balexander101 Loc: Occoquan VA

I have been asked by a developer to take photos of all the rooms in his new condos. He will use them for marketing his properties. Any tips on lenses, lighting, etc will be appreciated!
(He would like them in a slide show ..as a virtural tour).

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

Use the widest angle lens you have. Use flash as necessary but double check a picture to insure correct white balance. Take pictures from the farthest corner and not into a bright window. Try to make the photos flow with the house.

With your white balance, check it with all lights on in a room along with your flash. That way you probably won't get shadow areas.

Make sure all shots are level. My wife is a real estate agent and very particular about her shots. I see some and would be embarrassed if they were mine.

Sarge69

balexander101 Loc: Occoquan VA

Thanks very much Sarge! Good points and advice for sure. I am planning on using my Nikkor 17-55 to shoot...and will use a tripod as well.

sbesaw Loc: Boston

http://www.photocentric.net/real_estate_interiors.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/interiors.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI-Xb_ewIyk

There are dozens of others

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Take a look here.

Real Estate Photography
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/interiors.htm
http://www.photocentric.net/real_estate_interiors.htm
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2008/08/one-light-real-estate-photography.html
http://www.realestatephotographypodcast.com/

BobD Loc: New Bern, NC

I do photoshoots for real estate agents as a profession, and have a few things for you to consider as well:
1. Always use a tripod, except in very small spaces, e.g., powder room, small dens or bedrooms.
2. Shoot from OUTSIDE the room to get as much coverage as possible, then crop afterward if necessary.
3. Many master bathrooms are better shot in both portrait as well as horizontal mode.
4. Try a few sweep panoramas, or stitch together adjoining photos using PSE 10 or other software.
5. Try a few unique angles... focus on granite counters, maybe a nice appliance, e.g., Viking range, etc.
6. Takes LOTS of shots, then select the best ones (obvious).
7. Try bounce flash for a softer effect, and make sure ALL table lamps are turned on for a warmer, more "welcoming" look. Shoot bedrooms, great/living rooms, and kitchens from multiple points-of-view.
8. A good polarizing filter for outdoor shots often helps as well.
9. Finally, if possible, make sure the property is DEcluttered, and DEpersonalized. Book cases should only be 1/3 full. Refrigerator art's gotta go! Only leave a FEW photos up of a personal nature. Buyers respond better to "model homes" than they do to a home filled with personal effects.
Good luck! In photography, as in person, you only get one chance to create a first impression. Make it a good one.

dfarmer Loc: St. George, Utah

I have done some of this myself and have a 15-55 lens but very quickly found that it was not the lens for the job. You need an ultra wide like 10-24.

BobD Loc: New Bern, NC

I agree. I use a Sony NEX F3, electronic viewfinder attached, and the Sony NEX 16mm lens with Sony wide-angle conversion lens. Unlike most conversion lenses, this one was designed for the 16mm lens, and it does a terrific job. Equates to 18mm in 35mm terms. A couple samples attached....

Pretty dark room. Lights add a warm glow.

BobD Loc: New Bern, NC

Oops. Second shot didn't post, sorry. Attached. I probably don't pay as much attention to white balance as I should, but I kind of like a "warm" look in my interiors.

Shot from small foyer.

ojibway Loc: Eastbourne, UK

I think estate agents are guilty of some of the worst photos I've seen - in the UK anyway. :thumbdown:
They are instructed to sell you house for you then take three photos - one close-up of an empty corner, one of an utidy garden and one of the toilet with the lid up!!:roll:
Our son is an estate agent and has sold our house twice and his sister's three times, usually to the first person to view. He does excellent photos with compact digitals (not sure which makes) and puts up enough shots to get give a really good idea of the house. He's had no training. Just has a good eye (two actually
;) )

ojibway Loc: Eastbourne, UK

Good advice,BobD
Declutter not just for the photos but to sell!
On estate agent's photo I saw was of the garden and there was dog poo in several places on the ground:!: :!: :roll:

BobD Loc: New Bern, NC

Yep. My wife is part owner of a real estate firm, and she says use the "Four D's" approach:

1. Declutter
2. Depersonalize
3. Deodorize, and...
4. Sellers DEPART when property is being shown. Let the agent do his/her job. Buyers won't be candid when the sellers are lurking.... Good advice....

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

If you have the time, try some bracketed exposures for HDR processing-- particularly for interiors with large windows with a garden view. Straightened lines and leveled tripod are a given-- as are clean, dust-free surfaces.

;-)

dfarmer Loc: St. George, Utah

Both very nice interior photo's. I too like a warm look to the photo's.

BobD Loc: New Bern, NC

Thanks.