Real Estate Photography

<p>Need Help. I was asked by local realtor to take about 50+ professional images of a home in town. The thing is, I've technically never shot "real estate photography". I would love to do it, but I just don't know where to begin. Pricing, lighting, best lens, tricks of the trade, etc. I want to present myself to this realtor as quickly and as professionally as possible. Any suggestions, hints would be helpful. THanks! Jeff B.</p>

<p>It has been my experience of realtors that they simply won't pay for quality.....so when you assess price, make sure you are not underpricing your work! I won't comment on the various technical challenges.....that's for you to work out, but be up-front with realtors about the fee you expect. Your conversations are likely to be quite short.....Regards, Robert</p>

<p>You see......Old Ruin.....</p>

<p>Realtor sees $300.000 fixer upper......</p>

<p>He is willing to pay 28-20 dollars for some good pictures........</p>

<p>+1 to what Robert is saying - I've talked to a few local developers even about doing shots for their websites / model homes / neighborhoods and the response has pretty much been universal - we have someone in the office who has a point and shoot and for what we do - that's good enough quality. </p>

<p>The other side of that spectrum is the upscale Realtor who is marketing toward a high end client and isn't afraid to drop $1,000 plus on photos of their multi-million dollar property. These are architectural photos more than real estate photos - and for those you need four things 1) High Quality Camera 2) High Quality Glass 3) Tripod and 4) Knowledge of lighting (off camera) and how to use it. </p>

<p>The Realtor that is looking for the later is looking for some one that can stage the lighting to look spectacular, yet natural, can get the colors exactly right (green should be green, not brown or white) and can do that for every room in the house. </p>

<p>Best lens - you need something that is tack sharp and yet wide enough - with low distortion - so you get the most of the room without having to spend hours in post. </p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

<p>You see......Old Ruin.....</p>

<p>Realtor sees $300.000 fixer upper......</p>

<p>He is willing to pay 28-20 dollars for some good pictures........</p>

<p>I knew I had an image of the ruin.....</p><div></div>

<p>David,</p>

<p>now you tell us which is THAT lens :)<br>

I was taking pictures in expensive hotels over the past 2 days and it took me forever to straighten walls and so on...</p>

<p>Real life, I took a job doing real estate editorials for a news paper, with photos, for estate agents. I would do 3/4 properties a week (usually on a single day), take the photos and write the editorials. I got to see alot of houses, from renevators delights to prime location luxury homes. Cover perhaps 200km on the day. $40 per editorial, including the photos. My camera? A P&S Ricoh.<br>

Why did I do it? Experience!<br>

The thing is, I did this job for a year, learned alot about real estate photography and wrote some of the finest fiction ever seen. Actually sold several homes with my work.<br>

People with money, in your case the agent, have money because they don't part with it if at all possible. You aren't going to get rich from this job but you will certainly enrich your skills and portfolio and with the right attitude you can have some fun.</p>

<p>Once you've figured out if you need apoint and shoot or a full blown DSLR setup, here's some specifics (I shoot Nikon so I'll be using Nikon terminology):</p>

<p>DSLR: FX and DX work equally well.<br>

Lens: For FX: Something in the 14-35mm range works well. For DX, 10-20mm is best. The lens doesn't have to be fast because you'll want greater DOF, so you'll likely shoot at f/8 anyways. If you don't mind some post production, you can use a fish eye lens and convert it to rectilinear later.<br>

Lighting: You'll want it off camera and diffused. Umbrellas are easiest to use, since they pack up easily. You can use off camera strobes with umbrellas or a dedicated off camera lighting setup.</p>

<p>Tips and Tricks: </p>

<ul>

<li>If its nice outside <strong><em>and</em></strong> there's a nice view, expose for outside and let the flash expose the interior.</li>

<li>If it's an ugly view outside, pull the curtains</li>

<li>Set up your lights to resemble natural. It's a lot harder than it sounds, but once you get it it becomes second nature</li>

</ul>

<p>Hope this helps,</p>

<p>RS</p>

 

<p>I thought real estate shots would be a natural extension of the architectural photography I was doing at the time, but found the firms and agents to be really cheap. They were very picky too.</p>

<p>When I was a kid, I came across a pile of framed real estate 8x10s and took them for the frames, many of which I still have with something or else in them.<br>

These were from no later than the late 40s and probably earlier.</p>

<p>All that has been said on the standards of architectural photography in the context of real estate was as clearly true then as now. Obvious to a pre-teen actually.</p>

<p>They just want pictures that will save them and a client a useless trip to the site.</p>

<p>They will definitely not like "arty" shots with lots of perspective distortion, etc. It couldn't "hoit" if the picture makes it look a <em>little bit</em> (not a whole lot) better than reality.</p>

