Photocraig

I'm a retired Broker and I did my own photography and we used the photos to sell some high end homes. I used a Canon film camera with a 20-35mm lens. I now own a Canon 77D which has the same sensor size as your Rebel. I now own the Canon EF-S 10-18mm and that focal length is ideal, at a reasonable price--often available refurbished.

As far as the tripod is concerned, it is ESSENTIAL for good Real Estate Photography. However, most of my interior shots were done from a low angle, and a smaller tripod would be useful. The off camera flash is essential and a small $20 light stand would be very useful. Also, a good reflector helps you "cast light" into a shadowy place.

I suggest you read and take to heart Camerapapi's words of caution. While this isn't the most demanding genre of photography, technically, the clients (Agents, brokers and sellers) are very demanding. In addition, most of them are not sophisticated about photography and what a good image is--and how much effort and investment is required to deliver the best results. So, you will have to tackle some challenging situations (like showing the view outside a window in a room that is lit by flash, or avoiding "keystoning" when shooting the front of a 2 story house--or staircase). At the same time you will need to price your services and image products to be workable for the Commission only agent--who often believes that the phone shots are good enough. Selling those points, requires a depth of knowledge a step or two beyond where I sense you are.

I want to encourage you to take this opportunity, push yourself hard for more education and make your very best efforts to learn and make it work. A little research (you tube has some good videos ad well as some good paid tutorials) and a lot of practise and experimentation will get you there. Also, post processing is essential to do the straightening and cropping and exposure correction you will need. Beware, this is a sales representational ethics situation. Fixing and straightening is OK. Modifying, switching parts of images etc. could be material misrepresentation, and in a fit of buyer's remorse, could land you and your client agent in litigation.

On that note, be sure your form your business and license it properly. There might be help with the support organization, but there is no substitute to forming a corporation or LLC and being properly licensed and INSURED. You will be in homes listed for sale. Things "go missing" and the first suspect is the Agent and the contractor (you) who was in the home last. Things get broken, same deal, and maybe you did do some damage. And you can slip, fall, etc. and get injured making you unable to work. Find a reputable business insurance broker and get covered. This is an exciting opportunity for you to start a nice business. Drive to the upside, but COVER the downside.

I'm wishing you the very best. Don't hesitate to PM me.
C

PS: For bathroom shots, be sure the seat is down!!

Murray Loc: New Westminster

Check with your local high school as many offer free evening courses, including photography for adults.

dreamon

lsupremo wrote:
Look up Ken Rockwell’s review on the Tokina 11-17mm 2.8 vs the Nikon 12-24, Tokina better but cheaper.


Might you be referring to the 11-16mm Tokina?

Yep... might have been a typo he made; 6 is next to 7...

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Canon 10-18, great lens, Bob.

stanperry Loc: Spring Hill, Florida

Be sure the LID is closed!!.....lol

TonyBot

A good resource is your local SCORE (Service Core Of Retired Executives). They may or may not be able to directly help you in your endeavor, but they are frequently a good resource for lots of info, as well as open the possibility of developing a network of contacts.

rcarol

"PS: For bathroom shots, be sure the seat is down!!"

Also, make sure your reflection doesn't show in any of the mirrors and make sure the tag end of the toilet roll is folded hotel style. Adding towels to the bathroom will tend to soften the hard surfaces.

Be sure to turn on the lights even when photographing in the daylight. Incandescent lights tend to warm up the room.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

Of course basic photography is basic, but of all the professional (or advanced amateur) genres of the field, real estate is one of the simplest and most straightforward. If you can take a good picture of your house or apartment building, you are on the way. Any good book from the library on that subject, or on basic photography, should be enough basic training. Providing a few pictures of a house or other building is not hard with any camera (now they all have zoom lenses) with a little practice and experimentation, and digital lets you see if you need to take a shot over (right on the spot).

Real estate pictures don't win awards at photography competitions or sell to the general public as art, but an artistic nature will show. Agents send a photographer to take shots because it is not worth their time to do it, and the pay is far less than other professional assignments for photographers--most professionals probably do not do that work. (Professionals are also not hired to do mug shots for the police, though basic portrait knowledge is used.)

Note--I do not think real estate pictures are the same as classical architectural photography such as you find in corporate annual reports--those pictures are among the most expensive in all of photography, and very great skill and art are required. Realtors typically want good snapshots at a nominal cost. They can use these to point out the fireplaces or the kitchen remodel. By no means do I mean that this job is not worth doing--it opens doors and it is worth doing. But I mean that a beginner can soon do well with it.

Once you learn what shots the agents want, there is a sort of formula in it, just as there is for the more lucrative areas of photography, and I can't think of a better starting place in photography for learning the skills that can later be applied to additional work, with less pressure. Fortunately, with digital, you can take lots of pictures and let the client choose--there is no wasted film there.

On the other hand, today people may want videos of a house, and lots of them. More can go wrong with video than with still photos, and there is an element of style in video that starts where postcard pictures leave off. Even a sound element may be wanted, selling the virtues of the house. A good public library may have books that are up to date in this specialty--if not, try eBay. My public library has thousands of photography books, and I read hundreds of them when I started (and I own many now), but again, if you want to start with one specialty, the task is much easier. I myself have never taken an interest in video, though my digital camera can do it--Hollywood has a staff of hundreds of people to make movies, all of them well trained and experienced in the various arts, and if we make home movies, they look like home movies. If the customer does not have high artistic demands, a beginner can learn to satisfy them--again, with books and perhaps community college class. Many states have job-related training at community colleges or tech schools without charge or under a grant. (In Tennessee, all community college is free.) If you take a class, tell the teacher what your main interest is, and he or she will try to direct you there.

