Real Estate Camera
A real estate photo shot list should cover the front exterior, every main living space from two angles, each bedroom and bathroom from its best corner, the backyard, and a few details that help sell the property. For a typical three-bedroom home, that's roughly 25 to 35 photos. Upload them in the order a buyer would walk through the property.
This is the room-by-room list I use, followed by the MLS gallery order and the preparation checklist I send to vendors two days before the shoot.
How many photos to take
Start here, then tailor it to the property:
- Main rooms (living room, family room, kitchen, main bedroom): 2 each, from opposite corners.
- Secondary rooms (other bedrooms, dining room, office): 1 each.
- Full bathrooms: 1 each, 2 for the main bathroom if it has been updated.
- Exteriors: 2 to 4 of the front, 2 or 3 of the back.
- Details and features: 3 to 5.
Shoot more photos than you'll upload. It costs nothing on the day and saves a return trip. Then be ruthless. Four almost identical shots of one bedroom make buyers scroll past the best ones.
Each MLS board sets its own photo limit. Look yours up once and keep it in your notes.
The shot list, room by room
Front exterior
- Straight-on front view, with the whole house in frame, taken from across the street or the end of the driveway.
- Front view from a 45-degree angle, showing one side of the house and a sense of depth.
- The opposite 45-degree angle if the house looks good from both sides.
- A closer shot of the entrance or porch if the front door, porch or landscaping is worth featuring.
Move cars off the driveway and keep the kerb in front of the house clear. Put the rubbish bins out of sight. Photograph the house when the sun lights the front, not when it is behind the house.
Entry
- Start just inside the front door and look into the house. Show buyers what they'll see when they walk in.
- A detail shot of the staircase or foyer, but only if the architecture is interesting.
Living room and family room
- A wide shot from the corner opposite the main feature (fireplace, large window, built-in joinery).
- A wide shot from the opposite corner, showing how the room connects to the kitchen or dining area.
In an open-plan layout, buyers look for one shot that shows how the spaces connect: living room in the foreground, kitchen behind.
Kitchen
- A wide shot from the corner that shows the most cabinetry and the island together.
- A wide shot from the opposite side, often taken from behind the island looking towards the family room.
- One detail shot: the cooktop and rangehood, a splashback or a farmhouse sink. Include only the distinctive features.
Leave the benchtops almost clear. A bowl of lemons or a chopping board is enough.
Dining room
- One wide shot, with the table centred and the chairs tucked in evenly. Turn the chandelier on.
Main bedroom
- A wide shot from the corner by the doorway, with the bed as the focal point.
- A second angle towards the windows or a sitting area, if the room has one.
- Walk-in robe, but only if it's spacious or fully fitted out.
Make the bed neatly. Clear the bedside tables except for a lamp.
Main bathroom
- A wide shot that captures the vanity and shower or bath together, often from the doorway.
- A second shot of a freestanding bath or a walk-in shower if it's a feature.
Put the toilet lid down. Take all bottles off the vanity and out of the shower. Check the mirror for your reflection and take the photo from an angle.
Other bedrooms
- One wide shot of each, from the corner that shows the window and the most floor space.
Other bathrooms
- One shot of each. Include the guest toilet only if it's been renovated or has an attractive vanity.
Office, bonus room, basement
- One wide shot of each finished space. Skip unfinished basements unless your target buyers care about storage or potential.
Backyard and outdoor areas
- A wide shot from the rear corner of the block, looking towards the house.
- A wide shot from the back door, looking out over the yard.
- Patio, deck, pool or outdoor kitchen: one shot of each.
- A view shot if there's a view worth showing.
Extras worth one photo
- Laundry, but only if it's a proper room, not a cupboard.
- Mudroom or pantry, if renovated.
- Garage if it's oversized, finished, or likely to appeal to your target buyers (workshop, EV charger).
- Shared facilities for apartment buildings: pool, gym, lobby.
Photo order for the MLS gallery
Your first MLS photo is usually the search thumbnail, so it determines whether anyone clicks on it. Sequence the rest as a walkthrough of the home.
- The best front exterior.
- Entry hall.
- Living room, then family room.
- Kitchen, with all angles grouped together.
- Dining area.
