A couple of RE photos: I've been dabbling in this for about a year and half. Presently I'm only shooting for my GF who is an agent. Here are two pics of the same bedroom. Which one is...

skylane5sp Loc: Puyallup, WA

I've been dabbling in this for about a year and half. Presently I'm only shooting for my GF who is an agent.
Here are two pics of the same bedroom. Which one is better and why?
I do 5 bracketed raw, merged with Real Estate Fusion in Photomatix, then correct perspective and whatever else in PSE.

Always looking to improve. Thanks for your critiques.

(Download)

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

For me the second one makes the room look much wider and larger. First shot almost makes it look like a cabin on a cruise ship. Just my .02¢

skylane5sp Loc: Puyallup, WA

BassmanBruce wrote:

For me the second one makes the room look much wider and larger. First shot almost makes it look like a cabin on a cruise ship. Just my .02¢

Hah. It's a fifth story condo above a marina. I actually thought cruise ship when I first walked in...

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I don't shoot as wide as you do. I usually shoot at 24mm or close to it. Normally, not always, I try to compose two walls with and angle of view about 18-24 inches higher than a bed or table. I avoid too much ceiling. When shooting ambient, bracketed images, I always use a color card to help with my white balance in post. I do shoot raw (only). I use off-camera flash most of the time. I always use a tripod with a geared head and I make every effort to make certain each shot is level and at an appropriate height and angle. I use a remote trigger or set my camera's timer so I can have my off camera strobe (a NiceFoto 680W) bouncing to reduce shadows. I sometimes use additional strobes. Mostly, I post in LRCC using camera corrections first to adjust my verticals. If I don't like my vertical adjustments I will hop over to DXO ViewPoint2 and make corrections. The verticals in your bottom image are way off. When I make detail shots, I use a 24-70 or 70-200 and shoot with a flash on TTL. Real estate photography is tough. Lighting and composition changes from room to room. You don't have much control over the staging most of the time. A real estate photographers job is to record the property as it is. If something is really ugly I do my best not to record it but often it cannot be helped. Enhancements and sky replacement are forbidden in the two MLS areas I service. I do not use HDR or over-cook my images. I did use HDR on one of my first shoots and it really got a lot of positive feedback and increased showings only to have someone ask the agent to show them the property in the pictures and not the one they brought them to. That's why I don't over-cook. The money shots are always the elevation images followed by the kitchens. Good luck.

skylane5sp Loc: Puyallup, WA

DavidPine wrote:

I don't shoot as wide as you do. I usually shoot a... (show quote)

Thank you for your time. Regarding the last image, I did straighten the verticals and also did a straight on from the front but the agent preferred the "look" of this one. Do these look over-cooked to your eye? Little steps... I have yet to dive into supplemental lighting but that is next.

mallen1330 Loc: Chicago western suburbs

I like the composition of your second BR shot best. I suggest using "Natural" Fusion choice in Photomatix. The "Real Estate" preset is a bit too dark for my taste. No, your shots do NOT look "overcooked". You're not using tonemapping.

I agree with David. Off-camera strobes will help eliminate the dark "dirty" or "smokey" noise in the corners, and help with color balance and sharpness.

I tend to crop out the ceilings so that a corner point where walls and ceiling converge is the highest point in the final composition.

skylane5sp Loc: Puyallup, WA

mallen1330 wrote:

I like the composition of your second BR shot best... (show quote)

Thank you for the feedback. "Fox Valley Tours". Are those all your work?

mallen1330 Loc: Chicago western suburbs

skylane5sp wrote:

Thank you for the feedback. "Fox Valley Tours". Are those all your work?

Yes. Some of those jobs go back a few years -- before I started using off-camera strobes, bracketing, and HDR fusion.

RichardQ Loc: Colorado

skylane5sp wrote:

I've been dabbling in this for about a year and half. Presently I'm only shooting for my GF who is an agent.
Here are two pics of the same bedroom. Which one is better and why?
I do 5 bracketed raw, merged with Real Estate Fusion in Photomatix, then correct perspective and whatever else in PSE.

Always looking to improve. Thanks for your critiques.

No. 2 is the better RE image, by far IMHO. The first image is dominated by the bed and cushions, all of which do not contribute to the marketing of the room and make it seem crowded. No. 2 promotes the space by offering the viewer an optical path to the sliding door. The bed is restored to an appropriate size. My compliments on the lighting.

skylane5sp Loc: Puyallup, WA

RichardQ wrote:

No. 2 is the better RE image, by far IMHO. The first image is dominated by the bed and cushions, all of which do not contribute to the marketing of the room and make it seem crowded. No. 2 promotes the space by offering the viewer an optical path to the sliding door. The bed is restored to an appropriate size. My compliments on the lighting.

Sight lines. Something else to remember. Thanks! The lighting was ambient.