Interior Photos - How can I also capture the views outside the windows?

I am a realtor and want to be able to take interior photos of people's homes but while photographing a room I also

want the photo to capture the view that is seen outside the window. I see so many photos taken inside various

rooms and you can see the beautiful outdoor view through the window but all mine come out completely white and

you can't see much of anything out the window.

<p>In that situation, you need to set the camera's exposure so that it favors the bright outside light, and then <em>add</em> light to the interior so that it doesn't appear dark by comparison. If you can't add lighting (flash units, etc) to the scene, then you have to split the difference, exposure-wise, and try to find the sweet spot between preserving the outside scene's details and not losing the interior in the shadows. Usually, this means setting the exposure on your camera manually.<br /><br />If you can't control the light, then choose to control the time of day that you shoot. For a brief period early in the morning, or late in the day, you'll find that the outside light's brightness matches (closely enough) the interior light.<br /><br />This can quickly get more complicated if you're looking to be accurate about the interior's colors while also making the outside daylight look right. This is when you need to become more photographer than realtor ... or, get a pro involved, if the project has enough margin in it for you.</p>

They are probably using some form of HDR processing or they could be using interior lighting that is bright enough that it balances with the window light allowing for proper exposure of the whole scene.

 

HDR processing is probably cheaper and easier. Photoshop CS5 includes quality HDR processing (I wouldn't say this about earlier version of PS) but Photomatix sells a product that does it too. Finally, you could do the the blending manually for your images in any image editing software that you choose using different layer blend modes and masking.

 

Good luck.

 

--Wade

Meter the outside for your camera's flash sync speed. If the camera sync speed is 1/250 then see what aperture the outside scene calls for at 1/250 shutter speed. Let is say it is f/8 at 1/250. The go inside and set the camera lens aperture and flash for f/8.

<p><a href="http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/Blending_Exposures/">Here's a tutorial</a> on how to use two different exposures to make one image.<br>

You would need to use a tripod. First take a photo with the interior of the room properly exposed. Then, with the framing exactly the same (hence the tripod) take another photo with the window properly exposed. Follow the steps in the linked tutorial to add the properly exposed windows to the properly exposed room.<br>

Good luck</p>

<p>+1 for "Hire a Pro". I'll second that Matt's and Katherine's advice is sound and should help you take the shot, but pro home photos cost only a few hundred and can increase the sale price considerably.</p>

<p>I would use the tripod and two exposures technique and blend them in with Photoshop or GIMP, etc. - - very easy to do</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I have no idea what equipment and level of work you hope to use to achieve , but if you're looking for a technique thats going to achieve what you want with a point & shoot and just a moments work after you've photographed then I fear you are doomed to disappointment. If thats where you're starting from, probably the only thing you can do is to time your visits for when the apparent difference in brightness between inside and outside is minimised. Outside of the practical issues of achieving that, you'd have to recognise that this is hard to achieve when from different rooms you're photographing in any and all directions, and that you actually want the outside to look bright and cheery rather than waiting till its dull and gloomy just so it doesn't blow the highlights. So personally I wouldn't bank on that route..</p>

<p>IMO you need to do one of three things.</p>

 

<ul>

<li>Hire a professional photographer who knows how to do what you want and already has the equipment to achieve it reliably.</li>

<li>Use a slr and a separate flash unit and learn to use it to fill in darker foregrounds (interiors) whist exposing the outside correctly and keeping the interior colours reasonable </li>

<li>Use a tripod/multiple image/blending technique to produce the right picture after the event. </li>

</ul>

<p>If you actually enjoy this sort of photography, don't mind investing time and money in it, and have the time to spend learning and testing the techniques involved, then the second and third options might work well and you might enjoy it. Otherwise recognise that if your competitors are getting good photographs the chances are that they have professional help, and that right now they have a competitive advantage over you.</p>

<p>1. Hire a pro that has the strobes, umbrellas and lighting equipment and the knowledge to use them properly.<br /> 2. Mount camera on tripod take several different shots and blend them with HDR software.<br /> 3. Mount on tripod take two exposures one for the room one for the window. Cut and paste window into room. Naturally, this is going to change the color of frame and trim of the window in relation to the wall<br /> 4. Using any on camera or on camera flash with extension cord simply will not work. See #1.<br /> 5. Under expose by two stops and bring out room details in PS or some other software.</p>

Ah, me. Things were so much easier in the old days before these modernistical auto everything cameras came along to make things easier.<P>

 

If a camera had a sync speed of 1/125 and the outside exposure called for f/8 at 1/125, that was it. Set the lens to f/8 and the Vivitar 285 flash to blue (f/8) and take the shot. The outside is properly exposed at 1/125, f/8 and the inside is properly exposed at 1/125, f/8. Everything matches. <P>

 

I'm a filmist so the only digital camera I have is a Canon A570 point and shoot with built in flash. There is not much I can do with it since everything was made so easy for me. Still, I took the following shot by aiming the camera at the window so the matrix meter set the exposure for the outside, held the shutter button down half way to keep that setting, turned the camera to compose the shot of the room and then pressed the shutter button the rest of the way to fire the flash, which was set on manual, and take the shot. <P>

 

<center><img src="http://jdainis.com/living_rm.jpg"></center><P>

<p>Nice example, James. This is actually something that a P&S can do a decent enough job at as long as the flash is powerful enough because their leaf shutters allow relatively high flash sync speeds.</p>

<p>You've had good correct answers -- it's a matter of taking control and balancing the light between the interior and exterior. You can do that with the right equipment (controlled application of flash, preferably off-camera flash). One other way is to wait until around dusk and let nature balance the light for you. If you turn on all the interior lights, as the sunlight dims around sunset, there will eventually be a time when the light outside roughly matches the light inside. You may need to use a tripod, because the light level will be low. This method requires a lot of patience and some planning, but no sophisticated equipment. </p>

<p>If you're going to do it regularly and on a schedule, I'd forget about the "twilight method" and hire a pro and/or invest in some off-camera flash equipment. But the "twilight method" can work, and can be one of the cheapest and simplest ways to do this, if you've got the time.</p>