Guides

Listing photo guides from a working photographer

I've photographed more than 2,500 homes over almost 20 years, mostly in Fairfield County, Connecticut. These guides are the advice I give agents and sellers who want better listing photos, whether they shoot with an iPhone or hire someone like me.

By Mike Yamin, photographer for almost 20 years

All guides

Every guide, start to finish

Start here

How to take real estate photos: a complete beginner's guide

Start here: the whole process in order, 10 quick tips, and links to every guide and tool.

How-to

iPhone real estate photography: how to take listing photos with your phone

Camera height, straight verticals, the 0.5x lens, room order, lights on and blinds.

Shot list

How many listing photos do you need, and which shots to take

How big a photo set should be, plus the shots to take in every room.

Exterior photos

The best time of day to photograph a home's exterior

Match the time to the way the house faces, plus gray days and an honest note on skies.

Checklist

Listing photo prep checklist: room by room

A printable room-by-room checklist for sellers and agents before photo day.

Alternatives

Pro photographer, DIY, editing apps or automatic enhancement? An honest comparison

Hire a pro, shoot it yourself, edit by hand, or enhance automatically: when each makes sense.

Mistakes to avoid

15 listing photo mistakes that cost showings, and how to fix each one

Eye-level shots, tilted walls, dark rooms, toilet seats up and 11 more, each with the fix.

Definitions

What is sky replacement in real estate photos?

What a sky swap is, when it crosses a line, and why you may need to disclose it.

How-to

How to photograph a kitchen for a listing

What to clear, camera height for counters, island angles, lights and reflections.

How-to

How to photograph a small bathroom for a listing

Where to stand, how high to hold the phone, the 0.5x lens, and staying out of the mirror.

How-to

How to photograph rooms with bright windows

Timing, lights, blinds, angles and exposure for window-heavy rooms, and a phone's real limits.

Checklist

Rental and Airbnb listing photo checklist

A printable checklist for landlords and hosts: prep, rooms, amenities and honest photos.

Glossary

Real estate photography glossary

Plain-English definitions: HDR, verticals, flambient, twilight, sky replacement, MLS and more.

Platform guide

Zillow listing photo requirements: size, format and rules

File types, size limits, minimum and suggested dimensions, branding rules and MLS feed quirks.

Platform guide

Airbnb photo requirements and tips for hosts

Minimum photos and resolution, horizontal vs vertical, the cover photo and the photo tour.

Platform guide

Vrbo photo requirements for hosts

Minimum photo count, resolution, formats, and the kinds of photos Vrbo rejects.

Platform guide

Facebook Marketplace photos for a rental or home listing

What Facebook says about cover photos and enhancement, and how to shoot for a thumbnail feed.

News explainer

Edited listing photo laws: what California, DC and New York now ask of agents

California's AB 723, DC's new bill and New York's proposals: what counts as an altered photo, what doesn't, and what to do.

Settings

Best iPhone camera settings for real estate photos (iOS 27)

Grid, level, lens correction, styles, resolution, exposure and flash, set once for listing photos.

Checklist

Real estate photo shoot checklist for agents: what to bring and do

Printable: what to bring, phone setup, the walk-through, shot order and the final check.

Comparison

The best apps for real estate listing photos in 2026, compared honestly

Ten listing photo apps compared from their own App Store pages, with my own app disclosed.

Free tools

Tools that run in your browser

Free tool

Free listing photo checker

See which listing photos are too dark, off-color, too small or vertical before you post.

Free tool

Free MLS photo resizer

Batch-resize and compress listing photos in your browser, then download them or a zip.

Free tool

Listing shot-list generator

Beds, baths and features in; an ordered, printable shot list and photo count out.