r/RealEstatePhotography

I just noticed my photos are being used without my permission. I took the photos last year for an agent, and apparently the home didn’t sell and it’s now being sold by owner and they are using my images (that the agent paid for.)

Homeowners were older people and were nice while I was there. This is a small population area where being a jerk about something can travel quickly so I am cautious how to proceed.

Is it worth it to contact them for payment or file a takedown? What would you do? Thanks.

I’ve been trying to break into real estate photography for a year and I’m honestly feeling stuck.
I’ve been running my photography business for about three years, but I’ve focused on real estate for the last year.
I’ve tried just about everything I can think of:
- Cold DMs and cold emails
- Visiting brokerages.
- Asking to present at sales meetings
- Attending open houses and networking with agents

I genuinely believe my work is solid, and I offer pretty much every service an agent would need (photos, video, drone, floor plans, etc.).

The problem is that the “no’s” far outweigh the “yes’s.”

Some agents seem genuinely interested, ask for my portfolio and pricing, then disappear. Others tell me they already have someone (which I completely understand), and the rest give me the classic, “We’ll keep you in mind.”
My pricing is competitive and in line with my local market, so I don’t think that’s the issue.

What’s really discouraging is that there are far more Realtors than photographers where I live, yet it still feels incredibly difficult to get a foothold. There are only a handful of media companies in the area, with two larger companies holding most of the market.

The thing is, I do already have two high-producing Realtors who work with me consistently, and they’ve both been really happy with my work. So I know I can deliver—I just don’t know how to get from having a couple of great clients to having a consistently busy schedule.

I’m starting to wonder if I’m missing something, or if this is just a business that takes years to break into.
For those of you who’ve built a successful real estate photography business, what finally made things click? Was there a strategy that worked better than networking and cold outreach, or is this simply a matter of sticking with it?

Any thoughts, ideas, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Have started throwing one on and it works great for floors and glare but does whacky stuff to windows and skies sometimes, even when rotated to lessen the effect.

Just wondering if its worth the hassle and just fix in post, which would be hard for glare but still

Fotello users... I have a client who really doesn't like that a tip option comes up when paying their invoice. I agree that it's tacky, but he REALLY hates it. I don't want to lose him as a client but I also don't want to change up a workflow that's working for me. Fotello support doesn't seem to be speaking my language and haven't been getting anywhere. Is my client just being a little anal? Is there some magic setting in Stripe or Fotello to remove the tip option? While I don't want to change systems again... I guess I'm open as long as there's a better system out there with more customization and similar price point.

Looking for some insight on how well open houses have been for those of you that use this method to meet and acquire potential new clients.

What is your approach to this and has it worked well for your business?

Personally, I have typically refrained from this approach because I didn’t want agents to feel let down, hoping I was a potential buyer, when in fact I was there to promote my business.

Many people have shared with me that agents actually don’t mind and it’s all about the approach.

How do you feel about this and what has worked well for you?

From this forum, there seems to be a school of thought that photography alone is not going to cut it with the growth of AI. Unfortunately, that was my plan to get into real estate photography (though I live in a major metro and market probably already saturated).

Here are some other things I am aware of:

Aerial drone (don't own one or know how to use it)

Video walkthrough (just walk through the house with camera on a gimbal and record? I don't own a gimbal and have never done video editing)

Floor Plan (how?)

Matterhorn (what is this)

3D walkthrough (how...?)

Full social/marketing (not really clear what this is...you make a video for the agent's insta page?)

Anything else I am missing? How do you even price these, learn these

I do a lot of commercial real estate and carry a mavic 3 pro drone, avata 2, a6400 with three lenses along with all the gubbins like controllers and batteries etc.

Can anyone recommend a large camera bag to carry everything so I don't have to keep bringing two or more bags of my gear with me. Currently I have two camera bags. One camera one drone but I'd like one to pack it all into to make life easier.

Thanks!

Has anyone else used 360 Home Photography?

