Taking photos of property is easier (as long as you know what you’re doing) than taking photos of people.
The reason I say this is because property doesn’t move. You don’t have to capture it at the exact right second to get the perfect expression. It doesn’t matter if you take the photo tomorrow, or today… besides the weather conditions, it could turn out exactly the same!
You do need to know what you’re doing however, because Real Estate photography has a few other challenges that portraits don’t have. For example, in most cases you want to show your viewer what the room looks like from inside AND what the view looks like out the window! In other words, you need to know how to create an image that balances both the indoor light with the outside light. And that’s almost impossible in a single shot. To do it, we have to use multiple images.
The process is slower than most people think. I use a tripod and take anywhere from 3 to 7 pictures for each final photo that I want to have. Then I merge them to what’s called a high dynamic range (HDR) image using the computer afterwards. So, although the session itself is more predictable and “easy”, the work to merge the photos is more tedious and takes more skill than with other editing.
Here’s an image created from 3 images:
These are the original images:
This one was exposed brightly to get the inside looking good
This was an average exposure for the midtones
This was exposed for the bright light outside
Here’s another example of a final image, created with several images.
And one more example: If it’s very bright outside or the contrast is great, sometimes more images are needed to create a well balanced final image. In this case, I used 6 images to create one.
The above image was created using the 6 images below.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography offers numerous benefits for real estate photography, making it an essential tool for showcasing properties effectively. By capturing a series of images at different exposures and blending them together, HDR photography ensures that both the interior and exterior of a property are properly exposed, even in challenging lighting conditions. This results in images that accurately represent the full range of colors and details, from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights, creating a more natural and immersive viewing experience for potential buyers. Additionally, HDR photography allows for greater flexibility in post-processing, enabling photographers to enhance the visual appeal of a property while maintaining a realistic look. Hiring a professional photographer skilled in HDR techniques ensures that your real estate listings stand out from the competition with stunning, high-quality images that capture the true beauty of the property and attract more potential buyers.
This process isn’t necessary for all real estate photos of course, only the ones where you want to show the outside as well as the inside. Sometimes, the view outside isn’t attractive and it’s better to just show the room, and leave the window looking bright.
I hope that helps you see what goes into a real estate photo session! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me!
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