Choosing a real estate photographer is about more than finding someone who owns a good camera.
The photographer you hire becomes part of your listing process, works directly with your sellers, and creates much of the marketing material potential clients will associate with your brand. For Nashville real estate agents who list homes regularly, finding the right photographer can make getting a property to market significantly easier.
Here are seven things I think agents should consider when choosing a real estate photographer in Nashville.
1. Look at Complete Real Estate Photography Galleries
A photographer’s portfolio should be one of the first things you evaluate, but don’t judge their work based on three spectacular images.
Look through complete property galleries whenever possible.
You want to see whether the photographer can consistently photograph kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, small spaces, large rooms, exteriors, and challenging lighting situations—not simply create one dramatic hero image.
Consistency is especially important if you’re looking for a photographer you’ll use repeatedly. Your listings should have a recognizable level of quality regardless of whether you’re marketing a $350,000 starter home or a multimillion-dollar property.
2. Choose Someone Who Understands Real Estate Photography
Real estate photography is its own specialty.
A talented wedding, portrait, or commercial photographer won’t necessarily understand how to photograph a house effectively for an MLS listing.
Real estate photography requires knowing how to keep vertical lines straight, balance bright windows with interior lighting, choose angles that accurately represent room size, photograph spaces efficiently, and create a gallery that helps buyers understand how the home flows.
The goal isn’t simply to create beautiful photographs. The images also need to be useful to someone considering the property.
3. Pay Attention to Turnaround Time
Real estate moves quickly.
Once a property is photographed, agents often need the finished media in order to complete the listing, schedule marketing, and get the home live.
Ask potential photographers about their normal turnaround time and whether that timeline applies to all of the media you order.
At Chris W Jones Media, most listing media is delivered within 24 hours because I know that waiting several days for photographs can disrupt an agent’s entire listing schedule.
Reliability matters just as much as speed. A consistent turnaround time allows you to confidently schedule photography around your planned listing date.
4. Make Sure They Can Provide the Listing Media You Actually Use
Photography may be the foundation of a listing, but many agents now use considerably more than still images.
Depending on the property, you may also need:
- Drone photography
- Floor plans
- Zillow 3D Home tours
- Interactive floor plans
- Matterport 3D tours
- Listing video
- Social media video
- Twilight images
- Virtual staging
Working with one real estate media provider who can handle several of these services can make the process much easier than coordinating multiple vendors for every listing.
It also helps keep the visual presentation consistent across the entire marketing package.
5. Look for Straightforward Pricing and Booking
Agents shouldn’t have to send three emails just to figure out what a photography package costs.
When evaluating a photographer, look at how easy it is to understand the available services, pricing, and booking process.
Can you see what is included in each package? Can you select additional services? Can you schedule a shoot without waiting for someone to respond?
A streamlined process becomes increasingly valuable when you’re managing several listings at once.
Chris W Jones Media uses online scheduling and square-footage-based pricing so agents can choose a package, add the media they need, and book a property without a lengthy back-and-forth.
6. Make Sure Drone Photography Is Being Done Legally
If your photographer is providing aerial images commercially, they should hold an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.
Real estate photography is considered commercial drone work, and flying professionally requires complying with FAA regulations.
Beyond certification, an experienced drone operator should also understand airspace restrictions, weather limitations, nearby airports, and when aerial photography simply isn’t appropriate for a particular property.
Drone photography can be incredibly useful for showing acreage, waterfront homes, large lots, neighborhoods, nearby amenities, and commercial properties—but it should be handled professionally.
7. Choose a Photographer You Can Trust With Your Clients
This may ultimately be the most important factor.
Your photographer isn’t only entering a house with a camera. They’re interacting with your seller and representing part of the experience that seller has with your business.
You want someone who communicates clearly, arrives when expected, treats the property respectfully, works efficiently, and can handle unexpected situations without making the process harder for you.
When you find the right real estate photographer, the relationship becomes less about hiring someone for individual shoots and more about having a reliable listing-media partner.
You should be able to send them an address, select what you need, and trust that the job will be handled.
Finding a Real Estate Photographer in Nashville
There are plenty of talented photographers serving the Nashville market, so the right choice ultimately comes down to finding someone whose photography, services, pricing, and workflow fit the way you run your real estate business.
At Chris W Jones Media, I provide professional real estate photography and listing media throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee, including photography, FAA-certified drone imagery, floor plans, Zillow 3D Home tours, Matterport, and listing films.
My goal is simple: make getting professional media for a listing one of the easiest parts of an agent’s job.
If you’re looking for a real estate photographer in Nashville, Mount Juliet, Lebanon, Hermitage, Old Hickory, Hendersonville, Gallatin, or the surrounding Middle Tennessee area, I’d love to photograph your next listing.
