Owners selling or renting without an agency
A listing shoot for a private seller follows the same rules as an agency one: order, light and a clean frame.
Photos for Idealista and Fotocasa
Photos for Idealista and Fotocasa: a guide to sell or rent faster
The listing that gets the most viewings is not the one with the longest text: it is the one that reads clearly in the first three seconds of gallery. This guide covers the order of a good listing shoot, seven mistakes that really do cost viewings, and the honest question of whether a real estate photographer with an iPhone or any decent phone is enough, or whether you need a professional. We do not repeat any Idealista or Fotocasa size or photo-count rule here: we tried to check their own help pages while writing this, and both refused the request. We would rather say that plainly than invent a number that sounds official.
- Gallery order
- façade firstthen living room, kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms
- Costliest mistakes
- 7 identifiedlight, verticals and clutter top the list
- Phone or photographer
- depends on the propertya well-used phone works for entry-level, not for everything
- Editing and virtual staging
- €29 · €25if the photos already exist
Who it is for
Who this guide is for.
For anyone shooting their own listing photos, with a phone or a camera, who wants to get it right the first time.
Agencies starting out without their own photographer
While deciding whether a full shoot is worth it, this guide keeps DIY photos from dragging a listing down.
Anyone who already has photos and isn't sure whether to retake them
Sometimes a reshoot isn't needed: editing alone fixes half of the mistakes on this list.
Owners of an empty flat
A photo of an empty living room can be virtually staged before anyone considers booking a new session.
How it works
The order of a good gallery.
The façade or entrance comes first
It is the cover photo on most portals: the one that decides whether someone opens the listing or keeps scrolling.
The living room and kitchen, tidy
These are the rooms people linger on: they should be the first or second interior shots, with no clothes or cables in frame.
Bedrooms and bathrooms next
In the order a real viewing would follow, not at random.
Terrace, garden or views last
They close the gallery with the argument that sets the property apart, when there is one.
What you get
Seven mistakes that cost viewings.
Included
- A backlit shot, with the window blown out and the room dark
- Crooked verticals, from shooting too low or too close
- A white, overexposed sky in terrace or balcony photos
- Clothes, cables or papers visible, even if the rest of the room is tidy
- An extreme wide angle that makes a room look bigger than it feels in person
- Direct, frontal flash, which flattens the light and casts hard shadows behind furniture
- A mirror or glass reflecting whoever is taking the photo, instead of the property itself
Phone or photographer: what changes.
A recent phone, good natural light and no extreme wide angle can give a decent result for an entry-level flat that sells on price alone: we say that here as plainly as we sell the opposite. What a professional photographer adds is set lighting, corrected verticals on every shot and 24-hour delivery with editing already included, and that shows more the higher the property's price. If you already have the photos, editing already-taken photos costs €29 per property, up to 25 photos, with 5 free test photos; if the flat is empty, virtual staging furnishes it digitally from €25 a photo, always labelled as virtual.
See all the pricesThe photographs on this site are stock images, not client work. Examples of what I make are sent on WhatsApp, chosen to match what you sell.
Where I work
Where I come to film.
I live and work here. Nobody has to pay for a trip and nobody has to wait for a diary in Alicante or Murcia to line up, which is why I can film tomorrow.
Torrevieja
Orihuela
Orihuela Costa
Guardamar del Segura
Rojales
Ciudad Quesada
Los Montesinos
Almoradí
Benijófar
Formentera del Segura
San Miguel de Salinas
Algorfa
Dolores
Pilar de la Horadada
Torrevieja, Orihuela, Orihuela Costa, Guardamar del Segura, Rojales and Ciudad Quesada, with no travel charge. The rest of the southern Costa Blanca we look at, and we say so before starting.
Questions
Questions about photos for Idealista and Fotocasa.
How many photos do I need to sell a flat?
There is no official figure we can confirm here: what really changes a listing is order and quality, not an exact count. A full gallery usually covers the façade, living room, kitchen, each bedroom, each bathroom and any outdoor space.
What photo size does Idealista require?
We cannot say for certain: we tried to read Idealista's own help page while writing this guide, and the request was refused. What we control is the quality of the photo you upload, not the technical spec each portal sets on its own side.
Can I do real estate photography with an iPhone or any phone?
Yes, for an entry-level property with good natural light the result can be decent. A phone loses ground the bigger or more expensive the property, because that's where buyers compare against professionally shot listings.
How do I improve real estate photos I already have?
With editing of already-taken photos: €29 per property, up to 25 photos, same-day delivery. The first 5 photos are tested for free, no card needed.
Does an empty flat need different photos?
It can stay as well-lit ordinary photos, or go through virtual staging, which furnishes the image digitally, always with a notice that the furnishing is virtual.
Does a property photo shoot include video?
Not by default: photography and video are quoted separately, though they can be filmed on the same visit if arranged beforehand.
Send me the photos you already have and I'll tell you what I'd change.
The link to the published listing is enough. I reply in writing with what editing would improve and whether any shot is worth retaking.