Real Estate Photos: I am having problems with taking photos for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. Some of the bedrooms I photograph are small so it seems like when I look at...

Davet Loc: Fort Myers, Florida

I am having problems with taking photos for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. Some of the bedrooms I photograph are small so it seems like when I look at the picture, the room is all bed. Any suggestions? I am shooting at 17mm with a 17-55 Nikon. Do I need a shorter lens for the job like this?

DSandoz

In my experience the shorter the better. I would try to choose a corner opposite the bed, the closer you are to 17mm (or even less if you can get a slightly wider angle lens just short of a fish eye) the better.
I would put it on a tripod as tight in a corner as possible and away from any furniture being close to the lens. (The closer anything is to the lens the more it will look distorted)

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Davet wrote:

I am having problems with taking photos for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. Some of the bedrooms I photograph are small so it seems like when I look at the picture, the room is all bed. Any suggestions? I am shooting at 17mm with a 17-55 Nikon. Do I need a shorter lens for the job like this?

Nikon makes a couple of lenses designed specifically for Architecture and Real Estate photography.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1292139-REG/nikon_pc_e_nikkor_19mm_f_4e.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/545664-USA/Nikon_2168_Wide_Angle_PC_E_Nikkor.html

NoSocks Loc: quonochontaug, rhode island

Try shooting toward the bedroom door. I've found that that sometimes helps. Be sure to get rid of perspective distortion in post.

ifurnish Loc: Katy, TX

Mac wrote:

Nikon makes a couple of lenses designed specifically for Architecture and Real Estate photography.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1292139-REG/nikon_pc_e_nikkor_19mm_f_4e.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/545664-USA/Nikon_2168_Wide_Angle_PC_E_Nikkor.html

Do you know if Canon makes any?

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

ifurnish wrote:

Do you know if Canon makes any?

No, I don't know. Sorry.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Davet wrote:

I am having problems with taking photos for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. Some of the bedrooms I photograph are small so it seems like when I look at the picture, the room is all bed. Any suggestions? I am shooting at 17mm with a 17-55 Nikon. Do I need a shorter lens for the job like this?

What camera are you using?

Falcon Loc: Abilene, Texas

Davet wrote:

I am having problems with taking photos for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. Some of the bedrooms I photograph are small so it seems like when I look at the picture, the room is all bed. Any suggestions? I am shooting at 17mm with a 17-55 Nikon. Do I need a shorter lens for the job like this?

17mm should be wide enough to get enough of the bedroom without distortion. The sweet spot for interiors is 20-24mm. Unless you are shooting from directly overhead you cannot get all of any room in the frame. The idea is to get enough of the room so as to suggest its entirety. Try setting your camera just outside of the door against the farthest edge of the doorway. Then zoom enough so the other edge of the door frame is just barely outside of the frame. Compose the shot to get at least part of the furniture at either edge of the frame. This will help suggest the dimensions of the room--even though it is small.
If you use a fisheye lens the picture will look odd and potential buyers will pass it by. I've seen real estate photos done with a fisheye and they can be very "arty." That photographer even shot a rather large living room with the fisheye. It made the room look as if it had some very weird architecture. However, this is commercial photography for advertising purposes and potential buyers are looking for accuracy rather than art.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Davet wrote:

I am having problems with taking photos for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. Some of the bedrooms I photograph are small so it seems like when I look at the picture, the room is all bed. Any suggestions? I am shooting at 17mm with a 17-55 Nikon. Do I need a shorter lens for the job like this?

Wide and fast is needed for these shots. Obviously you have a crop sensor Nikon. I recommend the 11-20mm F2.8 Tokina lens for your needs.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

A youth size bed will make the room larger. No one buys the furniture with real estate anyway.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Davet wrote:

I am having problems with taking photos for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. Some of the bedrooms I photograph are small so it seems like when I look at the picture, the room is all bed. Any suggestions? I am shooting at 17mm with a 17-55 Nikon. Do I need a shorter lens for the job like this?

Try shooting the room as a stitched pano - with a slightly longer focal length. Part of what you are seeing is extension distortion, which is only made worse with shorter focal lengths. Things up close are huge, and everything else is tiny. Just a thought.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

ifurnish wrote:

Do you know if Canon makes any?

Yes they do.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Davet wrote:

I am having problems with taking photos for a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. Some of the bedrooms I photograph are small so it seems like when I look at the picture, the room is all bed. Any suggestions? I am shooting at 17mm with a 17-55 Nikon. Do I need a shorter lens for the job like this?

That questions answers itself ! If your lens doesn't let you see more than the bed in the room, yeah, you need something wider!

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Gene51 wrote:

Try shooting the room as a stitched pano - with a slightly longer focal length. Part of what you are seeing is extension distortion, which is only made worse with shorter focal lengths. Things up close are huge, and everything else is tiny. Just a thought.

This was my thought also! Wider with more distortion doesn't make sense to me. But then, although I shoot interiors, it's not for real estate. For RE, I suppose it depends on what the RE agent finds acceptable.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

jdubu wrote:

This was my thought also! Wider with more distortion doesn't make sense to me. But then, although I shoot interiors, it's not for real estate. For RE, I suppose it depends on what the RE agent finds acceptable.

Or what you can get away with . . . for the price they are willing to pay.