Capturing high-quality commercial real estate photos is crucial in today’s competitive market. Real estate buyers and investors often form their first impressions online, and the photos of the property are what make—or break—that impression. To help you stand out and effectively capture the essence of a property, it’s important to avoid some common mistakes that photographers, even seasoned professionals, tend to make. Let’s dive into these missteps and how to avoid them.
1. Overlooking Preparation
One of the most common mistakes photographers make is arriving on-site without being adequately prepared. For commercial properties, showing up without understanding the layout or without a detailed shot list can waste valuable time.
Tips to Avoid:
- Scout the Location: Arrive early or even visit the site a day before to plan your shots.
- Prepare a Checklist: A checklist of shots ensures you cover all essential angles, details, and features.
Preparation helps eliminate guesswork, making the actual shoot more efficient and ensuring no important areas are missed.
2. Ignoring Lighting Conditions
Lighting is everything in photography, and real estate is no different. Shooting a property when the light is too harsh (midday sun) or too dim can cause images to look unappealing. Shadows, highlights, and dull colors can detract from the property’s best features.
Tips to Avoid:
- Golden Hour Shooting: Aim to shoot during the “golden hour,” either shortly after sunrise or before sunset, when the light is soft and warm.
- Use Artificial Lighting: Bring additional lighting for dark interior areas to ensure everything is well-illuminated and inviting.
Mastering light is key to capturing a commercial property’s character, making it look more attractive to potential buyers.
3. Poor Framing and Composition
Another frequent mistake is poor framing, which can include slanted lines, cutting off important parts of the property, or having an unbalanced composition. These issues can confuse viewers and make the property appear smaller or poorly maintained.
Tips to Avoid:
- Level Your Shots: Use a tripod to avoid awkward angles and to keep lines straight, especially for exterior shots.
- Highlight Key Features: Always focus on showcasing the property’s unique selling points—like spacious conference rooms, impressive lobbies, or exterior architectural details.
Good composition highlights the property in its best light, emphasizing key areas and creating an immersive viewing experience for potential clients.
4. Ignoring Clutter and Mess
Commercial properties are usually more organized than residential ones, but clutter can still be a problem. Failing to clear out unnecessary items or not staging areas properly can make the space look unprofessional or smaller than it is.
Tips to Avoid:
- Clear the Clutter: Remove trash cans, office supplies, or any other distracting items before shooting.
- Stage Key Areas: Arrange furniture and décor to make the space more inviting. Even commercial properties can benefit from thoughtful staging.
Remember, clean, well-organized spaces help the viewer imagine themselves in the property, enhancing its appeal.
5. Neglecting Drone Shots for Exterior Features
Using drones has become an industry standard for commercial real estate photography, but not making use of a commercial drone company for aerial shots is a missed opportunity. Aerial views can provide buyers with a sense of scale, location, and context for the property.
Tips to Avoid:
- Incorporate Drone Photography: Aerial images provide unique angles that traditional shots cannot. They can show off surrounding amenities, parking facilities, or impressive building features.
- Hire Professionals When Needed: If you don’t have the expertise or certification to fly drones, consider hiring a commercial drone company to handle these shots for you.
Aerial images provide an edge over competitors, giving buyers a full view of the property’s potential and surroundings.
6. Over-Editing the Photos
Editing can help elevate your real estate photos, but overdoing it with heavy filters or unrealistic colors can make the property look deceptive. Buyers want to see what they’ll get, and if the photos exaggerate reality, it can lead to dissatisfaction later.
Tips to Avoid:
- Keep It Natural: Adjust lighting and colors for clarity but avoid making the photos look artificially vibrant.
- Focus on Accuracy: Edits should enhance what is already there, not create something that doesn’t exist. Accurate, well-edited photos build trust with buyers and brokers.
7. Forgetting About the Details
Commercial real estate photography isn’t just about capturing wide-angle shots. Neglecting detail shots of unique features like architectural detailing, conference room features, or lobby decor can leave your photo collection feeling incomplete.
Tips to Avoid:
- Capture Details: Zoom in on key elements that make the property stand out—these could include modern security systems, upgraded conference rooms, or even interesting wall textures.
- Add Variety: A mix of wide-angle shots, medium shots, and detailed close-ups makes your property portfolio more comprehensive and engaging.
8. Underestimating Post-Processing Needs
Finally, not dedicating enough time to post-processing is a common error. Real estate photos often need corrections in white balance, brightness, or perspective, and skipping these edits can reduce the quality of the final product.
Tips to Avoid:
- Use Photo Editing Software: Programs like Lightroom or Photoshop can help refine images for the best possible presentation.
- Correct for Distortion: Particularly with wide-angle shots, it’s essential to fix any lens distortion to ensure straight lines remain straight and realistic.
Conclusion
Shooting commercial real estate photos is more than just pointing a camera and taking a shot. It’s about understanding how to present a property in the best possible way. By avoiding these common mistakes—poor preparation, neglecting lighting, improper framing, ignoring clutter, skipping drone shots, over-editing, forgetting details, and rushing through post-processing—you can elevate your photography to a professional level.
Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or new to commercial real estate, mastering these skills will help you deliver photos that attract buyers and investors. Remember, a well-captured property makes all the difference, and learning how to sidestep these pitfalls is key to becoming a trusted name in commercial real estate photography.
