Real Estate Online Portfolio Website

Real Estate Online Portfolio Website

Looking to create a portfolio to showcase your amazing real estate photography? We’ve created the ultimate guide for real estate photographers.

How to Build a Real Estate Photography Portfolio

Real estate photography can be a great side hustle, or a main gig, especially if you enjoy shooting homes and interiors. In the busy real estate market, there is a constant need for high-quality images and this type of photography can be a steady, well-paying gig.

To distinguish yourself from the crowd, and grab the attention of realtors, you will need to build an online portfolio website that is well-organized, industry-specific, and highlights your best work. Maybe you’re a landscape photographer or an architect who also enjoys taking real estate images, with a preference for shooting spaces, rather than a person or subject. Or perhaps you are a new photographer with a strong interior design sensibility and are looking for a side gig.

Regardless of your background, it can be challenging to know the best practices for your portfolio website to appeal to the real estate market. Let’s dive into our comprehensive guide to building one that will wow clients and make your photography stand out.

Principles for Real Estate Photography Portfolio Websites

The goal of real estate photography is to help realtors sell or rent out property, an important piece of marketing that can catch a potential buyer’s eye. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a few important principles for your website to help you thrive:

Demonstrate that you are adaptable and well-rounded

A strong real estate photographer will be able to show they can adapt to their surroundings and still take great photos. Working on-call for realtors, you never know if you’ll be shooting a house, an apartment, or a studio, as well as different exteriors like a yard or a garden. Real estate agents want to know that you are skilled at shooting a variety of different settings and are well-rounded enough to make even a small room look great.

Your website should demonstrate that you have range, and are able to adapt to whatever scenario you are placed in, camera in hand. It should showcase a variety of images, rather than similar shots that don’t tell a visitor much about your ability to adapt to different spaces.

Highlight only your best work

With so many photographers out there, and the busy schedule of real estate, you don’t want to waste anyone’s time by having a website full of just okay shots. Instead, be selective when it comes to deciding what to include, and choose the best, even if that means having fewer images to show.

It can be a challenge to filter through your own work, so ask a friend or a fellow photographer to help you identify which ones are the strongest. Keep in mind you should be updating your website regularly so it stays current, and your best work will likely change as you progress as a photographer.

Keep your site updated and fresh

Your website should highlight your growth as a photographer, and give realtors a strong sense of your development as a photographer. Make sure you update it regularly with your latest and greatest shots to show you are out there hustling for new gigs and new challenges. This will also keep it from getting stale or bland, and leave a strong impression on a potential client when they open your site.

Strengthen Your Brand

How to Make Your Real Estate Portfolio Look Professional

When it comes to standing out from the crowd, professionalism is paramount. Ensure your estate photos impress clients with these steps:

Highlight only real estate images on your website

Make your portfolio specific to just real estate photography, as it shows you are serious about this path and not just in it for fun. A website full of a lot of different photography types, where portrait shots sit next to interior photos, for example, can come across as confusing and unpolished.

At around $150-$200 CAD a year, the fee for a dedicated site is a small price to pay if it will impress clients and help you land jobs.

Showcase a variety of different interiors and exteriors

Your website should have photos of a range of interiors and exteriors, from apartments to houses to backyards to gardens. This demonstrates to visitors that you have experience shooting different settings and you won’t be phased by different types of real estate.

Make sure you include upper-end homes as well, as this indicates to realtors that you have experience with the upper-end of the market and can shoot them properly.

If you’re new to the real estate photo game and don’t have a ton of different photos yet, never fear. We’ve compiled a list of photo shoots to help you build up your professional website.

Include large, well-edited images

Big images have a big impact, and can encourage visitors to your site to click through your shots for more. Size your photos properly in Adobe Photoshop so they are web quality and appear correctly when enlarged. Your shots should also be edited well in the post-production phase on a photo shoot so they do not look blurry, low-lit, or out of focus on your website.

Use the slideshow feature

The slideshow feature is pretty common on most website templates and can be a great marketing tool for commercial photographers looking to grab a visitor’s eye. Set the slideshow feature so it appears at the top of your website and plays automatically. This will save visitors an extra step of hitting play and make it easy for them to get drawn into the slideshow as soon as it appears on the screen.

