I thought id add a reply to this thread. I have been a property photographer for 5 months now and i must say it has been one of the most fun jobs i have done in photography although weddings is my best. This job position however enjoyable it is comes with a high price. There are times when it does get very busy and lunch is occasionally eaten with the left hand while the right hand is on the mouse, or eating while on my way to a job. However the good points of this type of job is:
1 You spend half your time in office at your desk and the other half on the road and on location so its a mix of both worlds.
2 You get to meet lots of different people while you work, some people are happy to just let you get on with it and you dont hear a thing , others like to have a chit chat so its a good social job.
3 you get to see some amazing homes and understand many different peoples way of living ( inside your mind you judge what you like and dont like but still maintain a professional manner after all you are representing your office and company.
4 your camera skills and editing skills will improve every day. on average i shoot 2 to 4 properties a day depending on size taking anything from a hundred to 300 photos each day out of these probably 40% get edited so you are always improving you craft which will help you in other areas of photography.
5 each job is different and you face different challenges, obviously the most common like in all photography jobs is lighting. Maintaining the correct lighting to show the colors is important and making sure the room is well lit so detail is there and is attractive to the viewer.
6 being an online market its nice to see your properties piling up on the internet and knowing that thousands of people will see your work.
7 when interest is shown in a property from a potential buyer its nice to know they was attracted to your work in the first place which is what makes this type of work satisfying.
8 The biggest reward is when a property you photograph gets sold and its a feeling of confidence and satisfaction ( although you will not pick up the nice % made like the agents that sell but hey thats the price you pay) This job pays on per property or a fixed wage but the busier the company gets the higher your wage goes like any job increase and performance.
9 you get to understand what works and introduce new tricks working in the field, the challenges of photographing a room that is covered in mirrors to make sure your not in the shot and no flash is bouncing off any mirror or surface can be a challenge.
10 Overall this position is a rewarding one and is nice to work in a photography field that is always busy and to also get a wage doing something you like.
The Negatives:
There is not much negative not like most other jobs but this does has a few.
1 when its busy its busy, and because these bookings are made and confirmed before hand you have to make sure you monitor time to stick to each task.
2 If your work ends up bad it does not give the agents a easy task to market and sell the house so this makes you responsible
3 you will be eating all strange hours and sometimes might not eat at all , so a healthy diet when you can, plenty of fluids and sleep well specially if you have a busy day ahead.
4 If you are not a people person then it will probably not be good for you, as a photographer you will be pulled left and right by everyone so handling pressure is a must but if you are organised and make sure you get things right it is not a problem.
I work for Lawlors property service in and around the Essex area and working in this area brings many wonderful factors. Most of my clients range from a average family home right up to a 3 acre manor house, from everyday families to celebrities ( this is something else as well, when you photograph a famous persons home, your not there to ask for autographs or look amazed. Its quite hard to quietly inside feel excited but after all your there to do a job and these people do not want to be harrassed like they do outside in there own home, but an occasional text to my wife on the job telling her whos house im in doesn't hurt.
If anyone is looking for a career in this area of work i would recommend it, if your passion is for photography i would imagine you like to work in all fields. Photography is quite a hard business to get paid in so you can take what ever you can get and do other things on the side. I still have my photo business doing weddings , fashion shoots mag shoots and designing wedding albums, so i have kind of covered all areas of photography so this is still an option for many. Most important enjoy every aspect of photography, its an art to love and share.
