HDR for Real Estate

[SeanH]

Been using it for some of my shots......here's a couple from today.
I'd really like some input from the guys that are using HDR 100% for this. I've seen some recent examples that just blew my mind........EVERYTHING was perfect! I still seem to have an issues with the windows / outside exposures. If anyone cares to share a bit of advice I'd really appreciate it..........Oh and I'm in San Diego so if your in another place we won't be competing......LOL

http://www.pbase.com/blue622/image/104352911.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/blue622/image/104352908.jpg


.......oh and don't be fooled by that first one.....the outside has been burned in.......I guess at least I had enough detail to burn with.......LOL

[Kronie]

I have done this for a few Realtors around here. Most of them would rather use there own P&S than pay me to do it. They like the look and would use it if it was free but......
Just meter for the window. Window being the brightest. Start there and expose down to where your satisfied.

[SeanH]

I have done this for a few Realtors around here. Most of them would rather use there own P&S than pay me to do it. They like the look and would use it if it was free but......
Just meter for the window. Window being the brightest. Start there and expose down to where your satisfied.

Thanks. Yea it's education on the Realtor's part. I have actually been in a real estate related job for 18 years, some of the agents still think only other agents are viewing this stuff. What they don't understand is whatever the post to their listing service is EXACTLY what goes to most of the large websites......realtor.com....etc. The fact that I sold sold my home and am looking for another couldn't have came at a better time for me to start my business. I am honestly blown away with the pure crap that I see when it comes to pictures of these peoples homes. The photography on these homes is the second most important thing.....other than price. I wonder how many great homes I have passed up online due to the piss poor photos I see of the home. My favorite is a home over 600K with one photo of the front of the house........that owner should fire that agent instantly! These are the points that have helped them to see the light......and me get the job. Thanks for your info.......maybe sharing my info with them will help you. :wink:

[canonloader]

I think these are excellent shots. Would you be willing to share your xmp settings file? :lol:

[SeanH]

I think these are excellent shots. Would you be willing to share your xmp settings file? :lol:

Just default batch processing setting........then "fixed" in LR. Normally bump the contrast, brightness, clarity, and sometimes de-sat some of the yellow.

[dekalbSTEEL]

My only advice would be non-photography related

I would think about removing some of the clutter on the countertops( canister set, 2 knife blocks, coffee maker, toaster oven, etc.)
before shooting. That would help show off the back splash and reduce the reflections in the countertops, which make it look too "busy"

[SeanH]

My only advice would be non-photography related

I would think about removing some of the clutter on the countertops( canister set, 2 knife blocks, coffee maker, toaster oven, etc.)
before shooting. That would help show off the back splash and reduce the reflections in the countertops, which make it look too "busy"

That's the agents job....not mine :wink: .......but that was with them moving stuff off for like 10 Min prior to that photo........should have seen it before! However I did just stop when I got to their bathroom.......tons of stuff all over the sink. I'll normally move a few things but that's about it, the agent and the homeowners know I'm coming, if their OK with it then so am I. Doesn't affect the way I get paid either way.......LOL

[CameraBuff]

You make those rooms look better than they do in real life.

[Tdragone]

( I just shot the Miramar airshow)
Nice prop blur :)

These are very subtly done; nice job!

[zacker]

very nice... if i was selling high end homes, i would definetly pay you for this service..

are you afraid this will dry up though soon? what with the housing and banking industry drying up?

[Vanthel]

You make those rooms look better than they do in real life.

Surely any real estators dream? :D

[wallybud]

Wy not just start taking exposures just for the windows/doors...this way they can be masked in after the hdr process is complete?

[beemaa]

Just touching on this topic, I got myself into real estate photography here in AUS, we have shot a few homes but im just a tad confused as to how I can meter the windows using bracketing and not move the camera as it needs to be perfectly still in order to minimize on the ghosting from movements etc.

A few images i took on the weekend... struggled a tad with lighting in the kitchen but i got it in the end.. pitty about the window. The lounge was also very dark from the small window and I had to reshoot that area quite a few times to get it right.

Both images are HDR.

Any ideas how I could have improved these 2 shots ?
I was using Ap 9.0

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr103/beemaa/Gaming/Photography/kitchen3.jpg
http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr103/beemaa/Gaming/Photography/lounge1.jpg

[johncolby]

Before you lock the camera to the tripod, just point it around to different parts of the scene to see what exposure the camera thinks is right for a given area. For instance, if you aimed at a shadow in the house and your camera wanted f/8 & 1/60 and then you aimed at the window and your camera wanted f/8 & 1/1000, then a decent place to set your manual exposure for the middle of the bracketed shots would be f/8 & 1/250. That way you'll cover the scene appropriately with a +2/0/-2 bracketed set of exposures.

[beemaa]

So for this to happen I should set the middle Ev to 0 and meter the middle first followed by the -2 and +2 ?

Or are you saying that when you meter, your metering is based on the middle of the bracket ? -2 ... 0 ... +2 .. so meter at the windows for example will affect or be aimed at affecting the middle bracket ?

Or am i completely off track here ?

[tmcman]

You may need to get an additional exposure that is even darker.
My experience with windows is the 3shot AEB sometimes doesn't have enough range to do it. One end of the spectrum is left out, either some shadow detail left in black if you are shooting a huge bank of windows or some highlight left in pure white if the window is a smaller part of the wall.

