newbie to the real estate game, hdr question

I recently started to branch out into real estate photo and video since I already do a lot of head shots and stuff for these people.


I'm still trying to understand how to best shoot inside and for now HDR seems to be the easiest route to go


so what would be my best bet for shooting indoor HDR?
I can shoot like 1.0EV 9 images or I can do like 2.0EV 5 images?
is it always better to shoot the most range possible?


I shot a few test shots recently but apparently I metered for proper exposure of the room and not for the outside light beaming through the window


should I always shoot just enough stops to cover what I need?
ie; outside light is 1/500 and inside shadows are 5 stops lower (1/8 i believe), should I only shoot the 1.0EV 5 image bracket or is capturing more photos better?

I don't do any HDR work for interiors. Turn around times are usually very short and the jobs don't pay very much so it's not always worth the post production work. I typically use longer exposures and speed lites wherever I need them to give a certain pop. Pull down the highlights and boost the shadows a bit in post to give it an HDR look.

Exterior... whole different ballgame.

"should I always shoot just enough stops to cover what I need?"

That's what I do.

Once you get in the groove, it becomes easier to know about where you should be. I always shoot 5 shots and count clicks when setting the brackets. 2-3 clicks for low DR scenes and 5 for very high DR scenes.

Please don't rely on HDR. It produces dull, unnatural images with odd color shifts.

Instead try a flash / ambient technique. Make your first exposure with a flash pointed straight up and the shutter speed set for detail in windows and light sources. Then take a second ambient exposure and blend them by hand in photoshop. Your results will be MUCH better. You can even run your HDR bracket and pick your ambient exposure from the bracket. If automated blending is necessary, try LR Enfuse rather than HDR. It gives better results.

No to hdr. Like rgs said...... Bad color shifts.

I use ambient flash blend with window pulls in full manual.

Godox flashes are great and inexpensive.