Real estate photography industry outlook 2026

A practical, data-backed report featuring insights from 10 leading real-estate media creators.

Key trends shaping real estate photography in 2026

2026 market predictions and growth trends
Buyer behaviour is shifting fast. With 74% of buyers starting online and professional photos driving 61% more views and 50% faster sales, the report shows why clear, accurate visuals, and fast delivery, will matter more than ever in 2026.
Lessons from scaling top real estate photography businesses
Growth isn’t magic. Northern Spruce Media’s jump from $30,000 to over $1 million with a 20-person team shows what happens when you document your process, train consistently and make the client experience easy from start to finish.
Tech adoption and the AI advantage
AI isn’t a trend; it’s part of the workflow now. With 71% of real-estate photographers using AI tools and some reporting up to 90% faster editing, the report breaks down where automation genuinely helps and where human judgment still carries the work.
How creators stay competitive
There’s a major opportunity hiding in plain sight. Listings with video get 403% more inquiries, yet only 38% of agents use video and just 9% create listing videos. Add in the fact that 73% of consumers value the overall experience as much as the product, and it’s clear: reliability, communication and a clean process now separate the great from the good.
Actionable insights to strengthen your business
The contributors keep it simple: tighten your systems, make booking and delivery effortless and back your visuals with data clients can trust. With 86% of buyers relying on listing photos and 72% of agents saying great photos help win listings, the fundamentals still move the needle.
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Insights from creators shaping real estate photography in 2026

Meet the creators and entrepreneurs sharing their perspectives on what's next. Their views on scaling, technology and creativity inform the foundation of this year's report.

Contributors

Reed Fish / CEO
Upmarket Media
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Reed Fish turned burnout into balance by merging with his biggest competitor and building Upmarket Media around teamwork and sanity. Through the Upmarket Podcast, he’s helped creators find connection in a lonely industry, proving that collaboration beats competition.
Nathan Cool / Owner
Nathan Cool Photo
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Nathan Cool built one of the most trusted voices in real-estate media by combining an engineer’s precision with a creator’s eye. His philosophy is simple: skip the hype, master your systems and let reliability and service speak louder than trends.
Matthew Anderson / Owner
Matthew Anderson Photography
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Matthew Anderson turned a karaoke night conversation into a thriving photography career built on authenticity, education and ease of service. From real estate to architecture and design, he’s proved that keeping things real never goes out of style.
Cheyenne Crawford / General Manager
Infinite Views
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Cheyenne Crawford went from late night edits to leading one of the top real-estate media teams in the South. Known for her clean, story-driven aesthetic, she proves that ambition scales best when paired with structure.
Alex Coombs / Owner
Northern Spruce Media
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Northern Spruce Media is an Ontario-based creative studio serving 600+ real-estate clients with full-service photo, video, design and storytelling. Founded by Alex Coombs in 2016, it has grown from a one-woman operation to a million-dollar firm.
Brandon Cooper / Owner
RealPics
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From solo creator to community builder, Brandon Cooper turned the isolation of real-estate photography into PMRE, the world’s largest gathering of real-estate media professionals. Today, the event reflects a maturing industry where collaboration, systems and business mindset matter as much as the work itself.
Fraser Almeida / Owner
Luxury Homes Photography
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Fraser Almeida turned a single referral shoot into a 13-year career defining Las Vegas luxury real-estate photography. His playbook blends artistic intent, disciplined business systems and an unwavering focus on client experience.
Dominic Wilkerson / Owner
Dom Does Media
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After breaking his leg twice in the Air Force, Dominic Wilkerson traded patrol shifts for property shoots. Eight years later, he runs one of Washington’s busiest real-estate media companies built on discipline, efficiency and integrity.
Phil Maurion / Founder & CEO
Visual Advantage Inc.
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Phil Maurion launched Visual Advantage in 2009, blending his love of real estate with hard-earned startup experience. With a newborn at home and a camera in hand, he turned a small creative experiment into one of Ontario’s most recognized visual marketing firms built on quality, consistency and an almost obsessive focus on customer service.
Chris White / Product Manager
iGuide
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Chris White believes the next wave of real-estate marketing won’t just change how properties are shown, it will change what buyers believe is real. As AI tools blur the line between accuracy and artistry, he argues that trust, transparency and a sense of humour may be what keep the industry grounded.