Upload a stunning video as a background

Video is another great way to showcase the work you’ve done. Choose some of your best works and create a video slideshow and add some great transitions, and then upload it directly to your online portfolio website as a background. These visually stunning backgrounds will be sure to capture your visitors attention.

Include a Contact and About Me page

When it comes to organizing your site, be sure to include a Contact page with your professional email or a contact form visitors can fill out to reach you. This will make it quick and easy for potential clients to get in touch. Some realtors may prefer to call you directly, so you can include your cellphone number as well.

Your website should also have an About Me page that provides a brief artist bio about your real estate photography career, and your approach to photography overall. Make sure you also include a photo of yourself, self-portrait or professionally shot by someone else, as this can put a human face on your bio and encourage clients to get in touch.

Confirm your website is mobile-friendly

Often, clients are viewing your site on the go on their smartphone, between showings or meetings. Make sure your website looks great on mobile, with no wonky formatting or broken links, so it comes across as polished and professional to visitors. Many website builders will have a mobile feature where you can view the site as it would appear on a smartphone and confirm it looks great.

Photoshoots You Should Take to Build a Professional Real Estate Photography Portfolio

Looking to broaden your real estate photography to round out your portfolio and take it to the next level? Try these photoshoots to help build your website:

Practice shooting your home

Start easy, and free, by setting up a photo shoot at home with the space you already have. Ensure you have the necessary gear for good real estate images, including a wide angle lens, a tripod, and lighting equipment. Shoot each room for variety, trying optimal angles using the wide angle lens to get some strong shots.

Take shots of a small space

Challenge yourself to make the small space look inviting and welcoming, rather than claustrophobic or cluttered. Consider how you can frame a small space so it looks appealing to a potential buyer. Most realtors will be thrilled to see quality images of small spaces on your portfolio website and be impressed by this skill.

Do a golden hour outdoor photo shoot

Golden hour, or the hour before sunset, is considered a great time to snap some photos, especially if you’re trying to highlight an outdoor setting. Plan to shoot the exterior of a home or building during golden hour to capture some seriously stunning shots for your website that will wow potential clients.

Online Real Estate Photography Portfolio FAQs:

As a photographer, you need to build a website that appeals to realtors, with pictures of interiors, exteriors, and as well as property like apartments, houses, and studios.  To prepare, consider what an agent might be looking for as well as how you can appeal to the realty industry.  Review portfolios by other real estate photographers to help you create your own. Present your work in a professional way with a polished website template to ensure you are making a good impression on potential clients and visitors to your site.

Strong portfolios have high quality property images that include a variety of different spaces. They must also consider what a realtor might be looking for, with well-edited photographs and a brief artist bio that demonstrates your skill in writing. Photographers shall also provide contact information and add to their portfolio regularly so it stays current.

To make great photos for real estate, use photography gear like a wide angle lens and a digital camera, and bring a tripod to shoots to get a clean, focused photo. Photographers should also practice shooting different homes to create the best image possible and become a better photographer, taking top quality photos of actual property for clients.

Getting more customers as a photographer requires focus and persistence. Go to a property near you and make connections with the realtor. Offer your services as a photographer to agents in your area, with digital examples of your photography to show through your website. Work client by client to become more familiar with the industry  and obtain more contacts. Over time, you will become a familiar name in the industry and find other photographers you can learn from, as well as gain more clients.

create my real estate portfolio

Time to create your real estate photography portfolio!

Real estate can be a lucrative and steady career for photographers. A professional portfolio is an important step to getting your business off the ground and connecting with clients.

Whether you’re shooting indoors or outdoors for your real estate property, a website builder can help you create a professional online portfolio website in no time. Format allows users to build and customize their site in just one day. It’s easy to use and you can quickly edit your site on-the-go with the iOS app and add special features like a photo proofing corner, a blog, and an online store.

Sign up for Format now and enjoy the first 14 days for free. Afterward, you can continue using Format for just $10 a month!

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