As phone cameras improve, more realtors are beginning to transition from hiring professionals to taking their own photos. Though phones aren't currently able to match the quality and true resolution of cameras, they can still be used to take good photos of properties if used properly.

Most realtors use phone photos to get cheap, quick photos without the hassle of involving another person in the process, plus the added benefit of being able to take photos and post them the same day you get the home set up. The main drawback of phone photos is the possibility of upsetting or disappointing the homeowner and making them feel like they aren’t your top priority. Most realtors who use phone photos will take photos with minimal effort, causing the homeowner to feel like they made the wrong choice in realtor and that their home isn’t being properly represented.

One of the best ways to get the most out of your phone camera is to use a third-party camera app and a third-party editing app. Adobe Lightroom is a free app that contains both an advanced camera app and industry-standard editing software used by most professional photographers. There is an optional paid subscription that gives you access to more advanced editing tools, but those tools aren't necessary unless you are doing more advanced editing, which would not have much of an effect on the photo quality unless you use a more professional camera.

There are a few very simple settings you can quickly change to massively improve your phone photos. The first of these settings is the built-in level in your phone’s camera system. This can be activated in the Lightroom camera by pressing the three dots in the top right corner of the screen, navigating to the grid and level section, and turning on the level. This setting will give you a horizontal level across the middle of your screen and a box in the middle, which acts as a vertical level. The level will help you get perfectly straight lines in your photos and showcase the property exactly how it looks by correcting for any unnatural distortion that is caused by the wide-angle lens. Unfortunately, this won't help with properties that aren't level, which is where the next setting comes into play.

The next setting that should be turned on is the camera grid. This can provide a reference point for straight lines and plays a large role in taking more natural-looking photos. This setting is also found in the same section as the level. I'd recommend the 3x3 grid option because it provides a good balance between line number and empty space. This grid is a fantastic reference for straight lines and is used by professionals on their cameras because of how simple yet effective it is. As you can see in the photos below, having the grid enabled and following the guides really helps with keeping all your lines straight and making sure that your property looks as natural and clean as possible.

Another thing that greatly increases the quality of photos and can be done very easily is letting in more light for the camera's sensor to see. The biggest disadvantage with phone cameras is the fact that they cannot capture as much light as larger-sensor cameras, leading to the best-looking results only being able to be captured while outside in full light. When shooting interiors, more often than not, the rooms will not have enough light in them for your phone camera to perform at its best. By introducing more light into your scene, either by opening windows more or turning on lights in the room, you can get the most out of your camera's sensor and remove unwanted noise or quality loss.

Advanced Tip: If you already have all the lights on and windows open in the room and your photos are still looking grainy, consider getting a tripod and setting your phone to take a longer exposure. The easiest way to do this in the Lightroom camera is to switch the camera from HDR to Pro and set the “iso” setting to anywhere between 200 and the lowest it will go. Then select the “sec” setting, this lets you change the exposure length to let in more light without ruining image quality. Drag the slider until the exposure on your screen looks correct, then press the symbol in the top right with the three dots and change the timer to two seconds. This timer allows you to take a picture without motion blur caused by physically touching the phone screen.

Beyond the settings and prep work required for taking good photos with your phone, the next thing that will greatly improve your phone photos is composition. The biggest difference between professionals and realtors is a professional’s ability to compose photos in a satisfying and balanced way while also showing as much of the room as necessary. While composition is difficult to master, learning the basics is very important for improving your phone photos.

The easiest way to improve your compositions is the “Third Wall” method. This method involves backing up into a corner and taking a photo toward the opposite corner, making sure to involve three of the walls. The third wall that doesn’t touch the opposite corner to you should take up roughly 1/10th of the photo. This gives the viewer a sense of reference for the actual size of the room and makes the photo more satisfying to look at.

For more information about composition, check out our Composition 101 resource by pressing the button below.

Finally, good editing is also extremely important for good real estate photos. After taking your photos, it is important to use your preferred editing method to make them more pleasing. While editing can be complicated, the main things to look for are lowering the highlights, lightening the shadows, and ensuring the photo has enough saturation to see all the colors without looking too bright or overly colorful. The best way to learn how to edit photos is to move the sliders back and forth until the photo looks good. Eventually, you will get a feel for what a photo needs. Just like composition, editing takes a long time to get good at, but the more you do it, the better you will get. The easiest way to learn is by messing around with different settings and seeing what they do. Most of what you'd need to adjust is likely in the "light" and "color" sections of most editing software, with just about every other section being unnecessary except for cropping/leveling the photos if you made a mistake while shooting.