A thread for real estate, architectural, and interior design photography

oceanbeast wrote in post #11160644
...please CC it i have learned alot from this thread and admire alot of the amazing work shown on here. i used photomatix but my images seem to be coming out a good deal darker than id like

I agree withthe other comments and suggestions. I'd like to see more of the room. (Unless this is a part of a detail set)

12nine wrote in post #11160806
Hey all, what is the best or most used program to use to combine the best qualities of multiple shots? Also, what is the best way to process HDR?

POTN actually has a dedicated HDR section.

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdis​play.php?f=130

TGrundvig wrote in post #11160841
...I like to use a shutter release. But, the next best thing is setting the camera to use the timer. If your tripod is flimsy, use the 10 second timer. This will give the camera plenty of time to get still.

Excellent and fundamental advice.

djharmonix wrote in post #11165393
Shot today.
Please keep in mind that I work very fast and I'm not responsible in the staging, cleaning or anything lol
No HDR, F13 and about 1 sec exposure for most shots.

Nice work! My only comment is regarding photos #2, #3, and #4. I'm feeling like the light is so harsh that it detracts from the normal ambiance of the rooms.

I'd be in for some DVD action! I'd be honored, you're all making me blush:o

TGrundvig wrote in post #11167266
No kidding! I tried that ONCE and it didn't work out so well. Time to give it another try.

Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, it never comes off! It's great for getting reflections out of granite countertops, taking it off polished wood cabinets and floors, and taming window glare.

djharmonix wrote in post #11167637
Yeah it indicates no flash because there is no flash connected to the camera directly, i use PW with 2 x 580's

When its very bright i just underexpose the interior more and bring it back in PP.
I also try to book my jobs early in the morning or in the afternoon to avoid the worst light at noon.

Usually the flashes compensate and almost match the outside lighting.

Also many times its preferable NOT to see through the window because the view will distract and sometimes ruin the shot. Then i just leave the windows over-exposed.

I wish I had the luxury of setting appts like that. I have already shot over 400 homes this year. But, the problem is, most of them are during a 6 month period. It is not uncommon for me to shoot 60 homes a month during the busy months. This makes it very hard to set just two appts a day, especially when we are still dealing with snow fall into May around here. Feb, Mar and April are the first three busy months, but also the ones that get the most snow. I will get 3-4 bad days in one week and then I find myself trying to shoot 15+ homes the next week. It makes it very difficult for me. If the market wasn't so bad for agents right now, I would jack my fees up and just take the business that sticks with me. Unfortunately, I think I would lose too much business right now.

I appreciate the tips, very solid advice! I look forward to experimenting with this. I have actually be training under Michael James for the past few months and getting his technique down. But, to be honest, it is very time consuming on the PP side of things. Too much work for what agents around here will pay for.

I agree with you on the windows, sometimes it is not ideal to show what is right out the window....like the neighbor's window. LOL

wow if I'd shoot 400 houses that would mean 50 000$ with real estate alone!

Next year I hope to do about 200 but in 2010 (my first year) I might only reach 100..

I think the key is to work very fast, both for you and your customer.
The result has to be pretty neat but keep in mind that the listings show only very poor resolution images.. (at least here in Canada)
Spending more than a few minutes in post would be a total waste of time.. Unless your images are gonna be used in high res..

btw I'm saying you but I speak to everyone ! (sorry my english isn't perfect)

TG may I ask how much you charge for an average size house or flat?

djharmonix wrote in post #11171442
wow if I'd shoot 400 houses that would mean 50 000$ with real estate alone!

Next year I hope to do about 200 but in 2010 (my first year) I might only reach 100..

I think the key is to work very fast, both for you and your customer.
The result has to be pretty neat but keep in mind that the listings show only very poor resolution images.. (at least here in Canada)
Spending more than a few minutes in post would be a total waste of time.. Unless your images are gonna be used in high res..

btw I'm saying you but I speak to everyone ! (sorry my english isn't perfect)

TG may I ask how much you charge for an average size house or flat?

Those agents should be using the full power of virtual touring. If they are paying a photographer to shoot photos and only using the product for listing on MLS they are wasting their money IMO.

how do you guys fix the distortion? do you guys have some sort of automated way of doing it?
i saw in earlier post mikekelly uses lensfix cl? is that only for macs though?

would you guys mind taking a stab at fixing this image. was this due to the camera being too low or from the lens itself?

mikekelley wrote in post #11172314

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You'll need to keep the camera perfectly level unless you're using a tilt shift lens. If you can't, you can replicate the effect without a HUGE loss of quality if you just gently tilt the lens down and allow some extra room to skew it in photoshop.

there was also a TON of barrel distortion to correct, that was probably the hardest thing - Im not sure what lens you used but wooo it was a killer and it's not perfect, but it's better.

there are tons of ways to clean up barrel distortion, but it's important to make sure the walls are perfectly straight. take some rulers in photoshop and skew/drag/warp it around until they're arrow-straight.

I did some random cleaning around too. This is totally polishing a turd, haha, but you can make it look a lot better by just cleaning it up like this.

haha thks mike for taking the time definitely looks a lot better at least it was a challenge to test your skill . so this was edited in photoshop? this was with my new tokina 11-16 that i just got about 2 wks ago. this is a new listing and first use of the tokina I had so I gave it a try, it was handheld since I don't have a tripod yet.

itsmejson wrote in post #11172103
how do you guys fix the distortion? do you guys have some sort of automated way of doing it?
i saw in earlier post mikekelly uses lensfix cl? is that only for macs though?

would you guys mind taking a stab at fixing this image. was this due to the camera being too low or from the lens itself?

I never stand upright and point down, you will always get results like this. The camera must be level. The best way to view this is to look through the viewfinder and make sure the vertical lines (walls, doors, etc.) are parallel with the sides of the frame. Most of the time, I squat down or take a knee (if hand held) or I lower the tripod to about 4 or 5 feet from the ground. This way you get an even balance of floor and ceiling and keep the image level.

djharmonix wrote in post #11171442
wow if I'd shoot 400 houses that would mean 50 000$ with real estate alone!

Next year I hope to do about 200 but in 2010 (my first year) I might only reach 100..

I think the key is to work very fast, both for you and your customer.
The result has to be pretty neat but keep in mind that the listings show only very poor resolution images.. (at least here in Canada)
Spending more than a few minutes in post would be a total waste of time.. Unless your images are gonna be used in high res..

btw I'm saying you but I speak to everyone ! (sorry my english isn't perfect)

TG may I ask how much you charge for an average size house or flat?

My success is more than just photos. I am also a Certified Residential Appraiser, so I also offer the service of creating a detailed floor plan. This way, agents can market their listings with high res images, a detailed floor plan, and have accurate square footage.

My prices are based on the size of the home and range from $140 to over $500. The $500 homes are rare, but they are nice when they come along.

I don't know any other photogs in my area that do anywhere near the volume I do.

Oh yeah, another advantage I have is my appraiser license gets me a membership with the local association of Realtors. Because of this I have the same electronic key that the agents all have to get into the homes. This means they don't have to meet me at the property and wait an hour or two for me to do my thing. That alone is a HUGE perk to most agents. I went through all the same background checks as the agents went through, so it's not different than any of the agents that go in for showings.

wow! nice success story!
It helps with the motivation, thank you!

Here's a test I did today. We were talking about the camera height position the other day.

I took four shots, 2 different camera height, then shifted and not shifted.
Those are simple raw conversion, not corrected for distortion or anything.

High camera position - Not shifted