Learning Real Estate Photography

Written By Ugurkan Karaca

When people think about real estate photography, they usually picture wide shots of bright living rooms or beautiful kitchens staged with fruit bowls and folded towels.

I didn’t start there.

I started outside, standing on sidewalks in Japan, staring up at skyscrapers and office towers, trying to capture the way the light wrapped around steel and glass. I didn’t have a client, or a real purpose at the time. I just liked the challenge.

I shot the Tokyo Skytree, busy office buildings, clean glass facades, stacked balconies, and alleyways that opened up into architectural surprises. I’d spend hours walking around with my camera, waiting for the right light, chasing symmetry, and trying to frame buildings in a way that made them feel intentional, not just tall.

It wasn’t glamorous. No perfect angles handed to me, no ideal conditions — just me, the street, and a lot of trial and error.

But that’s how I learned:

  • How reflections behave on windows

  • How perspective can completely change the way a structure feels

  • How early morning and late afternoon light hit surfaces completely differently

  • How patience and small adjustments can turn a flat shot into something alive

But alongside the modern steel and glass giants, I found myself drawn to older structures — castles in Himeji, weathered homes in Osaka, quiet temples tucked between streets. These places had a different kind of presence. The way light moved across aged wood and stone taught me to slow down and notice the details.

Now I want to take that same eye indoors.

I’m looking forward to photographing real homes. Apartments, townhouses, quiet spaces with light coming through the curtains. Places people actually live in.

I want to step inside, see how the light falls, find the angles, and shoot it right.

That’s what I’m excited to do next.

Ugurkan Karaca