Location, location, location? That’s what they say. But when photographing your real estate properties, a different saying is key:
Lighting, lighting, lighting.
You can have the best space, perfect furniture, and amazing colors and it won’t matter at all if you don’t get the lighting right for your photos!
These lights will help you use the light already in your space and get the needed contrast in those out of reach dark spaces you just can’t seem to get right.
Here’s the best lights for real estate photography to help you showcase every room.
You’ll learn what accessories will help you get your ideal shots and what features make some better than others.
So you’re guaranteed to get the best results in the least amount of time.
Let’s go!
In This Article
Best Flashes for Real Estate Photography
Editor’s Pick | Brand |
Best Flash for Real Estate Photography | Godox TT600 |
Best Budget Flash for Real Estate Photography | YONGNUO YN560 IV |
Best Flash Diffuser for Real Estate Photography | Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible |
Best Real Estate Photography Lights and Kits | |
Best Real Estate Photography Lights and Kits | Godox TT600 |
Best Light for Real Estate Photography | Profoto D1 Air |
Best Affordable Real Estate Photography Light | Godox FV150 |
Best cheap Light for Real Estate Photography | Neewer LED Softbox Lighting Kit |
Best Portable Lighting Kit | Profoto B10 250/250 AirTTL Duo Monolight Kit |
Best Flash for Real Estate Photography: Godox TT600
The Godox TT600 is the best flash for all your real estate needs because it has lightning fast recycle time and a wireless trigger range of 100+ meters.
The fast recycle time allows you to make the most of your light and take lots of pictures without waiting for your flash to be ready for the next shot.
This way you can optimize your time and natural light! A whole house worth of pics may take you a lot longer if you’ve got a flash with a slow recycle time.
And the fast recycle time doesn’t sacrifice anything in the way of illumination or light distribution to get the job done!
When choosing a flash, if you want a wireless trigger option, further is better.
With a range of over 100 meters, you can trigger the flash from anywhere in the room. This control is crucial so you can orien the room in the moment without going back to the camera!
Complete with a seamless Bluetooth application that syncs right up to your phone, you can feng shui to your heart’s delight even from afar.
Best of all, with a Master & Slave wireless system that syncs to most brands, you won’t have to switch out your camera when you get this enhancing flash accessory.
Key Features of the GVM LED 832:
- Fits ALL DSLR camera brands
- 0.1-2.6 Seconds Recycle time for lightning fast flash
- Built-in 2.4G wireless transmission with 100 meters further transmission
Best Budget Flash for Real Estate Photography: YONGNUO YN560 IV
Whoever said you had to sacrifice quality for affordability never shot a room using YONGNUO YN560 flash. This flash ensures your pictures won’t suffer if you’re budget-conscious.
The YONGNUO YN560 has everything you need to help light your space for the perfect pictures including a wide zoom range and 8 levels of flash control.
The wide zoom range helps focus the flash of the light on the area you’re zooming in on with the camera. So you can direct the focal point without having light spill onto other parts of the room.
And those 8 levels of flash control sure come in handy when you’re trying to differentiate between specific parts of a space or draw attention to one aspect of it.
The quick recycle time and the wireless trigger (from 25m) make for the ideal components of a photographer who has lots to shoot and little time to do it in.
Combine that with different flash modes ranging from multi-trigger to camera set-up, you’ve got a lot of ways to control your real estate photography in one handy dandy tool!
Key Features of the YONGNUO YN560:
- 2.4G wireless triggering
- 24-105mm zoom range
- 8 levels of flash output control
Best Flash Diffuser for Real Estate Photography: Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible
There can be an abrasive quality to even the best of flash accessories, and the Gary Fong Lightsphere softens that in a flash.
Whether it be low ceilings (which limits the bounce of your flash and makes it harsher on your subject) or poor fluorescent lighting, the Lightsphere softens the light to a warm glow.
This warm glow is because of the diffuser attached to the flash and (if you so choose) the included WhiteDome adds a natural glow to the space.
You can also invert the WhiteDome to play with the effects, seeing which flash diffusion technique is right for you and the space.
And if you want to get funky with it, you can replace the dome with a gel system to add a variety of colors to the softening effect.
The WhiteDome is collapsible to invert it for different effects but also to help with storage and transport between locations. You have enough bulky equipment as it is, no need to add to it.
It also comes with a ton of additional cleaning and storage accessories, plus the adjustable strap that is compatible with nearly every flash on the market!
A LightSphere, WhiteDome, and strap with accessories coming in at well under a hundred, you couldn’t do better to add some natural verve to your real estate photography than this Gary Fong Lightsphere!
Key Features of Gary Fong Lightsphere:
- Cleaning and Protection Accessories included
- Tight fit over nearly all flash sizes
- WhiteDome included and can add color gels for creative options
Best Real Estate Photography Lighting
Best Light for Real Estate Photography: Profoto D1 Air
The Profoto D1 comes from a line of Profoto prestige lights. Profoto has been delivering reliable and quality lights for years, developing from stage lights to the compact lights they are today.
Since developing stage lights, they’ve done nothing but transform that technology into the technologically innovative and compact lights for phones, computers, and all digital needs.
This fully digital tech is in the display and the flash tech too! Meaning that the flash circuitry is completely digitally monitored for consistent flash output to ensure even color temperature.
