Looking for the best online real estate photography classes? Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of the best courses on the web, below. We’ve included free and paid ones to give you a variety of options.
But first, let’s answer the important question – what is real estate photography? Real estate photography, or sometimes called ‘property’ or ‘architecture’ photography, is a special sub-segment of photography. It is the art of making a house or property look its best in order to attract potential clients. It involves taking photos of buildings (both inside and outside) for the purpose of selling properties, and staging the photos to communicate the benefits of the property most effectively. The images that a real estate photographer takes must be unique but must also be able to catch the eye of potential buyers.
Real estate photography can be tricky to master at first, but ultimately is a very valuable and lucrative skill to have. Plus, nowadays you get to play with drones too for those cool aerial shots! How fun!
To become the best in this field you don’t need to attend college or formal in-class education for years on end. Instead, you can gather all the skills you need by learning from experts in the field on online classes. In this article, I’ve gathered the best online real estate photography courses. They are suitable for a wide range of levels, budgets and time frames. I hope you find one that suits you!
1. Real Estate Photography: How To Get Started (Skillshare)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 36m
- Cost: 14-day free trial
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 2,004
- Course rating: N/A
Taught by Greg Gottfried, who is an internationally recognized digital marketer, you will learn how to start a photography business for real estate. Whether you’re looking to start a real estate photography business from scratch, or whether you’re looking to tailor you photography skills more towards real estate, Greg has you covered!
In this short course, you will discover the best camera equipment to invest in when starting your business. You will also explore how to take and edit photos for real estate and the best way to deliver these photos to a client. Finally, you will learn how to invoice clients alone.
All that knowledge for a little over 30 minutes of work? I think completing this tutorial is a no-brainer for all aspiring real estate photographers. It incorporates a perfect balance of the practical photography skills and the business skills that will lead you to creating an amazing business.
2. Mastering Architecture and Real Estate Photography (Udemy)
- Level: Intermediate
- Completion time: 14h 58m
- Cost: $74.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 18,009
- Course rating: 4 (out of 3,026 ratings)
Suitable for intermediate photographers who have camera equipment and photoshop experience, this Udemy course is taught by Charlie Borland, who has over 30 years of photography experience.
This course takes longer than others to complete. However, don’t be put off by this! You get a plethora of knowledge and learning to compensate for the long completion time. During this course you will learn a variety of techniques that will allow you to capture breath-taking photos of architecture and real estate. You will learn, in great detail, the best ways to photograph rooms and buildings. Charlie Borland will expertly explain how to use flash, how to achieve the perfect lighting and how to get the best angles and composition.
3. Real Estate Photography: How To Get Started (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 1h 40m
- Cost: $19.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 2,885
- Course rating: 6 (out of 821 ratings)
Taught by Greg Gottfield, who has multiple best-selling courses on Udemy and has taught over 91,000 students, this Udemy course is perfect for beginners wanting to get stuck into real estate photography. You don’t even need a camera to complete this course, but you do need a computer or tablet.
In this quick introduction to real estate photography, you will discuss what equipment is best for real estate photographers. You will also explore what camera settings will allow you to take stunning photos and some top tips for shooting each room. You will also explore what you can do post shoot: how to edit your photos quickly and easily and how to present them to a client.
4. Learning Real Estate Photography (LinkedIn Learning)
- Level: Beginner and Intermediate
- Completion time: 3h 21m
- Cost:$32.99
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: 3,182
- Course rating: N/A
This Linkedin learning course is taught by Scott Hargis, who is an experience architectural photographer. He introduces the how and the why behind real estate photography in just three hours!
During this online class you will cover all the fundamentals of real estate photography. You will be taught about the main rooms you should be focusing on, and how to shoot these rooms quickly. Hargis will also discuss how to photograph the outside of the buildings and how to edit and select final images!
For a low cost, this course is great for aspiring real estate photographers who want to quickly gather a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of shooting buildings and properties.
