The estate agent's brief: ten things to specify before you book a property shoot

Most estate agents brief a property photographer the same way they'd order a takeaway. Address. Time. Done. Then the photos arrive, the angles aren't right, the lighting feels wrong, and the listing sits.

The cause is rarely the photographer. It's the brief. Below are ten specifics that, when written down before the shoot, raise the conversion rate of the resulting images dramatically.

1. The single most important shot

Decide before you arrive: which one image is the listing's "hero"? The one that goes top of Rightmove, top of the email blast, top of the printed brochure. Tell the photographer. Everything else flexes around capturing that one frame perfectly.

2. The buyer's first 90 seconds online

A buyer scrolls Rightmove on their phone for ninety seconds before deciding to click. Specify the running order of images for that scroll: hero exterior, then the room with the most "wow", then the kitchen, then the master bedroom, then context. Don't leave it to chance.

3. Time of day for the exterior

Golden hour for residential. Blue hour for any property with significant glazing or pool lighting. Bright midday for mews houses where shadow defeats the architecture. Specify which.

4. Lights on, lights off

Modern interior shots have most lamps lit, even during the day — it adds warmth and signals "this is a home." Period properties usually do better with natural light only. Specify per-room if it matters.

5. The "lifestyle" frame

For higher-value listings, request one or two propped lifestyle frames: an open book on the bedside table, a half-poured glass of wine on the kitchen island. These sell the *feeling* of living there, not the room itself. They convert.

6. Floor plan integration

If you're commissioning a floor plan in the same shoot, specify which elevations you want photographed *to match the plan*. Buyers cross-reference. Mismatched angles look unprofessional.

7. The view

If the property has a meaningful view from any window, that view is a sellable asset. Tell the photographer to capture it as its own composition, not just as background through a window. Then list "Westminster skyline view from primary bedroom" in the listing copy alongside that image.

8. What to omit

Toilet bowls. Open cupboards. Empty corners of generic carpet. Most photographers know, but write it in the brief anyway. It saves the editing pass.

9. Aerial (yes or no)

If yes — ask what permissions the flight needs. Central London requires paperwork and lead time, so raise it at least a week before launch, not the day before.

10. Final delivery format

JPEG only? Or also TIFF for print? Also vertical crops for Instagram and TikTok stories? Every additional format takes editing time and adds to cost — but specifying upfront is far cheaper than asking for re-edits a week later.

The pattern

Every item above takes thirty seconds to specify and saves hours of post-shoot back-and-forth. The brief is the most important fifteen minutes of a property shoot. The shoot itself is the easy part.

If you'd like a printable PDF version of this checklist to send to your photographer before every assignment, you can download one below.