Real estate photography FAQ

Book online any time: the booking page shows the real open times, so you can take the earliest slot that suits you. We work 7 days a week, 7 AM to 7 PM, with same-week slots and same-day shoots when a slot is open. In spring and summer the popular times go first. For a last-minute shoot, call or text us.

It depends on the package and the size of the home, and your booking shows the on-site time before you confirm. As a guide, MLS Ready on a home under 1,500 sq ft takes about 30 minutes and Listing Launch on the same home about 60 minutes; bigger homes and more services take longer.

Mike Brun, who founded Estate Shutter, or a photographer from our partner network across Southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. Every shoot follows the same shot list and goes through the same editing pipeline. Drone flights are always flown by an Advanced-certified pilot. More on who we are.

No. Someone just has to give us access: most clients give a lockbox code or arrange it with the listing agent. If you do stay, keep out of the rooms being photographed so the shoot keeps moving.

Free to cancel or reschedule with 24 hours’ notice; under 24 hours, up to 50% of the booked services. Weather reschedules are always free. To change a booking, reply to your confirmation email, call or text (226) 271-2773.

If rain, snow, wind or poor light would spoil the exterior or make a flight unsafe, we photograph the interior as planned and come back for the exterior and drone work at no charge. Light rain or overcast skies alone usually do not stop a shoot.

Packages start at $199 (MLS Ready, homes under 1,500 sq ft). Every package and every home size is priced on our pricing page, and add-ons are priced up front. Prices are in Canadian dollars; HST is added at checkout.

MLS Ready ($199+): About 25–30 HDR photos — no cap, Interior and exterior, Photos in 12–24 h. Market Ready ($249+): About 30–35 HDR photos — no cap, Photo slideshow video, 2D floor plan. Listing Launch ($399+): About 35–40 HDR photos — no cap, 4K walkthrough video, Drone photos, 2D floor plan, 30-day relaunch guarantee. Premiere ($599+): everything in Listing Launch, Zillow 3D virtual tour, Digital staging (up to 3 rooms), Social media slideshow reel, Priority editing.

No. Nothing is charged when you book: no deposit and no account. We deliver your gallery for review, and you pay once you approve it. Downloading for publication, publishing or sharing any delivered file counts as approval.

Credit card, debit or e-transfer. Agents, teams, brokerages and commercial clients with an approved account can pay on net-15 or net-30 terms. Nothing is charged when you book online.

Fall sale for new clients: 10% off your first Listing Launch or Premiere shoot (no code needed). Ends Dec 31, 2026. Returning clients pay the list price.

The Sold-Ready Promise is our four guarantees under one name. $0 until you approve: See every photo first. No deposit, no account: you pay after you approve. Free reshoot: If a shot isn’t right, we come back and reshoot it at no charge. 30-day relaunch: Listing Launch & Premiere: still listed 30 days after delivery? Fresh exteriors and a 30-second reel, free. Free weather reschedules: Rain or wind on shoot day? Interiors go ahead; exterior and drone work is rescheduled at no charge.

There is no travel fee anywhere in our service area: Southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. Outside it? Call or text to confirm before you book.

Photos (every package): 12–24 hours after the shoot. Drone photos: with the photo set. Floor plans: 24–48 hours after the shoot. 3D virtual tour: 24–48 hours after the scan. Video: 48–72 hours after the shoot. Digital staging: 48–72 hours after the shoot. Premiere: priority editing, first in the queue. Need it sooner? Rush delivery (same-day or next-morning photos) is +$75: pick it when you book and it is added to your invoice.

There is no fixed number: we shoot every room and angle the home needs. As a guide for a typical 1,500–2,500 sq ft home: MLS Ready 25–30, Market Ready 30–35, Listing Launch 35–40, Premiere 40–50. Larger homes get more.

Estate Shutter keeps the copyright; you get a licence to use the files for that listing. Use the photos to market the listing you booked them for. That covers MLS and real estate portals; your website, your brokerage’s website and listing sites; social media and email; print for that listing: feature sheets, brochures, signs and ads. Other uses, such as another agent relisting the property, a seller’s or builder’s own advertising, or your personal branding, need our written OK first. Commercial clients own every file they commission.

Each real estate board sets its own photo limit and file rules, and they change, so check your board's current rules. Every gallery is MLS-ready and sized for listing sites, and a typical home gets about MLS Ready 25–30, Market Ready 30–35, Listing Launch 35–40, Premiere 40–50 photos (no cap), so you can choose the strongest set for the upload limit.

Yes. Files are delivered MLS-ready and sized for listing sites. Virtually staged photos come with the original empty-room photo. Label staged photos “virtually staged” wherever your board’s rules require it.

