Drone Photography for

Retail Properties

Photography of Retail Properties is different from other types of buildings. With this guideline, we want to give you all the tools you need to create outstanding images. We will show you all the essential aspects, motifs and rules of real estate photography for creating interior and exterior shots. Guideline as of May 2024

What is different about Retail Properties?

Retail properties, or retail objects, refer to buildings such as shopping centers, retail parks, or retail stores, in short, supermarkets and other shops. In retail property photography, the focus is on showcasing the location and access to the buildings, which differentiates it from standard drone photography. It's important to capture the attractive location and economic potential of the building to accurately represent the unique features of retail properties. Therefore, these properties can only be photographed on Fridays and Saturdays during peak hours.

For this, we have divided the key perspectives into three heights, with example photos and videos provided for each:

High-angle shots
Low-angle shots
Detail and situational shots
The Rules for Real Estate Photography
On-Site Notes

1- High-angle shots

To get a good overview of the property, we always require high-altitude shots that show the entire plot, the building, as well as the location and transportation connections. It is important that the property is not cropped in these shots! This is crucial so that all the functionalities of the property, such as access roads and entrances, can be identified. If possible, please create a top-down shot of the property!

In general, these properties can only be photographed on Fridays and Saturdays during peak hours. The fuller the parking lots and the more people visible in the shot, the better. It shows that the property is well-visited!

The surrounding area of the property is also an important feature here. These photos are used to highlight the connectivity of the property. Perspectives of important roads or, for urban properties, the central location (such as a pedestrian zone, well-known buildings, or public transportation access) are essential features that must be visible in high-altitude shots.

Foto

To photograph the retail property correctly, you can capture the property from every side and corner. It is important that the access roads and entrances to the building are clearly visible and that the property is not cropped in the shots!

Make sure that the photos show nearby roads, well-known neighboring buildings, public transportation access, or other key transport points in the surrounding area.

Video (3-4 Clips)

Video footage should also provide the viewer with a comprehensive overview of the property. Key shots include the property itself, with a view of the entrance. The connectivity to important roads, motorway interchanges, highways, and federal roads, as well as accessibility via public transport, play a crucial role in highlighting the central location.

In general, the infrastructure and surrounding development are key elements, while areas like forests or other green spaces are less important.

2- Low-Angle shots

With the high-altitude shots, we've already covered the overall view of the property and its general connectivity. The low-altitude shots should now focus on the building itself and its accessibility. The ideal height for these shots is often at the mid-building level!

Similar to the property shots, we need images that show the entire building from all sides and corners to get a detailed overview of the structure. The most important features of a retail property, besides the connectivity, are the entrance to the property or shop and the tenants. Parking facilities and connections to public transport can also be captured in both photos and videos.

Foto

To photograph the building correctly, you can capture it from a mid-building height from every side and corner. The building should not be cropped if possible!

Additionally, it's important to adequately capture the entrances. Another key feature for the photos is the logos of the tenants, parking facilities, and other unique characteristics of the property.

Video (5-6 Clips)

The video footage should also fully represent the building. Key shots include the entrances, as well as the access roads on the property, parking facilities, and other unique features.

TIP: The mid-building height with a gimbal properly aligned is your best friend ;) This will focus on the facade, which will captivate the viewer as they watch the video.

3- Detail and Situational Shots

Through the high and low-altitude shots, we have covered the property, building, and accessibility. To now give the photos and videos more personality in the overall view, we need detail and situational shots.

Important subjects for this are the details of the property, such as logos and signs on the building or at the property entrance, as well as unique features of the facade. It is crucial to also capture distinctive aspects, such as economically strong brands located on the same property.

Foto

For the detail photos, you can focus on important subjects such as the entrance with the logo on the building's facade or a sign at the property entrance. If there are particularly attractive features on the facade, such as a pleasing color combination, a detail shot would also be a good subject. If the building has a solar panel system on the roof, you can take a photo at a 90° angle. For detail shots, it's okay to crop parts of the building.

Video (2-3 Clips)

For the video footage, you can also capture subjects such as the logo on the wall or signs and flags on the property. If there is activity on the site, this works excellently for adding action to the shots. If the building has a solar panel system on the roof, you can create a short video flyover at a 90° angle.

The Rules for Real Estate Photography

The Central Perspective

The central perspective is the most important perspective for real estate photography and can be used not only for ground-level shots! It is crucial to position yourself directly in front and centered on the building or subject. In this position, the lines of the building appear parallel and converge at a single point on the horizon. This emphasizes architectural details and creates a harmonious image.

To illustrate this, we have highlighted these lines in a few example images. The red circle in the center marks the vanishing point. The blue lines represent the horizontal axis. The red lines highlight the visible parallels in the image that converge towards the vanishing point.

The Mid-Building Height

Why do we emphasize the mid-building height so much? The mid-building height is the perfect height for creating real estate photos, which is almost NEVER achievable from the ground. At this height, buildings can be captured without distortion. Vertical lines remain straight, and the building doesn’t appear tilted.

On the left, we've illustrated this. In the first image, the photo was taken at mid-building height, and all the lines run straight or converge toward the vanishing point in the center of the image. The camera is aimed directly forward and is not tilted. The second image was taken at the height of the upper edge of the building. The building is no longer centered in the image and is cropped. The horizon is not visible, the lines appear distorted, and the building looks crooked. The image is generally unappealing. The same applies to the subsequent photos.

On-Site Notes

Here we summarize the key rules for creating the shots and on-site instructions:

Instructions for the shots:

Take the shots in landscape format! If there are subjects that would be better captured in portrait format, please create both portrait and landscape versions.
For shots at mid-building height, ensure that your camera is as straight as possible, with a tilt of no more than 10%. This will avoid distortion.
Capture the building from all sides and corners, ensuring that the building is not cropped at the top (and, if possible) at the sides.
Follow the key rules for real estate photography.

General on-site instructions:

Wear the FairFleet pilot vest!
Remember that you are on assignment for FairFleet.
Check in on-site (unless explicitly stated otherwise).
If a contact person on-site requests more shots than agreed upon, always contact us for confirmation!

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