I used their service at the end of last year, and unfortunately my experience was very disappointing.

The photos were poor quality, and they ignored specific instructions that not to shoot our kitchen and the request was clearly written on the receipt. Even so, they provided the poor quality of pictures especially kitchen pictures. I still paid the full amount and simply asked them to either fix the photos, retake or provide a full refund. I also told them we would stop using their photos if they refunded us.

Instead of trying to resolve the issue, they refused every proposed solution. They claimed they were photographers, not cleaners, and shifted all responsibility onto us.

We operate an shared Airbnb where guests come and go every day. It's unrealistic to expect every countertop or floor to be completely clear at every moment. A guest may temporarily leave a bag on the floor or a pot on the counter. In my opinion, a professional photographer should avoid these distractions by choosing different angles or asking for a quick adjustment before taking the photo. Instead, they intentionally photographed these unnecessary items.

During our communication, the owner even told us that because we only paid $150, we should not expect high-quality photos, and that they simply photographed the property "as it was." If I only wanted photos of the property exactly as it happened to look at that moment, I could have taken them myself.

After we posted an honest Google review describing our experience, the situation became much worse.

The owner publicly accused us of "extortion" simply because we requested a refund. She also searched through my review history and publicly suggested that my other negative reviews of unrelated businesses were also "extortion." These accusations are completely false and unsupported. I have never contacted any of the other businesses I reviewed, whether my reviews were positive or negative.

In my view, instead of resolving a customer complaint, the company chose to attack the customer personally.

The owner also reported the matter to the police based on allegations that I dispute. I believe the police report was then used to support repeated requests to Google to remove my review by them.

If you search for 360 Home Photography on Yelp, you'll also find numerous one-star reviews. The business now publicly claims it has closed on Yelp, while continuing to actively manage its Google profile. Shortly after my review was posted, a large number of positive Google reviews appeared in a relatively short period, which I personally found unusual.

From my experience, I felt discouraged from leaving honest feedback. It seemed that if you leave anything other than a five-star review, you risk being publicly accused of misconduct instead of having your concerns addressed.

Requesting a refund for unsatisfactory service is a basic consumer right. Customers ask for refunds from retailers every day when products or services fail to meet expectations. Calling a refund request "extortion" is simply false. By that logic, every dissatisfied customer would be guilty of extortion, which is obviously not the case.

In all my years dealing with different businesses, I have never experienced this level of retaliation against a dissatisfied customer. A professional business should focus on resolving customer concerns, not attacking the customer.

If you're considering hiring 360 Home Photography, I encourage you to read reviews across multiple platforms before making your decision. If you've had a similar experience, consider sharing it honestly so other consumers can make informed decisions.

Hi all. I'm almost ready to fully launch my business however I came across the realization that, I don't actually know how booking with a realtor works. Obviously they'd book on my page, select a date but from there I don't really know what happens so, figured I'd ask you guys. Currently I can only handle one shoot per day so keep that restraint in mind.

They'd book a day, would they perhaps book a specific time..? What time do you guys prefer to shoot at, like 12pm when the sun is mostly directly overhead?

Once they book what happens after? I get a notification I'd imagine but then do I reach out? How would I even do that? Do I need the agent at the home while I'm shooting? Do they just give me the access code? (I'd hope not)

Should I have a "prep list" for staging for the realtor to give to the home owner?

Do you guys have them sign a contract stating terms of use, privacy policy and property rights of the images and whatnot? Would it be the realtor, home owner or both that sign it?

What else am I missing/what do you guys do?

Sorry for sounding so ignorant but any help in this domain would be greatly appreciated.

I have a Class D zone for a Space Force base in the middle of my area with tons of beach houses in it's restricted space. Last year I could regularly get authorizations from 2 to 4 weeks out. This year, I am getting completely ghosted by the FAA even scheduling 5 weeks out. The date comes and my authorization request hasn't even been reviewed.