That is crucial for real estate lighting because consistent lighting is the key to selling the atmosphere, feel, and general space of whatever room you’re photographing!
To do all that, you need a fast tool. The Profoto D1 delvers in every way. It has a quick recycle time (just under 1 second, half the time of most lights) that will cut down the time of your shoots.
It also has a short flash duration, which is the time it takes from your flash to go from full flash to power down. This impacts the lighting if you’re not completely reliant on ambient light.
The Profoto D1 has an integrated reflector which disperses your flash more evenly to diffuse the harshness of the light!
No item in this digital age would not be complete without cross-platform ease of use and all Profoto Studio technology can connect to your Mac or PC with Profoto Studio Air software.
This all comes in a compact and lightweight package with easy to use controls, perfect for you to shoot in a ton of spaces to get the perfect feel.
Key Features Profoto D1 Air:
- Integrated reflector
- Flash duration is T.5
- Recycle time varies from .2 seconds to .95
Best Affordable Real Estate Photography Light: Godox FV150
Because of its dual uses as a LED light and a flash, the Godox FV150 packs a one-two punch, giving you the choice of continuous or instantaneous light!
With that double use comes a lot of control and the ability to use it in different ways. The continuous helps if you want to enhance the ambient light of the space.
While the instantaneous light of the flash helps in spaces with less natural light or if you need to shoot an object in motion.
And because the LED light has eight color modes, you can play with the lighting effects to change the feel of the room.
Complete with a standard deflector to help disperse your flash more evenly, you also get a soft diffuser with 5 colors to take your creativity to the next level!
The LED light also has precise 5-100% brightness dimming capabilities when using the continuous functions, which lets you tinker with the effect of the ambient lighting!
At about 6 pounds, the Godox FV150 is light and easy to use, plus its cooling capabilities make it so it won’t get hot under fire.
All that and the built-in wireless receiver makes it compatible with nearly all the name brand camera systems on the market, making sure you won’t have to change a thing!
Key Features of the Godox FV150 :
- Color Temperature: 5600K ± 200K
- Adjustable Brightness from 5% – 100%
- Wireless remote control and U-type brackets included
Best Cheap Light for Real Estate Photography: Neewer LED Softbox Lighting Kit
The photo studio softbox, plus the dimmable LED light head, in the Neewer lighting kit adds a soft dimension to any natural light you may be photographing.
Place these on the adjustable light stand to completely manipulate the way natural light flows through the space.
The softbox acts as a diffuser for an entire space, instead of smaller diffusers which can only be applied to a particular subject through a flash.
The adjustable light stand lets you fix the height of the light in the room, so you can go from high ceilings to small rooms with ease.
While the adjustable color temperature (the choice of 3200K or 5600K) lets you apply warm or cool tones depending on the nature of the room you’re photographing.
So a small living space with natural light might call for a warm light, while the modernity of a renovated kitchen would be better suited to cooler tones.
These variations in choice and space can be conveyed through your ideal lighting fixture, especially considering you can adjust the brightness from 1 to 100%!
The build of the lights and the softboxes is lightweight but not flimsy, letting you move with ease. And it’s all in an easy-to-assemble set!
The convenience of this Neewer LED softbox kit goes unparalleled when you throw in the large carrying bag and the two power options (AC power adapter or you can use lithium-ion batteries).
Key Features of the Neewer LED Softbox Lighting Kit:
- 2 color temperature options: 3200K to 5500K
- Adjustable Brightness: 1% to 100%
- Adjustable stand, adapters, softboxes and LED lights included in carrying bag
Best Portable Lighting Kit: Profoto B10 250/250 AirTTL Duo Monolight Kit
If you want everything and more, Profoto has got you covered with the B10 Duo Monolight Kit.
It’s got a battery, battery charger, protective cap, and a stand adapter. But wait there’s more…there’s two of everything!
The Profoto B10 delivers a smooth, even light even in dark spaces with modeling lighting control and adjustable color temperature.
The adjustable color temperature (3000-6500K) makes it easy for you to capture the ambient light to convey the natural look of a space.
That plus the fast recycle time and the insane battery power that will get you up to 400 flashes on a full charge means you’ll get quality pictures in half the time of a non-Profoto camera.
It’s got five times the power of a speedlite packed into a flash unit the size of a camera lens, so you won’t even feel the weight of it.
Shooting in small kitchens, tight spaces, and cozy living areas has never been more easy with the size and the weight of this flash.
That plus the light travel kit the Profoto B10 comes in ensures that you won’t forget any important part when going between different locations.
Ease of use is key and Profoto delivers with easy Bluetooth technology and the Profoto Studio App that lets you control and manipulate the flash.
That ease continues with the clean and seamless interface on the LCD display making it easy to use the second you get it, no convoluted manuals or YouTube videos needed!
Key Features of the Profoto B10:
- Lightweight at 3.3 lbs
- Recycle time from .05 to 2 seconds on full power
- 400 flashes on a full charge
Conclusion
Quality yet natural lighting is crucial for real estate photography because you’re selling a space someone usually wants to experience before they buy.
So your photos have to transcend that and reach your viewers on another level, especially across digital and physical platforms, to get them in the space.
So get out there and use the best tool in your toolbox to capture the essence of your space!