Property photography checklist

Professional looking property photography with a mobile phone is much easier than you think.

• Shoot in Landscape
  Hold your phone horizontally. Property portals, brochures and websites are designed for landscape images, and they show rooms much more naturally.
• Let the Light In
  Open curtains and blinds, switch on all interior lights, and photograph during daylight whenever possible. Bright, evenly lit rooms always appear larger and more inviting.
• Declutter Before You Start
  Remove washing-up, bins, pet bowls, chargers, coats and unnecessary personal items. Less clutter allows buyers to focus on the space rather than the belongings.
• Clean the Camera Lens
  This is probably the easiest improvement you’ll ever make. A quick wipe with a clean microfibre cloth removes fingerprints that make photos look soft and hazy.
• Stand in the Corners
  Photographing from the corner of a room captures more of the space and gives a better sense of layout than standing in the middle.
• Keep the Phone Level
  Avoid tilting the phone up or down. Vertical walls should remain vertical. Crooked lines make rooms feel distorted and amateurish.
• Shoot at Chest Height
  Around 1.2–1.5 metres from the floor usually gives the most natural perspective for interior photography. Too high or too low can make rooms feel odd.
• Don’t Overuse Wide Angle
  Ultra-wide lenses can make rooms look unrealistically large and introduce distortion. Use the standard camera where possible, only switching to wide angle when absolutely necessary.
• Take More Photos Than You Need
  Photograph every room from several angles. It’s much easier to choose the best image afterwards than wish you’d taken another shot once you’ve left.
• Think Like a Buyer
  Before pressing the shutter, ask yourself:“If I were buying this home online, what would I want to see?” Show the best features, the flow between rooms, gardens, views, fireplaces, kitchens and anything that makes the property stand out.

Bonus Tip

• Use HDR (High Dynamic Range) if your phone supports it.
  HDR helps balance bright windows with darker interiors, preventing blown-out windows or shadowy rooms. Most modern smartphones enable this automatically, but it’s worth checking your camera settings.