Of course, running your own business is also a learned skill as well as a talent--you have to learn that as well. Again, there are many books on running a photography business, but you don't need all the chapters for a start. Skip portraits, weddings, product shots, sports, models and photojournalism (most of the book). But read the parts about business aspects such as keeping records. Most states will license your business if you go to them, but they don't require it. (Farmers don't have to get a business license, but they can.) You probably won't have to collect sales taxes, but be sure. It is better to ask a lawyer--the tax man wants to tell you to pay taxes, and such things might be interpreted depending on how you operate. A picture may be taxed when sold retail, while photography work for hire is not.

Any living takes time to learn, even selling apples on the street. (There is a lot to learn there...) We have to find the balance between too much thinking and worrying, and not enough. In America, you can still start out a beginner and end up a pro. If you can find one or two customers willing to work with you, soon you can make your way. My own mantra has always been, "All business is personal." Only when I forgot that did I go astray. And don't forget common sense--it doesn't always work, but it is always a reasonable defense if you get in trouble.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

Or at least flush it if needed.

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

I have been out there many years. All of the photographers at a wedding loved to shoot over my shoulder. Still today when i am out shooting sports I find the moms and dads near by. I always give advice when asked. I have also performed on stage as Guitar player, singer, and as a KDJ host. I did a lot of this until I finally went digital. Going into photography I never ever realized it was not just how good I am as there is a lot of competition out there. Just like performers on a stage what you bring to the job counts as much as how well you use what you brought with you. Shooting 35mm at weddings never received the attention I got when I opened a large metal case displaying my Bronica and all of the extras I brought with me to do the job with. The same is true today. The better the gear the more respect you seem to get from your audience. I can shoot a wedding with an old film brownie and get similar results to the Bronica. Had I used the old Brownie I know that the studio I was working for would have been called on Monday before I arrived with the film I had shot on Saturday. Since you are judged by the people you hang out with so too are you judged by the wanna be photographers that arrive on those special days. Those people are waiting to be impressed by what you brought with you as they have never seen your work nor watched you work until that day. So on that day you must impress those who observe and make them your friends and you do that by knowing the gear you bring with you and by being courteous and by not bringing with you the very low priced budget gear your competition already owns. If those people tell the bride you are no good and your gear is not even pro, and believe me they have the brides and grooms ear when you are not with either the bride or groom, you may find the job on hand as being a bit more difficult to perform. I restarted as digital with a Nikon D5200 with only two lenses. I got the job because of my abilities as I shot for the studio 20 years prior and built my reputation for best work and best customer relation. As soon as I was paid I upped my gear to the Nikon D7200 Due to what it brought to me as a good camera for sports shooting for yearbook coverage as a pro. I carry two of them with different lenses on each one so as to never change lenses unless I need to. Since I now carry more than one D7200 tethered to me on a sling and one on my vest I am taken very seriously and command my audience. When I show up others ask my opinion and ask for help. They see me as a pro not as uncle Joe out to shoot his kids sport. So do the police at the events as they never card me or ask for ID. I look like a pro.
In my early writing I said Nikon D850, I could have said D500 or D810 or Hasselblad. To be good you may not have to have the top of the line but you are by and especially the latest generation of people by what gear you have and bow you use it and by how courteous you are. When on assignment you are judged by all things including your equipment. If the news crews show up they are carrying top of the line Nikons full frame. They too will judge you as well other studios along with editors of magazines. It is all in the game as to how you play it as to how much you have to win when you play it. Sorry if you took some offense at my mentioning a D850. To me it is my next step up from what I shoot today so I had that number in my head when I wrote the last comment. I could have said Hasselblad. In fact I called one of the wedding studios when I went digital and I was told if I had Canon gear I could come back to work for him. I still do not know why he went Canon other than price I just said thank you and moved onto the next studio I used to shoot for.
I do hope this answered your question. Like I said you are judged not just by talent alone these days. No one sees your talent until you are finished and the studio or magazine produces your work for the customer to be seen. Until that time you will be just another guy or girl with a camera on an assignment so know your gear and do your best work and perform like you never performed before, be it on assignment or on a stage.

Photocraig

Hi,
After replying before, I was trolling (in a good way) on you tube and found this video about a food photographer's first paid shoot. While food is different, most if not all of the issues she discusses, are relevant to Real Estate. And, by the way, sometimes there are close up details in a home that all by themselves will create buying positive feelings.

Go spend 12 or so minutes with her. She's sharp and very encouraging. She's using a Canon 70D in her other vids, which is very similar to your camera. Her other videos on exposure, focus, etc. are quick, and to the point without a lot of arcane technical terminology. Good knowledge refresher and because she's so charming, it is painless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYW2EOYWBAc

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Southern California is one of, if not the hottest real estate markets in the country, with something like a < 2% availability rate in many neighborhoods. My nephew is a real estate professional, and this is the quality of production using Drones, Still and Video to market an exclusive property.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyFU6niwAEc

That's my nephew Sam running through the house and my brother-in-law Dale's GTO. Home sold in 2 days above asking price.

Englert

Yes on the bathroom shots!......made me laugh. Thanks for the great info and encouragement. Much appreciated. I am just now realizing it is going to be much more involved than I ever thought. I'm getting the right equipment and have been researching and learning everything I can. I'll check into the insurance aspect again with my state vocational rehabilitation program help I'm getting. Guess I'm not going to start making $ right away. So much to get right and quickly so I don't end up loosing potential business in future referrals. Thanks again. Monica

Englert

I just typed out a fairly long response but not sure if I sent it right? Did you get my response? If not I'll redo it. Thanks. Monica

Englert

Good idea! Thanks