Many realtors shoot their own listing photographs with their smartphone cameras.
Although most newer smartphones can create some absolutely amazing photographs, with only a few exceptions, phone cameras do not offer enough of a wide angle lens to photograph a residential interior. As a result, most photographs on the MLS focus on objects or furniture, such as a sofa, a fireplace, a table, and in many cases, the corner of a room. Additionally, low light (interiors) conditions are challenging for any camera, most especially a smartphone camera which has a tiny sensor.
Buyers are buying a home – not furniture! Yet, as you can see over and over again on the MLS, this is often what the buyer is offered in terms of photographs of the home. That is because cell phone cameras cannot capture the entire space due to the limitations of the lens.
A wide angle lens needs be somewhere between 16mm and 24mm, preferably with a zoom so you can keep it around 24mm most of the time and go wider for small bathrooms or small bedrooms. This is a must in order to show interiors properly. We use a Canon 16-35mm on a full frame Canon 5D Mark IV and Sony A7SIII.
Check out some samples of our work – we’re sure you’ll see the difference!
