Hello Everyone,

This would be my first post in this forum. I have recently been contacted by a close friend that is a real estate agent to do some pictures for his new business cards. This is a new area for me since i usually do sports and concerts. I know that with real estate pictures the poses are usually much more "forceful" if you will then a normal portrait. I was wondering if anyone had some examples of poses they have used and been successful with.

Also i will be renting a 2 light studio kit with a soft box and umbrella. I am also new to the studio lighting side of things if anyone has any tips on good lighting setups.

I will be using a D300 with either a Tokina 16-50 2.8 or a Nikon 70-200 f2.8 if that helps.

Hi,

Welcome to posting/participating in this forum.

In my area, the real estate agents typically have free magazines in stands around town. These are usually glossy and have listings of properties in them. I usually see these around a grocery store. Look around places that have papers or newstands.

Inside those, there will be dozens of Real Estate Agent headshots. So, you can pick your look and get a feel for how they present their image.

I don't pursue this business myself. Reason: I had several estate agents tell me they get their headshots done for $25 (includes digitial files on disk) by a local photographer who has a studio. That is too low for me.

I hope that helps you.

Never seen a forceful real estate photo. At least not where I live. Happy and inviting smile would be more what I would want to shoot. I like a solid clean background and sometimes match the business card color. Why try to learn studio lighting. Sit him down if front of a window and use soft natural light. It is free and no learning curve assuming you understand basic camera adjustments. Use the 70-200 at a minimum of F4.5 so the whole front of the face is in focus( nose, lips etc). If the ears start getting a little soft that is OK or go to F5 or F5.6 depending on what look you like.
Did 3 RE shots today and never turned on a single light but did have to diffuse some for a softer look. Still around 85 degrees where I live and very bright.

My take on this is not to have a forcefull look but to make them look like the type of person that you would like to sit with at a church dinner with your family and add a professional twist. This is always a my goal with like lawyers, bankers, insurance, car sales & real estate people, who I find mostly uptight look. This might be a northern New England thing, it has worked for for me in all the above professions. Use the longer lens as that will help play down any unique facial features as well as give you great background control. Watch your background make it as natural as you can.

one word of advice, weather it is real estate photos, or any corporate headshots ... study your area ... what are the businesses in YOUR area using? what are those styles like? this is what you want to emmulate

google local realty companies & study their staff headshots ... this should tell you exactly how to do them for your area

When taking headshots for a brochure, take one facing left and another facing right.

Brochures that position the agent on the right (top right corner for example) will benefit from the "facing left" photo, and vice versa.