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Jul 7, 2018 14:31:42   #
CaptainEd
 
I recently did a real estate shoot, my first, for a friend that has a VRBO rental. I wanted to try out a technique to see if I was interested in doing it as paid work, and her marketing photos were pretty bad, the home is newly remodeled and beautifully staged, so great fit.....

So, now she's building another home for the same purpose, It is nearly a complete knock down of a typical 50's Florida house. I suggested she make a "story book" to leave in the house for her guests that show the process of how the place they were staying in got there. She likes the idea and asked me to price it for her. This leaves me with a couple of questions:

The home is currently completely open, no roof, few walls, very raw. How should I photograph the place to make the captures interesting? Should I go with high noon, or a more shadowy time? I know there is no science here, but I figured there would be some Hogs out there that have shot construction.

The second question is what tool(s) to use to make the photo book? I have just started to explore Lightrooms capabilities, but only for a few minutes so far. I have not looked into other options at this point, and am hoping for some guidance on what to stay away from, or if there is a stand-out solution to make a coffee table book type product.

Thank you in advance,
-Ed G.


(Download)

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Jul 7, 2018 15:13:01   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
I will let more experienced real estate photographers comment, but first, I would crop both sides slightly to get rid the picture frame edge on the left and the chest or bookshelf on the right which isn’t vertical. Any line that isn’t vertical will be distracting, and if I had it to do over, I’d move the lamp in the left foreground which I find distracts from the overall photo, but just my opinion. I think I’d also turn on the overhead fixture in the blue room at the end, both to light the room a little better and to shift the color balance closer to the front room which is lighted by the incandescent lamps. I am pondering if using a longer lens (if possible in the space you have) and compressing the perspective a bit might show more of the far room. I’ve also considered cropping out the overhead fixture and ceiling in the front room. You’d lose the ceiling detail but your eye wouldn’t be drawn to the lighted fixture. Just some thoughts and I am by no means a pro (and I do tend to crop pretty tightly)...

Cheers

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Jul 7, 2018 18:23:34   #
AlohaJim Loc: Retired. Hawaii >> N. Arizona.
 
Most architectural and R/E photographers I know use "Tilt-Shift" lenses.
Natural light with flash or strobe fill.
Keep line's dynamic without losing realism or getting "cute" or "artsy".
Colors natural and vibrant but not over pushed.
Try shots above eye level and below eye level vs the standard boring "snapshot".
I normally do commercial and "job site" photos in the early morning. Not heavy shadows but early enough to avoid the noon haze. For indoors or semi indoors, a really fast lens helps. For details and "non wide angle" I use the Canon 50mm 1.2 "L" lens.
For construction, focus on what is special and unique. IE: A well designed portico, kitchen to ranch style flow to living room, unique stacked ledge stone over the fireplace. Things like that.
Look at high end architectural and realtor magazines, Architectural Digest, etc. There is a "look" to strive for.
And, overall, avoid the "snapshot" look. IE: a room, a kitchen, a yard, a house.

Some thoughts.
Aloha
jim

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Jul 7, 2018 18:37:08   #
CaptainEd
 
All thoughts well taken. I'm not happy with the perspective in any of the shots and have been playing with dxo perspective some today with decent results. My goal here was to see what i could do with ambient light. If i get into this, I'll improve my arsenal. I made shots with lights on, and of, because I've read that both are awesome, and both are horrible. I like the lights on in this home as they warm it up a bit, and i like the lights with the exposed filaments. This was a 5 bracket shot. As i get better at indoor exposure, I'd like to get to three for quicker post.

I tried Photoshop's warping, but it's tedious and tries to think for you a bit much. Dxo, so far, is working better.

This will take some time to learn, as anything does, but it's so much better than the phone snaps I see in rental and sales listings... We all have to start somewhere.

The food news is that this is a friend that will let me take what I learn and re-shoot the same home so i can compare apples to apples as i change up my technique. Yep, I'm a long way from shooting for Better Homes and Gardens, but we all start somewhere.

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Jul 7, 2018 19:59:38   #
rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA
 
Several ideas:

Have you thought of doing a panorama series and stitching it together in Lightroom? My own living room which is deep and wide, could not be framed with one shot, unless I used a fisheye, which was not the effect I wanted. I ended up doing a 5 shot pano with a 24-70 and stitching it together in LR.

Secondly, the Lightroom Book module produces excellent results. I have several friends who make photo books of vacation trips, kinda like the 2018 version of slide shows in the 70s.

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Jul 8, 2018 00:02:26   #
AlohaJim Loc: Retired. Hawaii >> N. Arizona.
 
Visit here for some ideas.
Architectural at Fstoppers.
https://fstoppers.com/group/74050/photos

If you don't have a Tilt Shift lens, you can apply the "keystone" feature in Capture One to straighten out the perspective and lines.

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Jul 8, 2018 00:47:03   #
repleo Loc: Boston
 
CaptainEd wrote:
I recently did a real estate shoot, my first, for a friend that has a VRBO rental. I wanted to try out a technique to see if I was interested in doing it as paid work, and her marketing photos were pretty bad, the home is newly remodeled and beautifully staged, so great fit.....

So, now she's building another home for the same purpose, It is nearly a complete knock down of a typical 50's Florida house. I suggested she make a "story book" to leave in the house for her guests that show the process of how the place they were staying in got there. She likes the idea and asked me to price it for her. This leaves me with a couple of questions:

The home is currently completely open, no roof, few walls, very raw. How should I photograph the place to make the captures interesting? Should I go with high noon, or a more shadowy time? I know there is no science here, but I figured there would be some Hogs out there that have shot construction.

