Real Estate Photography Critique

[Canon1]

A couple of tips. Always shoot from a tripod with a level setup. Ideal height is about chest high. (Higher around kitchen counters and lower in bathrooms). A big one: try to include two corners of the room in the same frame. This will give the room perspective and not s feeling that two walls run out forever on either side. Practice tips and advice you get from others in your oen home. Practicing new tdchniques on the job is a bad idea. Just a few to get you started.

Agreed on practicing at home. I'll be doing that this weekend. I have tried a few times but have been embarrassed to post pics because shortly after I clean up my house, my two kids destroy it. I believe they can't live without their stuff littered from room to room. :-[

My tripod has two bubble levels on it, but I don't trust the setup because the quick release system that's on it (it's sunpack and I can't find a way to change the head - http://www.rakuten.com/prod/sunpak-platinum-plus-7500-pro-tripod/211117344.html ) makes the camera not level even though the tripod is. I'll be investing in a bubble level, but not sure how to add it and keep my flashes going. I'll just need to look and see what's available. Do you have suggestions? For now, I'll have to eye-ball it when using the tripod.

Thank you for the advice on camera heights per room!

Regards,

Wes

With a WA lens it is really easy to see level when looking through the viewfinder. Get the height where you want it, then look at architectural lines. It will be level top to bottom when the vertical lines (door frames, wall corners, etc...) are parallel with each other. If they angle towards or away from each other then you need to tip the front of the lens up or down. Same goes for tilt left and right. You basically want to "square" up as much as possible so that lines look square and level. This way you don't lose image data when you correct perspective in post and have to crop.

A trick for shooting exteriors. When light isn't good, at a little warming to the WB. It looks more sunset-ish even when the light doesn't agree.

White balance can be a real tough one when inside. Conflicting light sources confuse the camera. (Different temp from natural vs florescent vs led vs inca etc...) Try natural light shooting only when available and use longer exposures on the tripod. If the DR is too huge try bracketing.. Just remember that the more editing you have to do, the more work it is, and the more you will need to evaluate the value of your time and charge appropriately. Just don't undervalue your time. Marketing is the biggest expense for a realtor when selling a house. With EXCELLENT images, there will be more prospective buyers and realtors will sell property faster. Expensive photos up front can save thousands of $$ in marketing if you have a house on the market for many months or years! (Market yourself!)

 

[Hillsilly]

Coming from a different perspective as a property buyer rather than a seller or photographer, the properties that catch my attention are those that look warm and inviting. Places that I want to live in. Your interior shots are fine. They're functional and wouldn't dissuade anyone from taking a closer look. But there is always ways to improve.

I like lighting. RiceCake didn't mention this specifically, but if you look at his images, the interior lights are all turned on and play a prominent role. I find this a very nice look and a real attention grabber.

As Canon1 suggests, tweak the white balance to warm the images up a little.

The outside photos work ok, but could be improved. Perhaps a different time of day would have shown the property at its best potential. A great sunset in the background always work well - especially when you have so many interesting things in the yard. (But then, how much time do you spend on this when you're not being paid?) But the right image will quickly change buyers thoughts from - "ok, its got a big yard", to "I want that!".

I'm surprised they didn't want photos of the exterior. Just thought I'd mention that the latest trend over here is to display a photo at sunset with all of the the interior lights turned on and visible from outside. Every house looks great that way. I know many people Photoshop a sunset in and also merge multiple photos to get the perfect look. In taking the photos of the property, you'd use flash on the exterior in selected places, which you'd then blend in to give you a well lit, beautiful looking house. But that goes back to how much time do you want to spend on this project?

The other big trend is aerial photos (eg via quadcopter / go pro - another excuse to be buy one!). People also use long extension poles to elevate a camera for an interesting perspective. The serious guys use trucks in which the extension pole is integrated into the back, providing a very stable and secure platform which can be remotely operated.

But your self-critique shows that you know what you are doing and I haven't got much more to add.

 

[Sella174]

Some excellent advice here regarding the technical aspects. However, presentation is just as important. The interior photos are cold ... I'd have emptied my own closet and shelves for props. Add some chairs, tables, etc.

 

[Canon1]

Some excellent advice here regarding the technical aspects. However, presentation is just as important. The interior photos are cold ... I'd have emptied my own closet and shelves for props. Add some chairs, tables, etc.

This is a great point. Great images start with great subjects.

The realtors I worked with hired home stagers as well. This is an added expense for the realtor, but again, attention to these details sell houses faster. Buy a book on home staging... and convince your realtor to buy one too.

Just remember... you are a photographer. You don't move dirty dishes, or pick up dirty clothes or stage homes... You photograph them. Any additional input should cost the realtor an uncomfortable amount of money to make sure homes are ready when you arrive.

I went to one house that was a disaster. The realtor cleaned every room before I shot it, and I had to help move furniture around. It took 4 hours to do a 45 minute job. I charged the realtor 4x the normal price for images with my time detailed on the invoice. I never went to another house with that realtor that wasn't ready for me...