You see every photo before you pay. If a shot isn’t right, we come back and reshoot it at no charge. That covers a room, view or shot on your order that we missed, exposure, focus, colour or straight-line problems, editing mistakes. Tell us before you approve the gallery.

Book a Listing Launch or Premiere shoot. If the listing is still on the market 30 days after we deliver your photos, we come back once, free, with fresh exteriors and a 30-second reel. Request it by call or text.

Clear countertops, sinks and vanities: no dish racks, toiletries or small appliances. Turn on every light, including lamps and under-cabinet lighting, and replace dead bulbs. Open all blinds and curtains fully. Remove personal photos, calendars, fridge magnets and anything with a name on it. Hide bins, pet bowls, litter trays, cords, toys and laundry baskets. Park cars away from the driveway and street frontage. In season, take the pool cover off and make sure the water is clean and clear.

Yes. We need access to the unit at the booked time, so tell us how to get in when you book. Building amenities such as the lobby, gym, pool or rooftop are an add-on ($50), and the building's management usually has to allow photos there.

Yes. Every package covers the interior and the exterior of the property.

Yes, as an add-on to any package: virtual twilight ($20), an edit that turns a daytime exterior into dusk, or a real twilight shoot ($200) booked around sunset, which changes through the year.

Yes, when it follows Transport Canada's drone rules, and every flight we do does. Founder Mike Brun holds a Transport Canada Advanced drone pilot certificate; every flight is flown by an Advanced-certified pilot. An Advanced certificate is what Transport Canada requires to fly in controlled airspace and close to people. When a property is in controlled airspace, for example near the London or Region of Waterloo airports, we request NAV CANADA authorization through NAV Drone before the flight. Insured, with a certificate of insurance on request.

Drone photos are included in Listing Launch ($399+) and Premiere. On MLS Ready or Market Ready, add 5–8 edited aerial photos for $75. Need aerials without a listing package, such as land, a farm, a construction site or a roof? See drone services, with a fixed quote within one business day.

Dry weather and a steady wind under roughly 30 km/h. Rain, snow or strong wind means the flight is rescheduled, free. Whether a flight is safe and legal is always the pilot’s call, under Transport Canada rules.

Transport Canada limits most drone flights to 122 m (400 ft) above the ground. Listing photos are usually taken well below that, at the height that shows the lot, the roof and the neighbourhood best.

The drone add-on is scheduled as about 15 extra minutes on site. Large lots, acreage and waterfront properties can take longer.

Transport Canada's updated drone rules took effect on November 4, 2025. Among other changes, pilots with an Advanced certificate can now fly sheltered operations within 61 m of a structure, use extended visual line of sight and fly medium-sized drones. Flying beyond visual line of sight needs a separate Level 1 Complex pilot certificate plus an operator certificate for the organisation; we don't fly beyond visual line of sight. Any advertised public event needs a special flight operations certificate (SFOC), whatever the drone. Some flights in controlled airspace need a manual review by NAV CANADA, which usually takes about a week and can take up to two; we tell you if yours does. Source: Transport Canada, drone safety.

Large lots, acreage, waterfront homes, homes with standout outdoor features, and anything where the location or the neighbourhood is part of the sale.

No. We shoot Zillow 3D Home tours, a separate product from a different company: an interactive walkthrough buyers open on any phone, tablet or computer, with a link and embed code for your listing. It is included in Premiere, or $150 on MLS Ready, Market Ready or Listing Launch.

Capturing the tour adds about 20 minutes to your photo shoot; no second visit. The finished tour is delivered 24–48 hours after the scan.

Yes. You get a direct link and an embed code for any website, listing, email or message.

Your tour is published on Zillow 3D Home and you get a link and embed code; ask us if you need it kept online after the listing closes.

Yes. Tell your photographer on the day which areas should not be scanned.

Yes, digital staging for empty rooms: furniture and decor are added to the photo. It is included in Premiere for up to 3 rooms; extra rooms are quoted. Staged photos are delivered 48–72 hours after the shoot. Digital staging includes one free revision per room, requested within 48 hours of delivery.

Any room. Living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and kitchens are the most common, and you choose the style, from modern to traditional or farmhouse.

Yes. Virtually staged photos come with the original empty-room photo. Label staged photos “virtually staged” wherever your board’s rules require it.

We serve Southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area: London, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Toronto and the GTA, and the towns around them. No travel fees in our service area. See all areas, or call (226) 271-2773 to check yours.

Often, yes. There is no travel fee anywhere in our service area: Southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. Outside it? Call or text to confirm before you book. Call (226) 271-2773. For construction, leasing and drone work we also have pages for Hamilton, Burlington, Vaughan and Niagara Falls, quoted per site within one business day.

Yes. Builders, developers, lenders and property managers get construction progress photos, leasing photography and development launch media, with a fixed quote within one business day: see commercial. Home-service companies get monthly content plans.