Real Estate Photographer vs Interior Design Photographer

A lot of people think it’s a good idea to hire a real estate photographer for their short-term rental. After all, what’s the difference?

A big one, actually!

Before you schedule an appointment, it’s important to realize that real estate photography is a totally different “product” than it is for short-term rentals.

A real estate photographer is typically hired by a realtor to take listing images in order to sell a property quickly. The main focus is to show the “space” of the property; it often looks bigger than it really is.

Real estate photographers are also used to taking the same types of shots and turning them around quickly, as realtors aren’t typically that attached to how good the space looks because the lifestyle images won’t be relevant once the home is sold.

In other words, real estate photography is a “mass-produced” product that caters to the needs of real estate agents.

Interior Design Photographer: The Difference

On the contrary, an interior design photographer isn’t as interested in showing the size of a home as they are in featuring the uniqueness of each space and how they convey different moods & feelings.

This is what you want for marketing your short-term rental.

This is also where you’ll start to see a lot more natural lighting and how it falls upon a sofa/table, whereas a real estate photographer wouldn’t feature that sofa/table in the first place since it won’t be there once the home is sold.

Visual storytelling is the main difference here because your space is meant to be sold over and over again in the short-term rental market.

In other words, interior design photography is a unique service intended to draw out the desire for each space.