00FAQ
Answers for busy listing agents.
Scheduling, pricing, prep, airspace, MLS rules and what happens after the shoot. Can't find it? Ask us directly.
01Topic
Booking & pricing
How fast will I get the photos and video?
Photos: Next business day. Video: 2–4 business days. Rush delivery: Same day when booked before 10am.
Aerial, twilight and Matterport timelines depend on weather and processing; we'll tell you when we book.
What's included in a package?
Every listing package starts with edited interior and exterior photography in MLS-ready and web-ready sizes. Larger packages layer on services such as aerial imagery, floor plans, vertical reels, a property website and film.
The full inclusions for each package are listed on the pricing page, along with add-ons you can attach to any package. Prices shown on the site are illustrative starting prices and are confirmed with your quote before the shoot.
How does pricing by square footage work?
Packages start at a base price for homes in the first size tier (up to 1,500 sq ft). Larger homes add a set amount per tier, up to $400 for 7,500+ sq ft.
A few add-ons (2d floor plan, matterport 3d tour, 360° virtual tour, cinematic listing film) also scale with size because they take longer to capture. Use the heated square footage from the listing; we confirm it before the shoot.
Do you charge for travel?
Travel within 25 miles of Charlotte, NC is included. Beyond that, travel is $1 per mile. Addresses outside the listed towns are quoted. Travel is quoted after we review the address.
How do delivery and payment work?
You review watermarked previews first, so you see exactly what you're paying for. A 50% deposit reserves the shoot. The balance is due after you review the preview gallery, before full-resolution downloads unlock. Pay securely online from your dashboard.
Once the balance is settled, full-resolution files unlock in your dashboard: MLS, web and social sizes, video and links. Downloads stay available for 365 days. Brokerage and enterprise billing can be arranged.
Can I reschedule a shoot?
Yes. Reply to your confirmation or message us as early as you can and we'll move the appointment to the next open window that still fits your launch date. Any late-change terms are spelled out in your booking confirmation.
If weather rules out exterior, aerial or twilight work, we'll suggest a new time for those parts and can often shoot the interiors as planned.
02Topic
Shoot day
How should the home be prepared?
Photos show exactly what's in front of the camera, so a little preparation goes a long way. A quick checklist to share with your sellers:
- Turn on every light and replace burnt-out bulbs; open blinds evenly
- Clear kitchen and bathroom counters, including soap, sponges and towels
- Remove fridge magnets, photos and personal paperwork
- Make beds and smooth bedding; close toilet lids
- Hide trash cans, pet bowls, litter boxes and cords
- Move cars from the driveway and street frontage
- Mow, sweep walkways and turn off sprinklers the morning of the shoot
- Turn ceiling fans and TVs off
Can you shoot an occupied home? What about pets?
Yes. Most listings are lived in. We work room by room and can skip or limit rooms the sellers prefer to keep private.
Please arrange for pets to be out of the house or crated in a room we don't need, and let us know about alarms, gate codes or lockboxes in advance. You don't need to be on site if access is arranged.
Can you fly a drone anywhere in Charlotte?
Not everywhere. Much of Charlotte sits under Class B airspace around Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), where drone flights need FAA authorization before takeoff, and some locations have additional restrictions. We check every address when you book.
All flights are performed by an FAA Part 107 certified remote pilot, subject to weather and airspace authorization. If authorization isn't granted or the weather isn't safe, we'll reschedule the aerial portion or adjust the order.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Interiors can usually go ahead in light rain. Exteriors, aerial and twilight look best in dry conditions, so we'll offer a new time for those parts if needed rather than deliver a gray, wet listing.
03Topic
Media & compliance
What's the difference between twilight and virtual twilight?
A twilight shoot happens on site around sunset with the interior lights on, so the glow and sky are real. It's the strongest choice for luxury and lake homes.
Virtual twilight is a daytime exterior edited to a dusk look with a replaced sky and adjusted color. It's faster and costs less, and it's always disclosed as an edited image. Neither one changes the property itself.
Is virtual staging allowed on the MLS?
Virtually staged photos must be clearly disclosed. Every virtually staged image we deliver carries an on-image label such as “Virtually staged”, and the unstaged original of the same room is always included so you can show both.
Staging adds furniture and decor only. It never hides defects or changes walls, floors, windows, views or fixtures. Check Canopy MLS and NC Real Estate Commission guidance for the current rules on your listing.
What size are the MLS photos?
MLS sets are delivered as JPG files sized to 2,048 px on the long edge and kept under about 6 MB each, with location metadata stripped, which matches our Canopy MLS export profile. Canopy currently allows up to about 48 photos per listing.
MLS photos can't include text overlays, logos, people or contact details, so the MLS set is always clean. Web and social sets are delivered separately. MLS limits change from time to time; we confirm the current limits with Canopy, and you should too if you list elsewhere.
What's the difference between branded and unbranded tour links?
Branded links show your name, photo, brokerage and contact details, and are made for social media, email and your website.
Unbranded links remove all agent and brokerage branding for MLS virtual-tour fields and portals that require it. You get both for every tour and property website.
Should I choose Matterport or Zillow 3D Home?
Matterport gives the most complete experience: a measured 3D model with a dollhouse view and floor-plan view, and links that work on your website, social and the MLS.
Zillow stopped displaying Matterport tours on Zillow listings on October 20, 2025. If Zillow exposure matters for the listing, add a Zillow 3D Home tour, which shows on Zillow. You can also book both.
Is AI-assisted video accurate to the property?
AI-assisted motion is used only to add camera movement to real photographs of the property. It never adds, removes or alters rooms, finishes, views or features.
Any clip that uses AI-assisted motion is disclosed as such, and we review every frame against the original photos before delivery.
04Topic
Delivery & rights
How long does the property website stay online?
Property websites stay online for 12 months. When the home sells, the site can stay up with a Sold badge. Property websites stay online for the hosting period and can be renewed.
Each site has a branded version for marketing and an unbranded version for the MLS.
Who owns the photos, and how can I use them?
The studio keeps the copyright. Your purchase includes a license for you and your brokerage to use the media to market that listing: MLS, portals, your website, social media, print and email.
Using the media for other purposes, or passing it to third parties such as builders, stagers or the next listing agent, needs written permission. Just ask; it's usually simple.
Do you photograph condos, vacation rentals and commercial property?
Yes: single-family homes, luxury estates, townhomes, condominiums and building amenities, vacation rentals and commercial space. Commercial and multi-property projects are quoted individually.
Do you work in Spanish? / ¿Trabajan en español?
Yes. We're bilingual and can coordinate with you, your sellers and your clients in English or Spanish.
Sí. Podemos coordinar la sesión y la entrega con usted, sus vendedores y sus clientes en español.
Pricing details live on the pricing page. For anything else, send us a message.
Ready when you are
Ready for the next listing?
Book online in a few minutes, or send the address and we'll put together a quote for the listing.
Do I get images and video sized for social media?
+Yes. Packages with social deliverables include a social image set, and vertical reels are cut 9:16 for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Branded links are ready to share as soon as the listing goes live.