How to take good photos of real estate?

Real estate photography always needs high-quality photos of living environment and houses, and every real estate salesman pays more attention to the quality of photos showing houses being sold. How to solve this problem without a professional photographer? We provide some simple and effective techniques to help you take high-quality photos.

1. What kind of photographic equipment do you need for photography?

camera

Any full-frame digital SLR camera or mirrorless camera is an ideal choice.

camera lens

Wide-angle lens will come in handy to help you capture a narrow space, and its unique optical principle will make the room more spacious.

tripod

A tripod is always useful when you need a long exposure. A tripod can stabilize the camera and help maintain the perspective effect in the viewfinder. If fixed at the height of 1.5m, then all the images are taken in the same way and from the same perspective.

Remote shutter release

If it is a slow shutter shooting, pressing the shutter release button lightly will also cause unnecessary trembling, so it is very convenient to use the remote control for non-contact release.

flashlight

Flash is one of the most important tools for indoor photography, and the flash module is particularly precious when shooting in low light environment.

Flash synchronizer

When a flash is used, a device is also needed to synchronize the light pulse with the flash of the camera shutter and connect the receiver to the flash.

Dimming equipment

In most cases, an umbrella is enough. They are small in size, light in weight, easy to carry, and will not hinder shooting in a narrow space.

Lamp holder

Lightweight brackets are also needed to support the flash, and depending on the shooting location, one or four lamp stands may be needed.

Second, what should I do before taking photos of real estate?

Determine the shooting list before shooting different subjects.

Two wide-angle photos were taken in the bedroom, kitchen and living room.

1 bathroom photos.

Backyard 1-3 photos, even if it has no unique function. 1-2 photos in front of the house.

One photo of each utility room (such as garage and storage room).

Third, prepare to shoot.

At home, some things will inevitably be messy, and those small objects that are not usually noticed will be highlighted in the photos, and try to keep the surface clean-countertops, coffee tables, etc. If you need any decorative items, please keep 1-3 items. When shooting indoors, don't shoot cabinets unless there is something special about them.

Fourth, walk around the house before shooting.

Every house is different. Feel the whole space before shooting, which will make you think about how to shoot the building, start marking the best corner and interesting interior decoration of the house in your mind, and take notes in your notebook, which will make it easier to take photos.

5. Decide whether to turn on or turn off the light.

Turning on the lights in the room immediately will make the space feel warmer and more comfortable, but it will introduce different color temperatures to the photos and need to be balanced in post-processing. If the lights are turned off, the temperature will be even, but this usually produces a cold feeling in the photos of the room.

If the house has big windows, please consider opening the windows to let the light in. In most cases, natural light looks best. If you don't have enough windows, please use indoor lighting. If you find that the color temperature of the light bulb at home is different, please turn off the light bulb and use the flash.

6. Matters needing attention when shooting.

Use flashlights and diffusers

Using the camera flash will help you move from room to room faster. Here we need to use the reflection of the wall to soften the dazzling light. Pointing the flash directly at the room will form a bright area in the center and a shadow around it.

Rotate the flash so that its light reflects from the wall behind you, the ceiling directly above you, or even from one of the walls. The light will become more uniform and dispersed. It is best to get a flash that can move at different angles. It is best to use flash control in manual mode. For example, you can use the power of116 as the starting point and adjust from this value. For larger spaces, the flash can be mounted on a vertical bracket, for example, pointing to the ceiling.

Therefore, the position of lamps depends on the size and shape of the room.

Hold the camera directly to reduce distortion.

This is a very important skill. Please keep the camera straight when shooting from different angles. This helps to avoid distortion that must be corrected in post-processing. If you tilt the camera slightly up or down, the vertical line begins to tilt and deform in one direction.

The ideal camera height for real estate photography is about 150 cm. Each house is slightly different, but this camera position will produce the most natural and balanced photos. If you hold the camera too high, there will be insufficient living space in the picture. If it is too low, the picture will be full of furniture, and there is not enough actual space inside.

Post-processing photo

One disadvantage of wide-angle lenses for indoor photography is that they are deformed. This type of optical equipment often distorts everything. First, apply the "lens correction" tool in Lightroom to correct the vertical direction. You can find the lens correction module under the menu item "Details" and select the "Enable contour correction" check box. Make sure to use the precise lens shown in the drop-down menu of lens outline.

Adjust the color temperature in the picture. To do this, use the Adjust Brush tool. You can also use colored or gray cards to balance the light and temperature in the room. All you have to do is shoot the card before the scene to be shot. After loading the image in the graphic editor, turn on the "white balance" function, click the gray on the card with the straw, and the editor will automatically adjust the color.