The real estate market is always changing, and with each passing year, new trends emerge that help agents and sellers maximize their property’s appeal. As technology advances, so too do the trends in real estate photography. 

In this post, we’ll cover 8 of the latest and hottest real estate photography trends in 2024 to help you figure out where you should focus your time and effort so that you can grow your business at rocket speed.

Alright, let’s dive in!

8 Hot Real Estate Photography Trends in 2024

With digital photography and editing tools, the visual representation of a property is a constantly evolving element of the industry.

Buyers expect a certain quality of photos when they search for homes, so you need to make sure your photography measures up.

In 2024, these are the hot real estate photography trends you can expect to see.

1. Digital Real Estate Marketing Tools

In 2021, 97% of home buyers used the Internet to search for homes and expected to see quality photos and videos.

It is, therefore, more important than ever to not only deliver great listing images but also expand your services to make marketing even easier for your real estate clients.

Realtors and agents are relying more and more on digital tools for their marketing, and you can help them and, at the same time, grow your photography business by adapting the new trends listed in the blog post.

For example, you can offer your clients beautiful single property websites, virtual house tours, real estate walk through videos, or virtual staging to help them sell a listing faster. More about this later…

Remember to also be active on social media or use email marketing to boost engagement and stay up-to-date with the digital trends that will continue in 2024. If anything, this will help you get more leads and grow your real estate photography business faster.

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2. Drone Photography 

Drone photography is becoming increasingly popular in real estate photography, as it provides an aerial view of the property.

Photographers no longer need the kind of budget that would allow you to rent a helicopter to get aerial shots of a property. 

Nowadays, sophisticated drones can be equipped with hi-def cameras and sent over a property to gather both beautiful videos and stills of the property from above.

Drone photography is great for showing off a property’s unique features, such as its landscaping and architecture. 

Furthermore, drone photography can capture unique angles and perspectives, making it ideal for showcasing large properties, which will be a must for real estate marketing in 2024.

3. 360-Degree Photography or Virtual Tours

Chances are that buying a home is probably the biggest purchase most people will make in their lives. Sometimes, looking at photos online isn’t enough, and prospective buyers want to get a feel of the space.

360-degree photography or virtual tours are a great way for buyers to get a better sense of a property’s layout and features. Recent studies show that the virtual tour market is expected to reach $6.5 billion during the forecast period at a 31% CAGR. 

This type of photography will become increasingly popular in 2024. What makes it so great is that it allows buyers to virtually “walk” through a property without ever having to step foot in it.

Virtual house tours help give buyers an accurate understanding of the layout, as well as the size of the rooms, and can even lead to properties being bought site unseen. 

Photographers who can capture 3D images and video are going to be in demand as buyers get used to this new reality.

4. The Mobile-First World Remains

Statistics show that the first point of contact for most consumers is via a mobile device.

In most cases, that’s their primary device for accessing the internet. This means that their first impression of your property will most likely be on a mobile screen. 

That being the case, photographers need to shoot, edit, and deliver content with that fact in mind. It’s also vital that any images you deliver are optimized for mobile devices.

That means making sure your images load quickly on mobile devices. And that they can adjust to fit all different screen sizes and operating systems.

In other words, you need to strike the perfect balance where images can load and display quickly without sacrificing quality.

But the biggest danger with mobile is that it’s so easy for consumers to get distracted and quickly move on to the next listing, photo, or app. 

So, if your images aren’t eye-catching, chances are you’re losing the interest of a potential buyer without even knowing it.

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5. Virtual Staging

Staging a room with just the right furniture and lighting for viewing is one of the most time-consuming and expensive parts of a Realtor’s job. 

Virtual staging is one of the hottest trends in real estate even in 2024 (partly as a result of the pandemic), as it offers agents and sellers the chance to furnish and showcase a vacant or outdated room online.

Best of all, they can skip all the hassle and save money on expensive furniture and decor.

Smart photographers are using virtual staging companies where real interior designers transform shots of empty rooms into glamorous, stylish living spaces that pique the interest of buyers. 

Besides, the service is quick and affordable.

It’s a no-brainer for realtors operating in a digital-first environment who need to make their properties stand out from the crowd.

6. HDR Photography (High Dynamic Range) 

Next, HDR photography is a great way to show off a property’s features and make it look more appealing. This technique is achieved by combining several photographs (most often 3) at different exposure settings. 

This produces an image that looks more vibrant, with greater detail and depth. In other words, it’ll help your real estate photography pop.

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7. High-Resolution Photos

High-resolution photos are a must in real estate photography, as they provide buyers with a crystal-clear view of the property.

Often, high-quality real estate photography will decide whether someone takes the next step to schedule a physical viewing or passes on a property.

It also lets agents zoom in on details, allowing prospective buyers to get a better understanding of the property. 

8. Vertical Real Estate Images

Another trend for real estate photography in 2024 is an increase in the use of vertical photos. This could be due to the increasing use of mobile phones and the growing popularity of platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, which favor vertical images.

Vertical photos are simply photos in portrait orientation with an aspect ratio tailored to fit the mobile phone screen. They can often provide a more comprehensive view of a property than horizontal photos can. 

Not to forget, it’s also easier for mobile phone users to view vertical photos. Agents and Realtors will need more vertical images and videos as a result, and they will likely request these services from real estate photographers in the coming year.

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Conclusion

As technology advances, so too do the trends in real estate photography. In 2024, these are the hot real estate photography trends you can expect to see.

Augmented reality, drone photography, 360-degree photography, HDR photography, virtual staging, and virtual tours are all becoming increasingly popular as they provide buyers with a more immersive experience when viewing a property.

This provides a great opportunity for you to learn new skills, find new revenue streams, and generate more income than ever before.

PhotoUp Has All the Tools You Need Under One Roof!

To be able to keep up with image quality and the new photography trends in 2024, you should consider hiring a real estate marketing service like PhotoUp.

We offer an array of services like:

• Dedicated and distributed real estate photo editing
• Virtual staging
• Home walk-through videos
• Custom websites
• Single property websites
• Property flyers
• House portraits
• Virtual assistants
• And more.

To recap, you’ll not only save valuable time by hiring a professional real estate photo editing service to help you enhance your photos and make them picture-perfect (*pun intended), but you can also grow your photography business by offering additional services to your clients.

Sign up for a free PhotoUp today, and find out how we can help evolve your business and make you even more valuable to your clients.

For a limited time, we even offer 10 free edits when you sign up!

We hope this blog post helped you discover the latest real estate photography trends in 2024. If you enjoyed reading this post, make sure to check out the following resources as well:

• How to Start a Career in the Real Estate Photography Business (in 2024)
• Adding More Services to Your Real Estate Photography Business
• How to Virtually Stage a Room in Less Than 5 Minutes
• Ways Real Estate Photography Outsourcing Can Help Grow Your Business
• 3 Reasons Why Virtual Staging Is a No-Brainer for Real Estate Photographers