<p>Hi Jeff,<br>

I shot some real estate gigs about 6 years ago on Long Island, N.Y. I charged $75/hr and they jumped on it which made me assume that I was charging less than others. I basically used on camera flash bouncing off the ceiling. Some of the larger rooms needed one or two flashes with pocket wizards attached, but most were just one flash bounced off ceiling. Try and balance interior lighting with exterior lighting, try not to let outside view look blown out (sun light too bright) or look like black holes (dark night view with no lights). With digital it's pretty easy to check that. Most jobs took an hour to an hour and a half. I used a Nikon 18-70mm lens that came as the kit lens with my D70. You can't really go too much wider than that or else it starts to get that bubble, fish-eye look. Try to include as much of the room as possible without distorting. Shoot from each corner of room and pick the best ones when you edit. Don't get hung up on personal ornaments but try and get good shots of permanent fixtures like fireplaces, balcony, etc... Don't forget exterior shots, decks, swimming pools, garages, etc... It's pretty straight forward. </p>

<p>Pricing is up to you, but I would be in the $300.00 to $500.00 range which is super cheap.<br>

Work out all the details first including payment and shot list. 50+ photos is a lot of a house, so if you have a game plan going into it things will go much faster. The few Real Estate agents I have dealt with were very picky and they are working with the perceived money of a sale. Meaning they may or may not have the money to pay you. <br>

You will need a tripod and torpedo or spirit level to straighten the camera. Be sure to check out all corners before setting up your gear and the low angle or couch view shots usually are the most effective.<br>

The lighting is dependent on the price and time of your bid. If this is a high end all day job then bring everything you have. I love photographing interiors and with the proper lighting you can really get some great photos. If you are trying to be in and out then your SB... or whatever will work with some diffusion and creativity. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate it. I've got a 17-55 with a 40D body. Like it was mentioned before, I'll just have to shoot every angle possible with a tripod, go to work in Lightroom and pick the ones that best suit them. Thanks for letting me know about shooting at f/8. That was one of my concerns. Also, would shooting in HDR be beneficial or would that be a waste of time? Thanks again everyone. Jeff</p>

<p>I usually shoot at ƒ22. It is very important that everything is in focus. HDR is possible if you can do it quickly. Being able to crank the work out is important to your profit and be sure to charge for your post production time. Generally speaking the client needs these photos yesterday. The faster you can deliver a great product the better you will look in the eyes of the client.</p>

<p>Do the stunningly incredibly most amazingly fantastic job you can that will blow their minds, having accepted their (agreed ahead) pittance.</p>

<p>However in acknowledging the 'contract', clearly detail on it that you normally charge $1000 an hour and will heavily discount this job for them, to the level they want, because it's their first time and you're a nice guy.</p>

<p>Then when they drool over the results - which sold the house in record time of course - and come back to you for more - <strong>you</strong> can decide what level between their pittance and $1000 per hour you wish to accept. Or walk away with a smile.</p>

<p>It can work both ways!</p>

<p>17 mm on a 40D is not wide enough. <br>

Camera height is critical.<br>

Make sure all the toilet seat covers are down.<br>

No converging verticals (keystoning).<br>

HDR is not a waste of time. Making the scene look realistic and avoiding color casts and a smoky, hazy look is not trivial and can take a lot of post processing time. Avoid tone mapping and start with simple exposure fusion.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The best single source for information and advice about real estate photography can be found at <a href="http://PhotographyForRealestate.com">http://PhotographyForRealestate.com</a></p>

<p> </p>

<p>Oops.<br>

It's <a href="http://PhotographyForRealEstate.NET">http://PhotographyForRealEstate.NET</a> (not .COM)<br>

But the site seems to be down this morning.</p>

 

<p>+1 for greg. Also i think there's a interior forum on flickr. +google scott hargis<br>

Al</p>

<p>I came to get some tips on photography and came across this thread. I am a Realtor, I use Obeo which not only photographs, but does a virtual tour and uploads to all the real estate websites. Their packages begin under $200. This is for homes that I have listed that are over $400,000. For under that, I either call one of the photographers I've worked with who will do just the photos for a flat fee of bet 100 and 150 for 15 photos, which I make into a virtual tour myself using Visual Tour, or I photograph them myself with my Nikon P500. The wide angle is great for all but the smallest rooms. I also take the preliminary photos for the MLS while I am waiting for the photographs. Frequently my photos look just as good as theirs, however theirs are a wider view, and naturally they are better at compensating for the outdoors seen through a window. Just an FYI for the comment that we'd be willing to pay $1000. . . on a house I sell for $500,000 I get about $7,000 before taxes and whatever outlay I have, so I'm not likely to pay $1000 for photographs.</p>