[canonloader]

It's not like your in a hurry. Set up the camera, take a shot, view it in preview. When you get the window exposed right, make note of the settings. Do the same for the shadows. Now, start at the window setting and take a shot, then dial down one stop, using the shutter speed readings. If it was 1/1000 for the properly exposed window, the next shot will be 1/500. And so on till you hit the shadows exposure time, cutting the time by half each time, one stop. Preview is a lot more accurate than depending on meter readings.

[beemaa]

OK, thanks for the feedback... ill give that a go on the next one

[Roy Webber]

I used a 430 EX flash, metered for the window and set exposure to manual.
This works for all but the very largest rooms.

[kirkt]

You may want to consider enfusing (exposure blending) your images instead of the typical HDR workflow. This technique yields very nice results (see, for example:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=641445

)

You can be more flexible in the increment between bracketed shots (ie, you don't have to stick to 1 or 2 EV increments) in that you can shoot one image for the exterior exposure, and then a couple for the interior elements and have enfuse do the rest. If you shoot RAW and use LR, see the LREnfuse plug in, which will save you multiple workflow steps.

Exposure blending is a viable alternative to HDR/tonemapping workflow and is extra nice for your application because it tendsnot to introduce the stereotypical color shifts and haloing found in HDR/tonemapping techniques. That said, you should set your WB to fixed and adjust any mixture of lights in PP.

Have fun!

Kirk

[Lazuka]

pretty sweet stuff!

[stargazer77517]

My wife is a Realtor, and that is the same answer I am getting. Its a shame I think. The HDR/Blended images seem much better than what I see online (HAR.com)

I have done this for a few Realtors around here. Most of them would rather use there own P&S than pay me to do it. They like the look and would use it if it was free but......

[canonloader]

Think about it. Why show a picture that probably looks better than the actual room? Buyer walks in and sees a room not at all as nice looking as the picture they looked at. Better to show a dingy, terribly lit, even unfurnished room, then walk the buyer into a nice, well lit room that looks much better than the picture. Get the feel good juices going and they want to buy. ;)

[Roy Webber]

Thanks. Yea it's education on the Realtor's part. I have actually been in a real estate related job for 18 years, some of the agents still think only other agents are viewing this stuff. What they don't understand is whatever the post to their listing service is EXACTLY what goes to most of the large websites......realtor.com....etc. The fact that I sold sold my home and am looking for another couldn't have came at a better time for me to start my business. I am honestly blown away with the pure crap that I see when it comes to pictures of these peoples homes. The photography on these homes is the second most important thing.....other than price. I wonder how many great homes I have passed up online due to the piss poor photos I see of the home. My favorite is a home over 600K with one photo of the front of the house........that owner should fire that agent instantly! These are the points that have helped them to see the light......and me get the job. Thanks for your info.......maybe sharing my info with them will help you. :wink:
Very good points

[mattograph]

Think about it. Why show a picture that probably looks better than the actual room? Buyer walks in and sees a room not at all as nice looking as the picture they looked at. Better to show a dingy, terribly lit, even unfurnished room, then walk the buyer into a nice, well lit room that looks much better than the picture. Get the feel good juices going and they want to buy. ;)


Problem is the buyer may never walk into the home if the pictures look like crap.



The photo is a sales tool. The photos job is not to sell the house, but sell the VISIT to the house. If bright pictures get the person to the house, their job is done. I don't think that anyone who REALLY likes a house is going to say "I love this home, but since the web pictures made it look brighter and cleaner than it is, I'm not buying it out of principal."

As an aside, I find it much easier to work for builders than for realtors. I don't know if its the fact that they are cheap (in a good way -- they work on commission and are always being nickel and dimed) but they just don't appreciate the good work. The builders I work for rave about it though. Maybe because I help them see their vision realized. (takes moment for deep thought.....) :)

[ChasP505]

...I have actually been in a real estate related job for 18 years, some of the agents still think only other agents are viewing this stuff. What they don't understand is whatever the post to their listing service is EXACTLY what goes to most of the large websites......realtor.com....etc.

...I am honestly blown away with the pure crap that I see when it comes to pictures of these peoples homes. The photography on these homes is the second most important thing.....other than price. I wonder how many great homes I have passed up online due to the piss poor photos I see of the home. My favorite is a home over 600K with one photo of the front of the house........that owner should fire that agent instantly!

I know this is an older thread, but Sean, your experience sounds similar to mine and you have summed up my feelings on the subject exactly!

[ChasP505]

Think about it. Why show a picture that probably looks better than the actual room? Buyer walks in and sees a room not at all as nice looking as the picture they looked at. Better to show a dingy, terribly lit, even unfurnished room, then walk the buyer into a nice, well lit room that looks much better than the picture. Get the feel good juices going and they want to buy. ;)

I'm not sure if this was intended to be "tongue in cheek" or a serious reply. If the former, I appreciate the weak attempt at humor. If the latter, I'm absolutely flabbergasted!

Real estate photography is all about getting potential Buyers to come out from behind their PCs and actually go look at the properties.

[ChasP505]

As an aside, I find it much easier to work for builders than for realtors. I don't know if its the fact that they are cheap (in a good way -- they work on commission and are always being nickel and dimed) but they just don't appreciate the good work. The builders I work for rave about it though. Maybe because I help them see their vision realized. (takes moment for deep thought.....) :)

The worst scenario is the agent/broker who is contracted by a small builder. They often don't take any pictures at all and maintain the fantasy that the model homes will photograph themselves.

[mattograph]

The worst scenario is the agent/broker who is contracted by a small builder. They often don't take any pictures at all and maintain the fantasy that the model homes will photograph themselves.

They don't?:eek:

[Harreh]

Great work, the shots aren't over done at all!
Congrats, keep shooting!