Captivly Real Estate Photography

Captivly Main Logo - Header

Things To Know Before You Take Drone Photos Of Your Own Listing

Facebook Instagram
Captivly Media

Captivly Media

With over ten years of experience in photography, captivly media is one of the top real estate photography companies. With several certifications and active members in multiple associations, Captivly maintains the highest level of quality with every project.
this image shows an aerial view of the back of a property. surrounded by trees this angle is only visible from the air which is captured from a drone.
Table of Contents

Using Drones To Capture The Perfect Exterior Images Of Your Listing

Drone photos are the perfect way to showcase your property and capture breathtaking aerial views. With the right pilot and photographer, you can capture stunning images from various angles, allowing potential buyers to get a bird’s-eye-view of a property. This can be especially useful for properties located in areas with beautiful landscapes and unique selling features, such as swimming pools, tennis courts, outdoor patios, and entertaining areas. This will help you provide a better view of your property’s layout, helping potential buyers envision themselves in the space.
The benefits of aerial real estate photography

Drone Photography For Real Estate Listings

What Is Real Estate Drone Photography

Real estate drone photography is one aspect of real estate photography. Utilizing drones to capture aerial images of properties provides a unique Bird’s Eye view. These drones are typically equipped with professional, high-resolution cameras to ensure high-quality images. Drone photography has been growing in popularity in the real estate industry due to the unique perspective it gives potential buyers, allowing them to build a comprehensive view of a property.

By providing aerial imagery that captures various aspects of a property, you can now give more insight into the size and layout of the land, giving a better understanding of buildings, unique landscaping, and other amenities. By providing these images to your listing, you are able to stand out from the competition and showcase features that would otherwise be impossible to capture.

Overall, real estate drone photography is a powerful tool that can help real estate agents, and sellers market their properties effectively. By providing a unique and comprehensive view of the property, drone photography can help properties stand out in a crowded market and attract potential buyers.

The Importance Of Drone Photography For Real Estate

Drone photography has become increasingly important for real estate marketing because it offers a unique and comprehensive property view. Here are some of the key reasons why aerial photography is essential for real estate:
A drone image of Akron Ohio

Aerial Views

Drones can capture stunning views of a property’s exterior, surroundings, and various amenities (such as patios, tennis courts, pools, and landscapes). This allows potential buyers to see the entire property and its surrounding area in a way that traditional photographs cannot match.

Unique Perspective

Drone photography provides a unique perspective that can help properties stand out in a crowded market. Showcasing features that may not be visible from the ground, such as a scenic view or nearby landmarks. Depending on the drone photographer, you can also highlight nearby amenities such as parks, lakes, and shopping centers (something that we capture at Captivly Real Estate Photography)

Comprehensive View

Drone photography provides a comprehensive view of a property, including its size and layout, landscaping, and any amenities. This helps the potential buyer begin to envision themselves living in the property. Viewing the perfect spot to put the playground or pool. Inspiring a positive emotion when buyers are in their search of the perfect home.

Competitive Advantage

Using drone photography can give professional real estate agents a competitive advantage in a crowded market. It can help your real estate listing stand out and attract potential buyers who may not have considered the property otherwise. Not to mention that when you are looking to list with someone and they see that all of your property listings include drone photography it helps build your brand as an agent.
An image of the Goodyear Polymer Center from a dron
Schedule Your Session

Let's Look At The Regulations For Flying Drones

FAA Regulations

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established regulations for flying a drone, which are designed to ensure the safety of both the drone operator and the public. The rules vary depending on whether you are flying for hobby or for commercial purposes. Here are some key regulations to keep in mind:

Drone Registration

All drones over 0.55 pounds (250 grams) must be registered with the FAA. You can register your drone on the FAA’s website.

Age Restrictions For Flying Drones

You must be at least 13 years old to register a drone.

Flying Restrictions

You cannot fly a drone over 400 feet above ground level, and you must maintain a visual line-of-sight with the drone at all times. You also cannot fly a drone near airports, stadiums, or other large gatherings of people.

Restricted Airspace

Some airspace is restricted, such as areas in close proximity to airports or military installations. You must obtain permission from the appropriate authority before flying in these areas.

Flying Drones For Commercial Use

If you are using your drone for commercial purposes (i.e., to make money), you must obtain a remote pilot certificate from the FAA. You must also follow additional regulations, such as flying during daylight hours only and passing a knowledge test.

Safety Guidelines

The FAA has established safety guidelines for drone pilots to follow, such as inspecting your drone before each flight and never flying over people or moving vehicles.

