All about real estate Photography

Real estate photography can never disappoint. Stereotyped as the ’not so common’ area of photography, property photography has in fact lot more to offer than the other forms of photography choices. No matter what the state of the economy is, the need for a solid real estate photographer is always high. There are various tricks of the trade and millions of miniscule things that you must keep in mind while venturing into the field of real estate photography. A wonderful and important part of this is that you don’t have to be depended on anyone while taking your shots. It’s just you, your equipment and the property. The beauty with which the real estate is projected lies in your hands. Doing the best work that you can, in this field can give you a chance to meet many big shots and influential people, and also land you an amazing job opportunity. The skill and technique that you develop in real estate photography will also help you in wedding photography, portraitures and interior photography. Read on to find out more about this field what it takes to be a real estate photographer, its techniques, tricks, tips and advantages.

The Property photography equipment:

The amateur thing to do would be to take your SLR camera with a cheap flash gun, go to the corner of the room and start your shoot. And this is completely off bounds. There are many other parameters that you must take into account when you begin real estate photography. The most important among them is your gear and equipment. You have to settle with nothing but the best. The overall cost maybe a bit high but it is totally worth it, as you can easily and quickly recover the initial investment in this field. Here is a list of the things you will require initially:

Camera: SLR, 8 MP or above with interchangeable lens works fine. If you have the budget, buying a full frame DSLR is the best option.

Lenses: A very crucial component. Take into account the crop factor and quality before choosing the appropriate lenses. A lens with a crop factor of 60mm (or less) till 100mm is perfect. Also, you will need to get the entire room in view without the pincushion effect you usually get if a lens is too wide.

Studio Lights: You will need studio lights with high power. So that you can use them for the bigger rooms and power them down for the smaller rooms. Go for two to three studio flash lights with a power of 500W and above.

Tripod: A sturdy tripod is a must. It is what you will be using most of the time. So invest in a quality tripod.

Flashguns: Get two flash guns and use them efficiently. The will also need to have swivel/bounce heads.

Umbrellas: Luminescent ,white brollies that allow to fire the lights through the umbrella would be the right choice. These give a pleasing look to the room.

Stands: The stands need to be expandable and flexible. So that you can efficiently manage a photo in a crammed position too.

Leads: 10- 15 meters of extension cables with double adjustable sockets .

Slave unit: This is a small but efficient device. It is attached to the tip of the flashgun or speed light and directs the light remotely.

Batteries and Media: Appropriate storage device and backups are essential. A power backup should be available too.

Computer with Photoshop: Shooting the images is half the work done. The other half is software based. The brightness, finish and colour can be adjusted for a more aesthetic appeal.

Gaining Experience:

Once you have all the equipment, it’s time to gain experience. Don’t immediately jump to paid jobs without a portfolio. This will make you sound like you are not serious and are a newbie. Initially, you will have to gain exposure and experience. You can do so by practicing at your home, your friend’s place or at your parent’s. Make a portfolio of the pictures you are satisfied with and present it to your clients.

How to go about it:

Once you are at the site, keep all your equipments at one place, preferably in the hall or a large area. Survey the area and decide upon the exterior and interior area that you can make for a great photograph. Most probably, the client will guide you around the house and will also inform you of the rooms he would like to be photographed. Make an agenda and plan your routine. Even the weather can influence the look of the house. Keep an account of every single detail that the client talk about since even the smallest and insignificant things in his house can be of utmost importance to him.

How to take the perfect shot:

Find the right spot to fix the camera. Now this may sound very easy but it is not. Try to bring out the best feature of the room. If you are going to focus towards some source of light such as the window, the lighting equipment should be adjusted according to that. Find a corner that gives the maximum area of the room and all its features. Don’t in any circumstance take a picture of the door unless there is some speciality to it.

Setting the lights is equally important. Turn on all the indoor lights too. If you still feel that the image should be lightened, increase the exposure time. The exposure time plays a crucial role as it can make a great image or do the opposite. It helps to bring out the natural glow of the chandelier and the lamps.

The format of the image can be determined depending on its usage. RAW images are great for real estate photography provided you have enough time to process it. JPEG images are smaller in size but while making its bigger prints care has to be taken as it can distort the details of the original image.