The second question is what tool(s) to use to make the photo book? I have just started to explore Lightrooms capabilities, but only for a few minutes so far. I have not looked into other options at this point, and am hoping for some guidance on what to stay away from, or if there is a stand-out solution to make a coffee table book type product.

Thank you in advance,
-Ed G.
I recently did a real estate shoot, my first, for ... (show quote)


Try to anticipate the shots you will want to take of the finished product and then take your progress shots from the same points and angles. Try for an even light. Keep the progress shots simple. You want the finished product to stand out.

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Jul 8, 2018 07:15:46   #
wham121736 Loc: Long Island, New York
 
You can use Edit, Transform, Distort in PS to remove/straighten the left and right edge distractions.

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Jul 8, 2018 07:46:25   #
Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV
 
You are getting great technique advise. One thing you should look at is, if you are doing a complete how it was built photo log, think of all the things that are behind the walls that someone may be interested in later on. Such things as the wiring path or the plumbing path in the event some additional construction project is wanted later. Also, should something go wrong later on, being able to see how the walls were framed or materials used could be helpful. Those are the things that would be useful to me, even more that the quality of the photo or the artful style used.

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Jul 8, 2018 09:13:00   #
gerdog
 
It is amazing how bad the photography is by some realtors, at a time when even a cheap cell phone can produce good pictures. We need people like you who care about the results. Good luck!

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Jul 8, 2018 10:52:01   #
Ron Dial Loc: Cuenca, Ecuador
 
I used to do a lot of high-end housing photography. Lighting is the KEY. Expose for the interior with few shadows and reflections. One guy I used to work with used strobes and large white bed sheets to filter, zoom and/or bounce light. Once you have then entire house exposed for the interior. Go back to the exact same spot from which you took the first photo with the same focus, but this time expose for the outside. Then you cut and extract the exterior pictures and place them in the windows of the rooms. This is how Architectural Digest prefers it be done. The other alternative is to bring up the lighting in the house so it is the same F-stop as the exterior light.

Beware the difference in the color of the light outside and inside. Good Luck.

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Jul 8, 2018 11:56:12   #
DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX
 
I recently retired from architectural and real estate photography. I admire your enthusiasm but I suggest you put your energy in other directions or make a serious study before you reinvent the wheel. Real estate photography is a skill requiring an ability to shoot under all lighting circumstances. Shooting an in-focus wide-angle image is not real estate photography but once in a while, it is. The key is to know the difference and when to employ what method. Spend a couple of years in the trade then venture. Everyone with a new DSLR and has a realtor friend or relative is an all-of-a-sudden real estate photographer. Good luck.
CaptainEd wrote:
I recently did a real estate shoot, my first, for a friend that has a VRBO rental. I wanted to try out a technique to see if I was interested in doing it as paid work, and her marketing photos were pretty bad, the home is newly remodeled and beautifully staged, so great fit.....

So, now she's building another home for the same purpose, It is nearly a complete knock down of a typical 50's Florida house. I suggested she make a "story book" to leave in the house for her guests that show the process of how the place they were staying in got there. She likes the idea and asked me to price it for her. This leaves me with a couple of questions:

The home is currently completely open, no roof, few walls, very raw. How should I photograph the place to make the captures interesting? Should I go with high noon, or a more shadowy time? I know there is no science here, but I figured there would be some Hogs out there that have shot construction.

The second question is what tool(s) to use to make the photo book? I have just started to explore Lightrooms capabilities, but only for a few minutes so far. I have not looked into other options at this point, and am hoping for some guidance on what to stay away from, or if there is a stand-out solution to make a coffee table book type product.

Thank you in advance,
-Ed G.
I recently did a real estate shoot, my first, for ... (show quote)

Reply
Jul 8, 2018 12:28:38   #
gerdog
 
Your photo is already better than many of the real estate listings I have seen in Bay City, Michigan, my home town. There is a need out there. My 5 MP cell phone camera takes better point and shoot pics than some of the ones these "professionals" use to try to sell a property. I don't want to buy a property that looks dark and dingy, but that's what they post on their websites. Sellers and buyers both deserve better. Your photo looks bright, but warm and inviting as well. Just enough shadow in the background to look realistic, rather than overly staged. I like it.

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Jul 8, 2018 12:39:49   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
gerdog wrote:
Your photo is already better than many of the real estate listings I have seen in Bay City, Michigan, my home town. There is a need out there. My 5 MP cell phone camera takes better point and shoot pics than some of the ones these "professionals" use to try to sell a property. I don't want to buy a property that looks dark and dingy, but that's what they post on their websites. Sellers and buyers both deserve better. Your photo looks bright, but warm and inviting as well. Just enough shadow in the background to look realistic, rather than overly staged. I like it.
Your photo is already better than many of the real... (show quote)


You’re correct, there are truly awful photos attached to a large percentage of ads. When I was looking for a property to purchase recently, I started to make a list of all the realtors that desperately need a competent photographer and give them a call, but I didn’t feel I had the requisite experience to enter the business on a professional level. (even though I have photographed a number of properties, and my shots were an order of magnitude better than what had been posted)

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Jul 8, 2018 12:54:28   #
gerdog
 
TriX wrote:
You’re correct, there are truly awful photos attached to a large percentage of ads. When I was looking for a property to purchase recently, I started to make a list of all the realtors that desperately need a competent photographer and give them a call, but I didn’t feel I had the requisite experience to enter the business on a professional level. (even though I have photographed a number of properties, and my shots were an order of magnitude better than what had been posted)


Amazing, isn't it. Especially when there are free software programs that could improve their photos with one click. A buyer just clicks right past such ugly listings on a website.

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