photography since these platforms are potential tools to promote listings and their brands as well. Therefore, photographers might need to remember to keep the audience in mind, use proper lighting and composition, and edit photos carefully to achieve the best results.  

Check out our photo editing services to find the best visual content for your real estate social! 

Or book a consultation with our experts to explore more in-depth.