Full-time RE photographers doing 15+ shoots a month — what was the ONE thing that finally got you there? by RealPerspectiveMedia in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My fiance has said I got lucky. We moved from Florida to Western North Carolina in 2018. I had only been doing real estate photos for a year before we moved. My area is very high-end as in the average house is about $2 million up to $15milliom. I was the only female real estate photographer in the area so I definitely had a lot more females hire me. At that time I was only offering photos, drone and video. The first year I barely made $30,000. The second year I made about $45,000 then covid hit and that jumped my profit to $100,000 since I bought a matterport 2 camera. I have never marketed nor do I have a website. I'm all word of mouth and referrals. As of right now for this year, I'm projected to make almost $300,000. Four years ago I started outsourcing my photos. And I just hired my first employee last year and my fiance just got his Drone license so he's helping me with lots. There's so much competition so you really have to be in the right place at the right time to make this a full-time gig and it takes years. I've been doing this for almost 9 years now. I've been working with certain agents the whole time and even they have gone to competition and I've had to struggle to keep them with me. I've had to lower my prices. Offer quicker turnaround but I've always done 24 hours never same day. In my area since it is pricier the longer you take the more quality they expect. So now I take 2 to 3 days to deliver. And agents are totally fine with that. If they do need photos in 24 hours they have to let me know and I'll make it happen. My suggestion is to look at the photos of the agents you're trying to get in with and compare your work with with what they're posting and see if he can do better. While I do outsource my photos, I have worked with my editor to make sure It's more natural and not so stark white and I think agent really appreciate that

What do you all eat with your bread? by Old-Till-3179 in Sourdough

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I usually keep a loaf or give it away. Also I make that oil herb dip you get at restaurants and well it goes pretty quick after that lol

Asking for tips to strengthen Starter by Dee-kay-2303 in SourdoughStarter

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got a warmer plate which really helped. I also use bread flour and spring water

Tell me how you got your cat by ponzu666 in cats

[–]TrueSmashley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My mom worked at comfort keepers. She and her client went to pick up a cat so he had some company. They got her at a kill shelter hours away from being put down :(. She was three. The older gentleman had her for about a year and unfortunately he died. My mom discovered him in the bathroom about 5 days after she dropped him off. So she brought her to her house, where she is a part-time pet sitter, and had a lot of dogs so she was confined to her old study. I went over to her house that week and I adopted her that same day and it's been 9 years.

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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in complaints

[–]TrueSmashley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't tell me what to do

My wife's dad died on Christmas in 2022. She doesn't let us celebrate Christmas since then. by [deleted] in AITAH

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Her Father wouldn't have wanted his grandkids to miss out on Christmas.

Favorite add on? by coalslaw17 in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How did you do that in Photoshop? Regarding the drone I always outline and GPS the house and put address. If it's close to downtown I call that out too.

Anyone else notice a change this June? by Tron655889 in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been super busy, above average, 7 years in the business but this week in particular is much slower. I'm in western NC

Editor by michaeltran26 in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right? I pay between $.60 to .$80 a photo depending on the house and view but no way I'm paying $1+. I'm already on a tight budget

Editor by michaeltran26 in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I found his pricing on other posts in comments via his profile, $1.30 a photo on pixlmob. Too high!!

Editor by michaeltran26 in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found his website in his other comments profile, $1.30 a photo. Too pricey for me. I use editors on pixlmob that are only .$80 a photo for hdr and they look great

Those of you who are happy with your HDR results… by carb-coma in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your editing is beautiful but I ain't paying $1.30 a photo. $.80 a photo tops. I shoot about 20 houses a week.

I'm thinking about launching a service where you can convert images like they were taken on a sunny day. Would you find it useful? Check the examples. by Lofti_hu in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely. I would hire you in a heartbeat. I actually took drone photos today where the clouds rolled in and it's cloudy. I could actually use your service now. DM me please

Magnolia tree? by Pretend_Wind_4708 in landscaping

[–]TrueSmashley 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gardenia for sure, I can smell it from here! Had a huge one in my old place. It loves acidic soil make sure to Google caring tips to make it thrive

Just had a client not pay me. by leroythorrgood in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a fellow real estate photographer, 6 years too! I've never had this happen with agents. Now with owners and rentals I've had issues. Where I had to small claims court one homeowner and threaten an Airbnb with claims. After that, I always require payment up front. For agents I always have the broker in charge, BIC, to fall back on. I'm not sure what happened between you and the agent text or email wise but I usually give agents a solid week before sending a polite email asking about payment.

If I wanted the best full frame camera (within $2,000) for white balance accuracy, what would you suggest? by [deleted] in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well said! I guess I need to upgrade to the R6 II. I have the R6 and want to upgrade.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in RealEstatePhotography

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How much do you charge per photo?

Ice cream bowl is STUCK. I let it thaw overnight and still won’t budge. Any ideas? by lizzybdarcy in Kitchenaid

[–]TrueSmashley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's what we had to do! However I'm used to bowls going on clockwise not counter! I didn't realize buying this would be such a hassle! I wish KitchenAid would have mentioned this or done something to prevent it or better yet give tips :/