For choosing a real estate agent, you get what you pay for. Some are better than others, and a superb agent will not be one of the cheapest. Photographers are exactly the same.

There are cheaper photographers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (DMV), but they are often trying to rush through a photo shoot as quickly as possible. That creates a poor impression with the homeowner who is home and that reflects poorly on the agent that recommended them.

Other photographers are just getting started in real estate photography, and they start out cheap to get more clients, but their lack of experience shows through.

You should consider the preferred times of the day for better photographs, since most appointments are scheduled based on your availability and the sellers' availability.

West-facing homes are best captured in the early afternoon, while east-facing homes are best photographed in the morning. Meanwhile, north-facing homes are best shot early in the morning. Regardless of the direction of a home, it can benefit from being captured during twilight.

Depending on the time of the year, we schedule photo shoots during the week from 8 am to 6 pm. We can schedule photo shoots on weekends, but we require advance notice. We can also schedule twilight / sunset photoshoots (exact time depends on the time of the year which is varied based on when the sun will set during the year).

The time to do real estate photography, whether it is a home or a commercial building, varies, depending on the package that is booked (such as video, floor-plans or 3D virtual tours) the number one most important factor is the property’s size.

Prepare for about an hour and a half. Expect long hours, especially for larger buildings, homes, or properties. Meanwhile, we can discuss the time required for your photoshoot at the time you book it.

Yes. It’s vital to us, and we ensure our clients’ 100% satisfaction with our real estate photography services through high-quality, top-notch real estate photos. We’ll take pictures and feature your property the way you want it.

Yes, depending on the situation of the scene at the listing, we will do both HDR and or combine flash photography to maximize the quality of our product for our end user.

We are in Northern Virginia, just outside and west of the District of Columbia. We service the Western part of Virginia, the District of Columbia and the surrounding area of Maryland. If you would like us to do your listing outside of our normal service area, please call for a price quote.

Hiring a professional photographer is the best option to have the highest quality images of the home to sell your posting to potential buyers and market yourself to sellers. With our process, you’re getting a team of experts that deliver the best photos/video possible. We have thousands of training hours and have all the professional gear to produce a high standard of work. We have also purchased the computer programs and gear to create the best outcome.

Real estate photography is a highly specialized industry that amateurs or some other types of photographers who lack the proper lighting equipment & experience can’t adequately photograph. Professional real estate photographers know their way of capturing homes at their best.

We can use a contractor’s lockbox (with an alphanumeric code) to enter the home for a photography session with the homeowner’s permission. Unless you or the homeowner needs to be on site to allow access during the appointment time.

Absolutely. It’s your seller’s home, so if they are free to hang out while we are doing photography, it’s terrific. However, we can produce better photos during the limited time we are on the property when distractions are minimal. Whether you or the seller are on site, please complete all staging and cleaning before the appointment. During the appointment, please make sure that you keep all children and pets away from the equipment.

Yes. It’s vital to us, and we ensure our clients’ 100% satisfaction with our real estate photography services through high-quality, top-notch real estate photos. We’ll take pictures and feature your property the way you want it.

Yes, depending on the situation of the scene at the listing, we will do both HDR and or combine flash photography to maximize the quality of our product for our end user.

Furnishing or staging homes before the photography session makes them more attractive. However, we can take photos of an empty house.

However, we strongly recommend hiring a home stager if your home is vacant. At least, try to stage essential rooms like the primary bedroom, bathrooms, the living room, and the kitchen.

If needed, we can do digital staging. Please ask for a quote on digital staging.

“How can I prepare the home for the real estate photography session?” I have several resources available to help you and your sellers prepare the home for the photography session. You can view the Preparing for Real Estate Photography page on my website.

We carry the Nikon photography equipment brand, which is professional-grade quality gear. We appropriately maintain and update the gear, ensuring it meets and exceeds industry standards.

Our professional editing process includes a team of trained and certified editors, specifically for Real Estate photography editing.

These are examples of some of the photography gear that photographers might employ on a real estate photoshoot.

• Nikon Z 7II mirrorless cameras for both still and video with Nikon high quality optics (Lenses). We have a wide selection and options to use for your project.

• Really, Right Stuff Tripods for image stability.

• The DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone is ideal for aerial photography and video.

• Mac desktop computers are used to process and catalog the images and assignments.

• The latest software from Adobe and Photomatix Pro 7and other software for processing of each image.

We use three products to produce 3D virtual tours. One product we use is called iGuide, which produces a high-quality virtual tour. Our product provides many additional features such as marketing tracking, interactive floor-plans, and allows the client to own the product data, which can be used anywhere on the internet. The second is a lower quality product and using Zillow. Zillow uses the online real estate company called Zillow to host the virtual tour. We also use the online company called "Real Virtual Tour" (RTV).