- Main bedroom, then main bathroom, then the robe if you shot it.
- Remaining bedrooms, then other bathrooms.
- Office, bonus room, basement.
- Backyard, patio, pool.
- Extras and amenities.
Two exceptions. If the exterior gives you little to work with, such as a unit corridor or a house hidden behind trees, lead with the strongest interior and place the exterior second. And if there's one feature buyers will pay more for, such as a water view or a new kitchen, put it second rather than leaving it in the middle of the sequence.
Keep each room's photos together. Moving from the kitchen to a bedroom and back again makes it harder for buyers to follow the floorplan.
Seller prep checklist
Send this two days before the shoot. Sellers get much more out of a checklist than from a vague 'tidy up a bit'.
Whole house
- Replace any dead light bulbs, and use the same colour light bulbs in each room if you can.
- Open all blinds and curtains.
- Turn off ceiling fans and TVs.
- Put away family photos, mail, pet bowls and pet beds.
- Clear the floor of shoes, bags, toys and cords.
Kitchen
- Clear the benchtops, leaving one or two decorative pieces.
- Remove everything from the fridge door, including magnets.
- Hide the washing-up liquid and sponges. Put the bin in the garage for the day.
Bathrooms
- Clear the vanity and shower completely.
- Hang one matching set of folded towels.
- Toilet lid down, bath mat removed.
Bedrooms
- Beds made, pillows plumped.
- Leave only a lamp on each bedside table.
- Close the wardrobe doors.
Outside
- Move the cars out of the driveway and the bins out of sight.
- Mow the lawn the day before.
- Coil the hoses. Remove the kids' toys from the lawn.
- Uncover the patio furniture and set it out.
Empty rooms and too much furniture
Vacant homes can look like bare boxes in photos, making it difficult for buyers to gauge their size. Real Estate Camera's virtual staging fixes that without renting a truckload of furniture. It costs 2 credits per room, with eight styles to choose from. Every staged file is labelled "virtually staged", which handles the labelling requirements for disclosure.
MLS boards differ in their labelling requirements, including whether you must post the empty photo alongside the staged version. Read virtual staging MLS rules before you upload. To compare pricing across services, see what virtual staging costs and the best virtual staging apps.
Then there's the room crammed with the seller's furniture. Removing furniture from photos explains when that's appropriate and how to do it.
After the shoot
Cull first. Delete blinks, duplicate shots and anything with a leaning wall you can't correct. Edit the keepers as a batch so the colour is consistent from room to room. A warm kitchen alongside a blue living room looks like two different homes.
If you're shooting on a phone, taking real estate photos with an iPhone covers the settings and angles to use. Our guide to fixing vertical lines covers the correction most often needed in phone photos. For rooms that came out too dark, see fixing dark real estate photos.
Real Estate Camera's Enhance costs 1 credit per photo, so a 30-photo gallery uses 30 credits. The 60-credit pack at $24.99 covers this, with enough credits left to stage two empty rooms. Unused credits don't expire.
To shoot and edit your listing in one app, see the real estate photography app.
Work through your shot list, then edit each room as you go. Start free: 1 credit.
Questions
How many photos should a real estate listing have?
Start with two photos of each main room and one of each secondary room, plus a few exteriors. For a typical three-bedroom home, that's roughly 25 to 35 photos. Check your MLS, since each board sets its own maximum.
What should the first listing photo be?
Usually the front exterior, shot straight on or from a slight angle with the whole house in frame. Use a more striking interior shot only when the front offers little to work with, such as an apartment entrance or a block hidden by trees.
What order should the listing photos be in?
Follow the route a buyer would walk: front exterior, entry, living areas, kitchen, dining, main bedroom suite, other bedrooms, bathrooms, then the backyard and extras. This photo order on the MLS helps buyers picture the floorplan as they scroll through the listing.
Should I photograph every bathroom and robe?
Take one photo of every full bathroom, plus the powder room if it has been updated. Skip ordinary robes, laundry nooks and utility rooms unless they're a selling point, such as a walk-in robe or a renovated entry hall.
Can I use Virtual staging in the listing photos?
Usually, as long as the photo is clearly labelled and you also show the empty room or disclose the staging. Rules vary by MLS, so check the rules for your MLS first.