A problem can arise if there are dark areas leading in or out of the room where the studio lights can’t reach. Place the speed lights or flashguns with slave capabilities are just the thing that you will need. Keep these in the locations where they do not come in the line of the camera and watch them work wonders.

Natural light is the perfect setting for a room. If you are doing a morning shoot, place your camera where you can utilize the most of the natural light. This gives a stunning look to the furniture and gives the room an overall sense of comfort and cosiness.

By simply observing the room before you begin the shoot will you a clear idea of the lighting. Try your best to make use of the natural light as much as possible. Figure out the area where the help of the spot sight would be required.

Aperture and Shutter speed:

You have set your camera with the perfect lighting in the room, but the wrong exposure and aperture speed can totally ruin a beautiful setting. If you have set the aperture speed for a very short time, the image will just soak the immediate shock of light when the spot lights fire. If the aperture speed is set to a bit slower, not too low though, the resultant image of the room will be bursting with light in the right spaces and the image will be soaked in beauty.

If you are in a dark room, with no natural lights and have to manage with studio lights alone, but you want to capture the natural glow of the indoor lights, then a longer exposure time will be the right choice.

Extra fitting to the property:

Generally, the occupants of the property will make sure that everything is in order at their place. All the curtains are in place, the room looks spot on but you see these stains, a few stray wires here and there, the back of the sofa, what to do next?

You are on the property and you see lot of not so appealing things that will most definitely not create a good impression. But photos have to be taken and they have to make the room look good. A quick fix to do is to carry your props with you. A vase with flowers, a fruit basket with wax fruits and as such can quickly fix the scene and make it appear more bright and cheerful.

What about the reflections?

This is one problem that you will definitely come across. The bathroom can be particularly hard, so can a room with lots of windows. If you can see the light, here are a few things that you can try:

• Move the lights so that they aren’t visible

• If still they remain visible, tilt the windows or the reflecting surface at such an angle so that it

isn’t visible

• If the object is fixed, then cover it with a curtain or other material.

• If still the problem persists, you can make the necessary changes in Photoshop.

Factors to be considered while photographing particular rooms:

Bedrooms: The bedroom holds a very important place in a photo shoot. Try to make it as personalized as possible. Make it look cosy, comfortable with soft lighting. Make sure to include any special features that the room has such as fireplace, antique furniture, chandelier or a walk in wardrobe.

Stairs: These are the special features of the house, the staircases and hallways make for great photos.

Living room: the living room of every family drastically differ. If the room is large, will a panoramic view do it justice? Make appropriate use of the lighting. If the room has a fireplace, ask the owner to light if for you prior some time for evening shoots- this looks wonderful and adds a very homely feel to the photo. The personal items of the owners can be moved around, but remember to place them back to their original place after the shoot. Make the most of the space available.

Kitchen: The kitchen, just like the bathroom will have reflective surfaces. It will also have patios and cupboards. But first, you will have to clear the place of clutter.

Dining room: the factors that you will have to consider are the windows, if they should be closed or left open. If the dining table is made of glass, it will also act as a reflecting surface. Also, you will have to make proper arrangements of the lighting. In many houses, the dining room and the kitchen are joint. So while taking a shot of the kitchen, include a view of the dining room too.

Don’t forget to capture strong exterior shots as well. This means that you will have to do a lot of scouting work before hand. You will have to find the right lighting. The owner might also want you to take a shot of the real estate if it has extra lighting on the outside. You will have to reduce the exposure time in order to compensate for the sun light. An ideal time to take the photo of the exterior of the house is when the sky is slightly overcast. This will minimize all the shadows present.

There might be many other paces that the client would like you to photograph. The right lenses, techniques can do the trick, make an ugly compact room into a beautiful spacious room. Explore while you photograph the home. Slowly when you gain experience and start working on more projects, you will discover your style of working and your comfort zone in photography. Expand your horizons and contemplate your options. Try to give your best in every shot, take re-shots when necessary. Any parts of the photo hat have not come out the way you would like it to, you can always Photoshop it. Any other special features that the house has, anything that caches the eye can be caught in a frame too.

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