You may schedule/book an appointment here at the Store Front. Fill out the form and start an account if you have not done so before. If you prefer the traditional way, you may call or text me at 703-980-3178. How to book video.

We would prefer a three-day notice, but we might accommodate a short notice for an extra charge of $75.00.

Please inform the photographer and Vorlago LLC of any special instructions, such as items that you want to highlight in the photos or video at the time of the booking or at the photoshoot.

We do not need to cancel appointments because of the weather. Sky replacement is an option for hissing skies, rain, and snow. We can pull blue sky colors out of most skies, making a dreary day bright. We can also photograph the interiors where the weather will not affect the images and try to wait out the passing weather and then photograph the exteriors of the building. Or we can reschedule the exterior views for another day.

On days when the weather is not cooperating, we have several choices.

#1 - We can do the interior photos, and the weather clears up while we’re there on the property. We will do the exterior shots.

#2 - We can do the interior photos and do the exterior pictures on another day.

#3 - We can reschedule the photoshoot.

The choice is up to the homeowner and real estate agent. Just let us know, and we will take care of it.

As long as you cancel or reschedule 24 hours ahead of the scheduled shoot date/time, we don't charge any fees. Under a 24-hour window, a cancellation/reschedule is $75. If we show up to a property and can’t get in or the agent or seller cancels the shoot, we will charge $75 + 50% of the quoted amount.

If you need to change your appointment and use the online scheduling platform, you can log back into your schedule and change the online scheduling system. If you have questions, please call or text 703-980-3178 or email jeffbell@vorlago.com as soon as possible.

Vorlago LLC and Jeffrey T Bell retain the copyrights (copyright-holder) as this is standard copyright law practice in the photography industry. You purchase a single use, non-transferable, non-exclusive image license. Real estate agents can use that image license for the duration of their listing, and it will expire once the listing is sold, canceled, or reassigned to another agent. For all others, the license does not expire. This is a non-transferable license, meaning you, as the licensee, may not sell, give or loan the photos to any other party. You have wide leverage to use them for your marketing and promotional needs, however. This license is also non-exclusive, meaning the copyright holder may sell multiple licenses for the same images.

By making full payment, you acknowledge that you can use the products and agree that the right to use the products is solely granted to you. you. You agree you cannot transfer, assign or sub-license your rights to use the products, the photographs, video, or other kinds of media included to anyone without the copyright holder’s written permission.

Your rights allow you to use our photographs, videos, and other media for marketing. However, your rights do not allow third parties to display, copy, or distribute our work to provide services competitive with our products unless our written permission allows you. For real estate, these rights are valid without limits, as long as you have the listing. If you no longer have the listing, the rights to use the products are also gone.

If someone asks you about your rights to the products, you will need to refer them to us. If we allow others to use our products, an additional licensing fee may be necessary.

In Virginia, the government only taxes photography services if the photographer also delivers a physical product. So, if I deliver the images via electronic means, I will not charge any tax. However, I will have to charge tax if I deliver a CD, DVD, flash drive, or some other physical media containing the images.

We do not have a real estate license and cannot do this for you.

The pricing depends on your specific requirements. The good news is we offer pricing and packages that suit your needs and budget.

6 PM. is the cutoff for photos to be delivered within two days. Videos will take three days and 3D virtual tours will depend on the complexity of the project. Rush orders are a $50.00 added charge.

You will receive an email from us. You can expect to receive the photos two days after the photoshoot. If you need a rush, please let us know at the time of booking. Rush orders are $50.00 next day rush service.

You will receive a link to pay for the images and then you will download your media content. We store the video and 3D virtual tours on the internet, and we will send you a link to the project. You can then place it on your website or MLS website for your listing. All media content will not have branding, unless requested at the time of the booking.

Yes, we are all FAA 107 pilots and are required to follow the FFA regulations for flying commercial drones.

No, there are restrictions put in place by the FAA to regulate where in the DMV we can fly. Some areas require special permits and with time and careful planning, we can get approval to fly in those areas. But the closer you are to the District of Columbia, the harder it is to get permission to fly a drone.

Legally as FAA 107 commercial pilots, we cannot fly higher than 400 feet and the closer we are to an airport, the height restrictions can limit how high we can fly our drone or if we can fly at all. Typically, we fly at much lower attitudes to achieve our objectives.

We will need to know the property lines and the areas that are more important to you about the land and buildings on the property that you want to emphasize.

Typically, we fly the property lines at three different altitudes, taking photos at different angles to showcase the property’s features. We may capture some low altitude photos to showcase the property from angles that are not visible at ground level. Usually, this is somewhere between 45 feet and 80 feet. For example, showcasing a home on the side of a bluff or showing the layout of a farm’s rolling hills.

There are several ways to accomplish our objectives with aerial drone content. The typical drone video is 1 minute to 2 minutes long, flying over the property, showing its layout. We can also create an animated video with video notations that feature elements of the property.