Am I missing something, or was I just lucky before this year? Is anyone else having issues near military installations? I'm losing tons of drone jobs this year.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been experimenting with a faster workflow for turning simple drone footage into short real-estate listing videos. The use case I’m thinking about is not huge luxury productions, but more common property videos where an agent or real-estate photographer has a few aerial clips and wants to turn them into a clean 45 to 90 second video without spending a long time editing.

The workflow I’ve been testing is:

1. Import the drone clips
2. Choose a soundtrack that fits the property style
3. Mark sections that should definitely be included
4. Mark sections that should definitely be excluded
5. Build the final video around the selected highlights and the music timing

For real-estate videos specifically, I’ve found that the music matters a lot. Epic cinematic drone music can feel too intense for a listing, while calmer royalty-free tracks with soft piano, light strings, or a subtle beat tend to feel more appropriate for property showcase videos. I’m curious how others here approach this type of work.

For shorter drone listing videos, do you usually edit everything manually, use templates, outsource the edit, or rely on a repeatable workflow that keeps the process fast? Also, when you’re editing aerial footage for real estate, what matters most to you: speed, music pacing, smooth transitions, color consistency, keeping the property accurate, or having full manual control?

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share how they approach this.

I’m curious how people here are thinking about AI-assisted motion work as part of a real estate media package.

Not talking about replacing real photography/video, and definitely not talking about inventing fake rooms or misleading buyers. More thinking about edge cases like:

• Pre-construction projects where only renderings exist
• Builder/developer marketing before a model unit is ready
• Turning approved still visuals into short motion assets for ads
• Making social clips from existing real estate media
• Helping clients understand flow when a full video shoot is not practical

The part I’m struggling with is where the ethical/professional line should be. If the AI changes dimensions, finishes, views, lighting, or staging, it can become misleading very quickly. But if it’s clearly labeled and based on accurate source material, it seems like it could become another post-production/media option.

For those of you shooting or editing real estate media professionally, would you consider AI-assisted walkthrough clips a useful add-on, or does it create too much risk around accuracy and client expectations?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working in the GTA for a little over a year now, so I’m still getting a feel for the market’s seasonal rhythms.

I’ve noticed a significant drop-off in activity starting around mid-June, and my bookings for July are looking very slow so far. Some people have told me that July is typically the slowest month of the summer, but I wanted to check if this sharp shift is normal, or if it's uniquely slow this year.

For those of you established in the GTA, what are you seeing on your end right now? Is this standard seasonal behavior for this time of the year?

Would appreciate any insights. Thanks!

I’m at a pretty major career crossroads and would love some advice from people with experience in real estate, photography, or career decisions.
I’m 24 years old. Right now I have a full-time day job that gives me the flexibility to run my real estate media business on the side. Combined, I’m on track to make around $80,000-$90,000 this year.

My photography business has been growing every year, and this has honestly been my best year yet.
Recently, I was offered a full-time Marketing Director position with a large real estate brokerage. The salary starts at $100,000, plus benefits, PTO, and a 401(k). The downside is I’d have to give up my real estate photography business because of a non-compete. I’d still be able to shoot weddings, events, portraits, etc., but I couldn’t continue photographing homes for other real estate clients.

One thing that’s been weighing on me is the future of real estate photography.
Where do you honestly see this industry in the next 5–10 years? AI editing is advancing rapidly, virtual staging is becoming more common, cameras keep getting better, and more agents seem to be creating their own content. Do you think independent real estate photographers will continue to thrive, or do you see demand declining as technology improves?
Part of me wonders if I should take advantage of the opportunity while my business is doing well and use that momentum to step into a stable six-figure career, rather than waiting to see what the industry looks like several years from now.
If you were in my position:
Would you stay the course and keep growing the business?

Or would you take the $100k marketing position?
And how concerned are you about AI changing the future of real estate photography?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have been in the industry or have faced a similar decision.

Anyone have a good tool or process for culling photos before editing? Takes a long time at the end of the day, but don’t want to burden editors with duplicate and/or crap photos.