“To make an apartment still under renovation look ready to sell with the right light and optics was my client’s goal. in this article on real estate photography i explain how i approached this project. “
In a previous article in my real estate photography blog I explained how to photograph a space with 2 flashes. The result was incredible: color, “matched” lights indoors and outdoors, infinite depth of field, in short everything that is in trend and demanded by the market in recent years.
However, this project was more “immediate” and economical. The idea was to shoot a photo in the afternoon and deliver it the next morning. This time a single stobist flash mounted on the same camera and a successful combination of iso and aperture gave me excellent results: the right fill and light with the right depth of field. These are some of the camera and equipment parameters for this professional real estate photography work:
- Canon full frame Eos 5-d bodies
- Lens 17-40 Canon Eph 1:4 L USM (my favorite lens for real estate photography)
- Speedlite Canon, my “all-rounder” flash
- Manfrotto tripod
- Lightroom and Photoshop
- Deco magazine type layouts
Ttl or manual, knowing your flash both are valid
Unlike post where I was talking about lighting with 2 flashes there have been 2 key factors to take into account that allowed me to work faster and more focused on the property (not so much on directionality and light bounces) when using only one flash: the time chosen for photography and the dimensions of the house.
- The time chosen: it was undoubtedly a key factor. When I arrived at a beachfront apartment in October, what I found was: an almost non-existent backlight, very soft. An “easy” light since the flash became a secondary lighting and not a “key light” as in other projects where you need a lot of flash power. No doubt choose well, very well, what time you are going to arrive at the property you want to photograph.
- Angular lenses feature: they offer exceptional depth of field even at medium diaphragms. This combined with a high camera iso allows the ttl flash to do its job very well, filling in a lot and being very efficient in the images. Even with high whites, “high key” images such as those of the kitchen shown in this post.
- Ttl or manual: so that 🙂 that the 2 are worth. My experience makes me feel comfortable in ttl for fill (I usually compensate between +1 and +2 my flash) and manual where I need more flash power.
LAYING OUT LIKE A MAGAZINE
An added value that I have always given to my real estate photographs and my clients is how to compose the images on the computer. Once I have the “must have” photos on the property, the ones I know the client will ask for, it’s time to be more creative. Normally in the apartments and houses I photograph I take vertical shots so that later in the studio I can form compositions of 2 photographs in 1. The resulting images have the appearance of a double page of an interior design magazine. They are very appreciated by my clients and have always worked very well for me.
- Shoot some photographs in portrait format.
- Use different focal points for different plans: general, medium and detail plans if the house has them.
- Correct trapezoidal or concave/convex lines and deformations.
- Compose your favorite vertical shots on a single canvas with those pictures like the ones below.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Working with 2 flashes in “special” properties and when you have time it is a pleasure for the photographer, it is very nice to create light. When the projects are more economical, simple and we have to deliver the photographs urgently know your equipment and lighting parameters such as knowing what light makes the time I get to photograph are key to successfully perform this type of work. Many times and against certain beliefs I find, photographing a simple project is more profitable than a luxury villa that looks great in portfolio but requires a lot of equipment and time in shooting and in the studio.
If you have more questions or want to further develop the technique of real estate photography with various flashes do not hesitate to write me, I will be happy to assist you.
That was my advice today!!