Real Estate Photography Question
A family member has asked me to photograph his condo to update its Zillow profile. I have two Nikon camera bodies, both crop sensors. On d500, I could use my sigma 17-70 lens. On my z50, I have the standard 15-50mm lens. I realize I need to be able to shoot at the widest angle possible, but wonder if these lenses will be sufficient to do that?
These images will not be used for real estate sale purposes, but for this family member to get an assessment of how much equity he has accumulated on the property.
I don’t do this type of photography often, so any advice would be appreciated.
Pm me I do it all the time .
The Z50 kit lens is 16-50, which is slightly wider than the 17-70 Sigma. I'd use the 16-50 from the corner of the room. If you are allowed 2 photos, you could always angle the lens to take in the left, then right. If only one, maybe overlap a bit and do stitching. Of course, you could also do 2 shots, 1 each from opposite corners of the room.
As a former Realtor, I shot my listings with my 18-140mm on my D7100 and it was excellent, except for extremely tight areas like bathrooms. I think you'll be fine with what you have. As stated above, shoot from the corners, stay level and balanced. Be sure to stage and straighten up. Turn or remove obstructions. Oh dear, I think I could go on and on. Use fill flash and full
if necessary . Bouunce fill with windows if you want the view.
Relax and take lots of shots from different angles .
Bridges
Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA
Either of your setups will be adequate. One important thing to keep perspectives as close to normal as possible, position the tripod so the camera is equidistant from floor to celling. If you have 8 ft. cellings, the camera should be positioned 4 ft. above the floor. 12 ft. cellings would need the camera position at 6 ft.
15mm on a crop sensor will leave you wanting in smaller rooms but mostly you’ll be fine. My only additional advice is to shoot raw. You will need the dynamic range in post to dodge and burn shadows and highlights. Multiple flash units may be needed for lighting areas deep into adjacent rooms. You could also use in-camera HDR if your camera supports it. If you want to get an advanced lesson, check out a Rich Baum video.
Be carefully time of day with sun coming into different rooms at different times of day. Bright window light can really throw off metering.
Might have to straighten walls with really wide shots, but others who this can advise you better
lyndacast wrote:
A family member has asked me to photograph his condo to update its Zillow profile. I have two Nikon camera bodies, both crop sensors. On d500, I could use my sigma 17-70 lens. On my z50, I have the standard 15-50mm lens. I realize I need to be able to shoot at the widest angle possible, but wonder if these lenses will be sufficient to do that?
These images will not be used for real estate sale purposes, but for this family member to get an assessment of how much equity he has accumulated on the property.
I don’t do this type of photography often, so any advice would be appreciated.
A family member has asked me to photograph his con... (
show quote)
Your Z50 with the 16-50mm lens should work fine. Be mindful of light and don’t be afraid to use a flash. Also, use a tripod otherwise shots that are not level will distort your images of the rooms walls. Shoot from the corner of a room to get two walls showing.
CPR
Loc: Nature Coast of Florida
Turn all the lights on, shut off the ceiling fans, open window shades, close toilet lids and add lights so all areas are nice and bright. I use a 10 or 18 mm lens.
You see a lot more of that stuff in your photos then you see with your eye.
Great advice
CPR wrote:
Turn all the lights on, shut off the ceiling fans, open window shades, close toilet lids and add lights so all areas are nice and bright. I use a 10 or 18 mm lens.
Having done real estate photography many years ago I always opted for the zoom lenses that gave me the ability to show what I was trying to say. In your case I would probably go for the larger zoom.
Bubbee wrote:
As a former Realtor, I shot my listings with my 18-140mm on my D7100 and it was excellent, except for extremely tight areas like bathrooms. I think you'll be fine with what you have. As stated above, shoot from the corners, stay level and balanced. Be sure to stage and straighten up. Turn or remove obstructions. Oh dear, I think I could go on and on. Use fill flash and full
if necessary . Bouunce fill with windows if you want the view.
Relax and take lots of shots from different angles .
As a former Realtor, I shot my listings with my 1... (
show quote)
And turn on as many lights as you can. Having a light on in the scene, even in daylight, gives the feeling of warmth.
rcarol wrote:
And turn on as many lights as you can. Having a light on in the scene, even in daylight, gives the feeling of warmth.
Yes, that, too! But be careful of the mirrors and glass, as they can pop. The ambient light is very important, but uneven, which is why I found bounced fill very important.
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