Valid Complaint? Real estate photography.

Hi all,

I just finished up shooting my first real estate shoot. I think they turned out pretty dang good however the customer told me that they thought "it was a mistake shooting it at night." Due to the fact that there were reflections in the windows. Obviously I could clone them out but it never once crossed my mind that I would need to? Here are some examples:

they look good, but if the customer wanted day shots you should give them day shots

I like the darker windows myself, but why not mix it up? Some in either early morn or at the golden hour, then some after dark.

rick_reno wrote in post #15300168
they look good, but if the customer wanted day shots you should give them day shots

They didn't specify day shots. They didn't give me any specifics at all actually and the problem was that it took a lot longer to shoot than anticipated due to complications. Some The outside was shot during day time as well as some of the other rooms.

The thing that get's me is that if the house has all these special lights installed, wouldn't you want to show off how it highlights? Just a thought.

They look OK ,I would be more concerned about the verticals than the reflections.
No3 looks very effective

troutfisher wrote in post #15300201
They look OK ,I would be more concerned about the verticals than the reflections.

That was my thought as well.

Is this a paid gig? If the customer feels that the shot could be better, maybe you should agree with him or her. I know nothing about real estate photography but I know that you should always have your vertical lines line up straight. And clone out the light reflections on the kitchen table too if you could. Considering a tilt shift lens if you can afford one. Don't tell me your lens is too wide and creating distortions and I or the customer has to live with it. Tell you what? How about the customer not hiring you next time.....???

Dorian7 wrote in post #15300193
They didn't specify day shots. They didn't give me any specifics at all actually and the problem was that it took a lot longer to shoot than anticipated due to complications. Some The outside was shot during day time as well as some of the other rooms.

The thing that get's me is that if the house has all these special lights installed, wouldn't you want to show off how it highlights? Just a thought.

I guess you should've discussed this before the doing the shoot. Considering that they didn't give you specifics, that should've prompted you to ask questions to find out the specifics. Personally, if it were me, I would re-shoot and try to deliver what the customer wants and remember to always figure out the specifics for future jobs.

Thanks for the response guys. I know the bottom line is that it is whatever makes the customer happy, do it. I was just curious if people thought the reflections were a big deal or if it was just this particular customer's taste. The customer was very happy with the results aside from the reflection in the windows. These were all shot on a 5D3 @16mm (Tokina 16-28).

Foodguy wrote in post #15300217
That was my thought as well.

Yes I was thinkin the same thing!!!!

TooManyShots wrote in post #15300222
Is this a paid gig? If the customer feels that the shot could be better, maybe you should agree with him or her. I know nothing about real estate photography but I know that you should always have your vertical lines line up straight. And clone out the light reflections on the kitchen table too if you could. Considering a tilt shift lens if you can afford one. Don't tell me your lens is too wide and creating distortions and I or the customer has to live with it. Tell you what? How about the customer not hiring you next time.....???

I agree that with all the special lighting, it might be nice to show it off, but then I'm not the paying customer. Here's where extensive conversation is always critical before the start of the shoot.

Personally I feel your exposures and colors are beautiful - and that you can easily clone out relfections and other annoyances.

I need to strongly agree with TooManyShots though about your "keystoning" verticals. They badly take away from the good things you've done here. In this real estate section I can't recall seeing somebody's featured shots with such skewed verticals. You never see this in architectural magazines unless some other effect or point is being made. That being said, I've never done this sort of work myself for pay, and can appreciate the difficulty of some rooms.

Check out some of his works.

http://mpkelley.com/


http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=J-exuHchmSk


About the reflections, they can be fixed very easily in photoshop. Just apply gradient maps to each windows and making the masking at 100% opacity.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I will continue to improve.

TooManyShots wrote in post #15300269
About the reflections, they can be fixed very easily in photoshop. Just apply gradient maps to each windows and making the masking at 100% opacity.

yes, and you don't even need a gradient, just create a separate layer and outline the window and underexpose
- but to me the pics look great

I've shot our houses in both daylight and at night. I prefer the night shots. Daylight shots with sun windows get blown out. Overcast days there is not generally enough light in the house without flash or other additional lighting. Both tend to overpower the interior home lighting
Another problem with daylight shots is too much DOF. Seeing thru windows to the outside landscaping is, to me, more distracting than the reflections on night shots