Frequently Asked Questioins

We’ve gathered answers to the most common questions our clients ask.

Have any inquiry?

If you don’t see your question here — feel free to ask us anytime.

What is your turnaround time?

The next day (usually morning) for photos, rhythmic photo tour, AI video and floor plan (regular and interactive); 2–3 days for regular video.

Why don't your bundles specify the the number of photos?

The photographer shoots exactly as many angles as needed to showcase the property in the most flattering way — wide-angle and detail shots for mood, plus informative ones showing how rooms connect. If we forced more photos than necessary, we'd have to dilute the strong angles with "filler," lowering the overall quality of the set. If you want a specific number anyway — no problem, just let us know.

How many photos do you deliver?

Up to 50. We always try to capture as many beautiful photos as possible. Most often it's 30+ to 40+. It depends heavily on the property — for a small condo without amenities, it can be 20, and for a large house or a condo with multiple amenities, it can easily reach the MLS maximum of 50 photos.

Flat rates are not typical in this industry. Why don't you charge more for bigger properties?

We always aim for the most valuable angles, so we can deliver 50 photos even for a smaller property if there is enough to shoot. And for a large house, we cannot deliver more than the same 50 photos anyway because of the MLS limit, and the video cannot be longer than the teaser format requires.

In other words, bigger houses do not necessarily mean more work. For example, a tiny condo studio may require shooting the lobby, which can be large and full of people, meaning the photographer has to wait for people to leave or remove them in Photoshop. A condo can take even more time and effort if it has multiple amenities on different floors (does anybody know their square footage?) and requires photographing a high-rise building from different angles and from a distance — sometimes from across the street, and sometimes even from different intersections. Covering distances like that while carrying a tripod and camera is much harder than simply walking up to the next floor and photographing a couple of extra rooms, especially in heat, cold, or rain.

Also, the square footage of the basement is almost never known, which would make it difficult to place the property into the correct price category.

Flat rates keep our packages simple — no complicated pricing tables like our competitors have. Less confusion for the client means a marketing advantage for us.

How long does a typical photo shoot take?

Most residential shoots take 1-2 hours depending on property size. Video may double that time. If you want a video and need to be present during the shooting, we recommend to order an AI video. It's generated from photos which we take anyway, so no additional time is required.

If it's a lease listing, does it make sense to pay 15% of my royalty for photos?

Two things to consider. First, most lease listings use amateur phone photos with crooked verticals, poor composition, inaccurate colours, lost details, and lack of light — but that's exactly why your listing with professional high-quality visuals will dramatically stand out from the competition. Second, you can reuse these photos for future lease listings or even when you sell the property, making the original investment negligible.

Should I order photography for an old, not very attractive property?

Yes! Good photography matters for any listing, but it's especially crucial for this type of property. Our shooting and editing tech "turns lemons into lemonade", significantly boosting showing bookings.

What is the HDR technology you use for photos?

In regular photos, details in very dark and very bright areas get lost due to a camera’s limited dynamic range. HDR (High Dynamic Range) solves this by taking multiple shots of the same scene at different exposures, which are then merged. Normally exposed shots form the base. Underexposed shots capture bright details (windows, lamps, chandelier details) that would otherwise be just white spots. Overexposed shots reveal shadow details that would otherwise be just black spots, and emphasize wood grain and upholstery textures. The result exceeds the human eye’s dynamic range, making photos look magically beautiful. Most real estate photographers take three shots — bright, normal, and dark. But we take five — very bright, bright, normal, dark, and very dark. That amplifies the effect. Today, HDR is the industry standard. But this alone is not enough — the unique quality of OUR photographs lies in how the HDR images, created by merging shots with different exposures, are then edited.

How should I prepare the property before the shoot?

Please ensure the property is clean and decluttered. Open blinds/curtains, remove personal items and clutter, make beds, clear countertops. Outside, hide garbage bins and remove cars from the driveway. If you're there when we arrive, turn on ALL the lights. For a detailed checklist, please click here.

Can you photograph occupied homes?

Yes, though we recommend minimal staging and decluttering for best results.

Do I need to be present during the shoot?

No - just book a photographer visit and provide the lockbox code. You can enter it when you make an appointment in our booking system, email it to RealPropertyPhotographer@gmail.com or text to 416-854-8327.

Can you shoot a commercial property?

Absolutely! We shoot offices, retail spaces, and industrial buildings. Please check out our Commercial Portfolio.

Is there a trip fee for remote locations?

We are in North York, and the area up to 45 km of driving has no trip fee, which covers the Mississauga - Newmarket - Ajax "triangle" inclusive. Then, each 15 km of driving add $20 of trip fee.

Here are examples for some cities:

  • Oakville, Bradford, Whitby - $20
  • Burlington - $40
  • Oshawa - $40/$60
  • Hamilton, Guelph - $60
  • Barrie, Cambridge - $80
  • Kitchener - $80/$100
  • Brantford - $100
  • St.Catharines - $120
  • Niagara Falls - $120/$140

The trip fee is automatically calculated by our booking system when you enter the address, based on Google Maps.

Why should I pay a trip fee if I can find a local photographer?

Of course you can — just open Google. But there are two factors to consider:

  • If you visit our FB page, you’ll see the wide geography of listings we’ve photographed. It includes Kawartha Lakes, Barrie, Whitby, Oshawa, Caledon, Guelph, Hamilton, and various cities in the Niagara region (some of them more than once). Why didn’t realtors — people who know how to handle money — hire local photographers, which the internet is full of? I dare to hope it’s because they like our quality. One of our realtor clients needed photos very urgently when we were fully booked, and we asked him to contact another photographer. Do you know what he said afterward, when he got "generic MLS qality" photos? He said: "If you can’t come again, I’ll kill you!" 🙂
  • Our prices are a flat rate for any square footage (very unusual for real estate photographers). If you need to photograph a large house (and this is very likely in areas far from Toronto), you might end up paying a local photographer more than you would pay us, including the trip fee.

Is there a cancellation fee?

No.

What if the weather is so bad on the appointed day that exterior photography is impossible?

Let's postpone the session. If that's impossible (for example, you absolutely must go to the MLS tomorrow), then we'll do this:

For interior shots, we proceed as planned, and you get the photos next day. As a temporary solution, you can provide a Google Street View link to show the house (this won't stop anyone from booking a showing). For exterior photos, we will come again ASAP when the weather improves. This second visit costs $80 (plus trip fee if applicable).

Do you offer a floor plan?

Yes. You can select it as an add-on to any bundle.

Do you offer a 3D virtual tour?

No. Instead, we offer its budget-friendly alternative – Interactive Floor Plan.

What equipment do you use?

We use professional full-frame cameras with wide-angle lenses. For detail shots, we use a manual lens from 1985 still called "the king of bokeh". For video, we use an electric stabilizer to always ensure perfect verticals, and an electric slider to produce smooth constant-speed cinematic movements.

How do I access my Marketing Toolkit?

  • Go to your listings (portal.spiro.media/listings) (you will be asked to login).
  • Find the listing.
  • Click the right red icon ("Open Marketing Toolkit").