this might be a weird question but bear with me. ive been doing real estate photography for about two years with my Air 2S and i feel like my photos are technically fine ? exposure is good, sharp, etc. but when i look at what some people post on here or on instagram they just have this quality where the shot feels intentional and mine feel like i just flew up and pressed the button

i know rule of thirds is a thing but like, when youre 200 feet up everything kind of looks the same to me. is there something specific people look for before they take the shot, or is it just experience? i feel like im missing something obvious

honestly the thing that changed everything for me was thinking about leading lines before i even take off. like look at the scene on the ground first ? roads, fences, rows of crops, shorelines, whatever ? and then figure out an angle where one of those lines pulls your eye through the frame toward the subject. straight down nadir shots are cool but they get boring fast, its the low oblique angles where you can use those ground features as leading lines that really make photos pop

also golden hour is kind of a cliche at this point but theres a reason everyone says it. the shadows at low sun angles add so much depth to aerial shots, you get texture that you just dont have at midday. for real estate specifically that warm light on a facade looks way better than flat overcast or harsh noon sun

something small that helped me ? slow down before you shoot. i used to just orbit around and grab frames but now i actually stop, hover, and look at whats in all four corners of my frame before i hit the shutter. sounds obvious but you start noticing stuff like a distracting road sign or a weird shadow in the corner that youre about to include for no reason. also try shooting the same subject from like 3 or 4 different altitudes, the difference between 80ft and 200ft can totally change which compositoin works