Today’s market is more competitive than ever. With our property images being our most valuable property marketing asset, it’s vital to make sure your property photography stacks up.
Professional photography attracts 250% more interest on the property portals and sells properties up to 3 weeks faster. This is what vendors want to hear!!
Where however, professional photography is not an option, you have to ensure you have the right techniques and kit to take the best possible real estate photos you can.
A tripod is key to that kit.
Our ultimate property photography blog provides a complete guide to the kit you need and techniques you can start using, no matter your experience, to start taking much better property photography.
Why Do You Need A Tripod?
One of the most impactful parts of using a tripod is the impression it gives your vendors. A tripod will not only enable you to produce higher quality photos but it also looks the part.
3 very important benefits of using a tripod are:
- Reduction of blur caused by “shaky hands”. A tripod provides stabilisation that dramatically reduces distortion caused when taking the photo by hand only.
- Quality photos with great vertical lines. Being able to set up the camera straight reduces the chances of you capturing a wonky image. You can also use a spirit bubble to maximise this.
- Taking photos at the right height and angle for photography that sells. It can be very difficult to get in a good position and maintain the right height of the camera when taking photos with your hand. A tripod makes it much easier to achieve this.
Types of Tripod
As you shop around for tripods, you’ll probably notice different “head types”. The tripod head is the fixture that you actually attach the camera too. There are 3 tripod heads you’re likely to come across:
- Pan & Tilt
- Ball
- Gimbal
Pan & Tilt heads are the most common and allow you to move the camera in both vertical and horizontal directions with precision so you can get the angle you require. A ball head allows more movement than a pan tilt, making them easier to control. The gimbal head is a little more advanced and typically used by photographers working with really long lenses are taking panoramic shots.
The Basic Requirements Of Your Tripod
Given the tripod’s positive impact on your property photos, we strongly advise you do not go out and simply pick up the cheapest one you can find.
A good, professional tripod for property photography will have:
1. Great stability: Sturdy build and be able to handle the weight of the camera and lens that will be attached to it (the load).
2. Great durability: Quality, heavy duty build with strong legs and the ability to withstand being transported between properties and be used frequently.
3. Great extendability: Be capable of extending to the correct height for your exterior and interior property photography shots. You can learn more about those here.
Our Top Picks For Tripods
The Neewer Tripod – £125.99
This tripod tops our list. It has extremely good extendability with heights of up to 1.9m which means that it has great scope for your interior photos. You can make easy adjustments of the legs to achieve the extra height you need in rooms like the kitchen.
The tripod has a ball head which means it will offer great movement when you’re making changes to your angles.
Another reason why we love this tripod is its ability to convert into a monopod. The monopod functionality will give the option to take photos at an even greater height which is handy for exterior shots.
The Neewer is a lightweight, carbon fiber tripod weighing just 2kg and also comes with a professional carrying bag.
The Manfrotto BeFree Advanced – £149.99
Manfrotto are a popular brand of tripod and this is one of their better options for estate agent photography.
This tripod extends to heights of 1.51m which means it will provide the height you need for all your interior images. The Manfrotto is known for great stability and quality build which makes it a great option for busy estate agents.
Like the Neewer this tripod has a ball head but comes in slightly lighter at just 1.6kg.
The Geekoto Portable Tripod – £129.99
Another well priced tripod. The Geekoto is made from carbon fiber which makes it the lightest option in our list weighing just 1kg.
The Geekoto also has excellent extendability meeting a height of up to 1.9m. The Geekoto is also noted for a strong build and ease of use.
This tripod has a ball head which again making it easy to operate.
The Vanguard Alto Pro Tripod – £119.
The Vanguard is another strong tripod offering great extendability of up to 1.77m. This makes it a great option for all your interior property photography.
The Vanguard is the first tripod in our list with a pan & tilt head for increased precision.
The downside of this tripod is that it is heavier than the other options in the list weight 2.6kg.
The Velbon Sherpa Tripod – £90
This is the cheapest option in our list at just £90.
The Velbon offers great height reaching up to 1.67m and has a pan & tilt head. Being cheaper however, this tripod cannot handle as much weight as the others in this list.
Even so, the Velbon is a good budget tripod that beats taking pictures by hand!
To find out our top picks for the rest of your estate agent photography kit and how to get the most out of your kit, download our free ebook on Property Photography Mastery for Estate Agents.