Remote ID Requirements

Remote ID broadcasts the location of the drone, remote, and flight data to third parties (like the FAA and other law enforcement agencies) This ensures compliance with the law and the ability to find the drone if it has a fly away malfunction. Remote ID can be built in to the drone or a module can be attached to it aftermarket. Keep in mind the weight of the aftermarket remote ID as it can push your 250 gram drone over the limit, requiring a license to fly. Remote ID will be required on all drones by September 16th, 2023 (according the the FAA).
Schedule Your Session

Let's Look At The Regulations For Flying Drones

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently released new rules requiring Remote ID for drones in the United States. Remote ID is a system that allows drones to transmit their identification and location information in real-time, making it easier for authorities to track drones and ensure they are flying safely.
Captivly Main Logo

Fines For Shooting Your Own Listings Without A License

In the United States, it is illegal to take photos with your drone and sell them without a remote pilot certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA requires anyone who operates a drone for commercial purposes to obtain their Part 107 License.

It has been recorded that the FAA has confirmed in writing that an unlicensed pilot can receive a $1,100 fine for every time that media was used commercially (yes, that includes things such as the MLS). But here is the kicker: in this scenario, we are getting aerial photos of a property we are listing… Now while the unlicensed pilot is looking at the $1,100 fine, the real estate agent that hired the unlicensed pilot is looking at an $11,000 fine!

It’s important to note that the FAA considers any photos or videos taken for commercial purposes, regardless of whether you are paid directly for the footage. This includes situations such as real estate photography, wedding photography, and filming for commercial advertising or promotional purposes.

To avoid fines and penalties, it’s important to obtain a remote pilot certificate from the FAA before flying a drone for commercial purposes. This will ensure that you are operating your drone legally, and will help protect you from any legal consequences of operating without a license. If you done want to go through the process of getting the license, you can hire a drone photography service with licensed drone photographers like Captivly!

What Equipment Do You Need?

Picking The Right Drone

To pick the best drone for real estate photography, consider drone technology, camera quality, stability, flight time, range, portability, and budget. Look for a drone with a high-quality camera, stability features like GPS and altitude hold, a flight time of at least 20 minutes, a range that suits the property, and is compact and lightweight for portability. Lastly, choose a drone that offers the best value for your money.

Schedule Your Session

Plan Out Your Perfect Aerial Shoot

Scout Your Location

Scouting your location is a crucial step in preparing for drone photography. First, research the location to identify any interesting elements that you would like to capture. Secondly, check the weather forecast and avoid flying in windy or rainy conditions. Next, determine the best time of day for lighting, taking into account the position of the sun and any shadows that may affect the final image. Lastly, plan your shots by making a shot list and using maps or apps to visualize and plan your flight path for each shot. By following these steps, you can effectively scout your location and prepare for successful drone photography.

Look At The Weather

This is a big one for us in Ohio, unfortunately, the weather is unpredictable. Before you schedule your photo shoot, make sure you take a look at the weather. If you find yourself having to schedule your drone shoot weeks or even months in advance, your best option is to schedule multiple times to compensate for the weather.

Even though you can work magic in post production to somewhat overcome wet driveways and

A drone image of the Akron Rubber Duck's Stadium

Pick The Best Time Of Day

The best time of day for drone photography is during the “golden hours” – the first and last hours of sunlight in a day when the sun is low in the sky and creates warm, soft light that enhances colors and textures. Avoid midday when the sun is high in the sky, as it can create harsh shadows and overexposed areas. Keep in mind that some shots may require specific lighting conditions.
A drone image of Akron's City Skyline

Know The Drone Shots You Want

Planning your shots before shooting drone photography is important for several reasons. It helps you identify key points of interest, avoid wasting time and battery life, fly safely, and achieve a better end product (gorgeous media).
Schedule Your Session

Frequently Asked Questions About Taking Drone Photos For Real Estate Listings

To take good real estate drone photos, shoot in RAW format, use HDR photography, focus on details, vary your angles and perspectives, and pay attention to lighting.

In most instances the real estate agent is responsible to pay for the photographer. Realtors and brokerages who are looking to improve their brand image and enrich their marketing stragy will use professional a real estate photographer. By using this service they will have an easier time selling more listings and earning more properties to sell.

Captivly keeps our real estate photography pricing simple and affordable. So if you are looking to earn more listings, attract more potential buyers, then real estate pictures are a crucial step in the process.

There are several crutial components to focus on when capturing perfecrt real estate images. A few of these perfect factors include lighting, exposure, composition, and understanding the floor plan. Ultimately, professional photographers are trained to take listing images that help the best market the property.

It’s easy to think that higher price listings deserve better professional real estate photography and marketing. Naturally we will deduct that a multi-million dollar listing will deserve far more than a first time home that is $180,000. But, that is the wrong way to look at it. You and your clients deserve the best marketing for their real estate listing – no matter what the value of the property is. Statistically over 95% of home buyers are looking at houses online, and the way that you visually market your listings are one of the most important things to ensure you stand out from the competition.

No more posts to show

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get In Touch

Which Services Are You Interested In?
Where Can I Reach You?
What Would You Like To Discuss?
Skip to content