5. Real Estate and Architectural Photography (CreativeLive)
- Level: Beginner and Intermediate
- Completion time: 3h 28m
- Cost: $29.00
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 30,000
- Course rating: 64% of students who completed the class recommend it
Taught by Mike Kelley, who has been praised for being a great communicator and presenting understandable instructions, this CreativeLive class offers an introduction to the fundamentals of real estate photography. In this class, you will learn the common myths about architectural and real estate photography. Mike takes you through shoot planning and the process of capturing the best architectural images. You will also explore lighting, staging and how to infuse your unique style into your shots.
Finally, as well learning about the fundamentals of real estate photography, you will also learn how to bolster your photography business. Towards the end of the class, Mike will discuss how to work with real estate agents, architects, interior designers, commercial clients and editorial outlets. You will learn how to put together an amazing portfolio, how to get clients and how to bid on jobs.
All in all, this CreativeLive class appears to offer a great, low cost, option for beginner and intermediate photographers to advance their skills and knowledge in real estate and architectural photography.
6. The Real Estate Photography Course (Great Photography Courses)
- Level: Intermediate to advanced
- Completion time: 12h
- Cost: $59.95
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: N/A
Instructed by Charlie Borland, a commercial and stock photographer with over 30 years’ experience, this tutorial is one of the more in-depth courses on our list. Through the 12 hours of learning, intermediate and advanced photographers can progress their skills a huge amount.
At the start of the course, aspiring real estate photographers will learn all things lighting! They will look at photographic lighting, how to compose strong composition and how to manage highlights and shadows, among other things. They will also learn how to use different bits of equipment for different photos, how to fix distortions, bad colors or reflections. Like many photography courses, the class finishes with an in-depth discussion on photoshop techniques for beautiful real estate photography!
7. Grow Your Photo Biz (Darren Miles Photography)
- Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Completion time: 6h
- Cost: $147
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: N/A
Sitting at the more expensive end of the courses on our list, this course is targeted at those photographers who are looking to break into the real estate photography business. It begins by taking a look at all the necessary gear, for a variety of budgets. You then explore the lighting and composition techniques for different property features (e.g., kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms). You will also take a look at how to edit these photos to make them the best ones possible.
Darren Miles, who is the internet’s favorite online photography teacher, also truly believes that the single most important thing to learn is how to get your first clients. As a result, the course has a heavy focus on how to get paying clients. This is truly valuable: you could be the best photographer on the planet, but if you can’t land paying clients, you’ll never be that successful!
8. Drone Photography For Real Estate (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 1h 29m
- Cost: $19.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 1,512
- Course rating: 5/5 (out of 258 ratings)
This class is targeted specifically at those who want to combat the real estate photography industry using a drone. Taught by Greg Gottfried, a well-recognized and popular Udemy teacher, the ‘Drone Photography for Real Estate’ tutorial helps you to take set up a highly profitable real estate drone business.
During this short class, you will learn all things drone related! You will explore what drone equipment is best on a budget. You will also look at how to get your commercial drone certificate. Following on from this, you will learn how to set up a drone and how to edit the images it captures. The final step to having a thriving business is to know how to behave in a professional manner. Greg Gottfried has got you covered on this topic, as he shows you how to send your photos to clients and how to send professional online invoices.
Conclusion
So, there you have it… the eight best real estate photography online classes.
There are a huge variety of online courses available. Some of the classes are quick and cost effective. Others, such as The Real Estate Photography Course, are more expensive and take more time – but they offer a more in-depth exploration of real estate photography.
All of the above online tutorials are excellent. They are the best of the best. Each is taught by an experienced and dedicated teacher and they all have lots of satisfied and happy customers.
So, which course you decide take depends on you experience, funds and spare time. Are you a complete photography newbie? Or have you got years of experience in general photography and want to target those skills more towards real estate photography? Do you have a huge amount of money to spend on your skill development? Do you have a lot of spare time, or are you just looking for a quick, but effective, skill top up?
