p.1 #1 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Hey guys, I wondered what type of lights and light modifiers you bring to light interior real estate shots?
Is my SB-700 flash and Pocket Wizard combination good enough or would I need a stronger light, two?
Will I need gels to make the images feel warmer?
Should I bounce flash or use modifiers like shoot through umbrellas or reflectors?
All tips are appreciated for how to light up a room and make it feel warm and inviting.
I'll be using this in conjunction with a Nikon D750 & 20/1.8G for interior shots.
(is 20mm wide enough or should I rent a 14-24mm?)
p.1 #2 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Start with just your speedlite. Learning how to bounce it will solve many of the problems that you'll run into in terms of adding light.
I actually would say a tripod is the most important tool to start, as if you want a lot of depth of field, you're likely going into shutter speeds where image shake could be an issue.
In terms of lenses, I think the 20 f1.8g is plenty wide. If you really want something super wide, I'd recommend the Tamron 15-30 f2.8 over the 14-24mm. Not only are they quite reasonably priced at around $600 used, the tamron is sharper and has IS.
p.1 #3 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
I always bring lights to these type of jobs but almost never use them. Most of the time the ambient/existing light is actually pretty good. You will need a good tripod, preferably with a gear head and not a ball head and a remote shutter release unless you like using your self timer. Bracket your exposures and blend them in Ps. I would seriously look at the Nikkor 19mm tilt/shift lens. Expensive but a great tool.
Here's a link to a gallery of images I made of my father's house in Monterey, Ca. Not a single added light anywhere but virtually everything shot with either a 17mm t/s or 24mm t/s with blended bracketed exposures. http://www.peterfigen.com/deerflatroad
p.1 #4 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Peter Figen wrote:
I always bring lights to these type of jobs but almost never use them. Most of the time the ambient/existing light is actually pretty good. You will need a good tripod, preferably with a gear head and not a ball head and a remote shutter release unless you like using your self timer. Bracket your exposures and blend them in Ps. I would seriously look at the Nikkor 19mm tilt/shift lens. Expensive but a great tool.
Here's a link to a gallery of images I made of my father's house in Monterey, Ca. Not a single added light anywhere but virtually everything shot with either a 17mm t/s or 24mm t/s with blended bracketed exposures. http://www.peterfigen.com/deerflatroad...Show more →
p.1 #5 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Back in the 4x5 film days of doing this, I used to light the whole damned room which often times took a couple of hours per room. Now, the results are way way better and take a fraction of the time. I've shot the main control room at Capital Studios a couple of times over the years. The first time it literally took six hours to do the one main shot. Two years ago, the most recent time, we did four shots in under two hours and lit the room with two Arri 650 watt fresnel lights bounced on the ceiling. Now it takes longer to decide the exact placement of the camera than to do the damned shot.
p.1 #6 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
I’ve done a lot of real estate and only use speedlights some of the time. Most of the time only one bounced and ambient is all I use. The other thing is that I prefer to use stitched photos as opposed to an ultra wide. I think the unrealistic prepective of an ultra wide is deceptive and can make a space look way larger than it is. In terms of real estate photoraghy that is.
p.1 #7 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
My friend asked for my help photographing his car for private sale. The car sold quickly. His wife is a real estate agent and they said they were looking for a reliable photographer to take weekend shoots of properties. It's a small dream come true.
sungphoto wrote:
Start with just your speedlite. Learning how to bounce it will solve many of the problems that you'll run into in terms of adding light.
I actually would say a tripod is the most important tool to start, as if you want a lot of depth of field, you're likely going into shutter speeds where image shake could be an issue.
In terms of lenses, I think the 20 f1.8g is plenty wide. If you really want something super wide, I'd recommend the Tamron 15-30 f2.8 over the 14-24mm. Not only are they quite reasonably priced at around $600 used, the tamron is sharper and has IS....Show more →
I'll save up for an ultra wide lens, perhaps even the Sigma 14-24, but I'll make due with the 20mm for now. I had a 16-35/4mm before and I absolutely loved it.
Peter Figen wrote:
I always bring lights to these type of jobs but almost never use them. Most of the time the ambient/existing light is actually pretty good. You will need a good tripod, preferably with a gear head and not a ball head and a remote shutter release unless you like using your self timer. Bracket your exposures and blend them in Ps. I would seriously look at the Nikkor 19mm tilt/shift lens. Expensive but a great tool.
Here's a link to a gallery of images I made of my father's house in Monterey, Ca. Not a single added light anywhere but virtually everything shot with either a 17mm t/s or 24mm t/s with blended bracketed exposures. http://www.peterfigen.com/deerflatroad...Show more →
Your gallery is incredible, Peter. I'll take your advice and I'll bracket the images.
I saw the Nikkor 19mm sample images on Flickr and my jaw dropped at how distortion-free the images came out. At $3000 I don't think I could justify it (yet), but I can dream.
I plan to give between 24-36 images depending on the size of the house. As well as price it based on the amount of rooms in the home. Is that reasonable?
I'll practice by taking interior photos of my home. : )
p.1 #8 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
A quick sidenote on the Nikkor T/S lenses, and canon as well for that matter, Optically some of them are quite good. (some better than others) but mechanically they are not at all what you expect from that kind of price point. It leaves a lot to be desired mildly put.
p.1 #9 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Paul - Mind being more specific there. I have owned every single of the EF Canon tilt-shift lenses and while that *might* have applied to, say, the old 45mm, the new 50mm t/s is pretty spectacular, as are the rest of the entire line. And they're all built like tanks and all super rotator now. And they're all pretty reasonably priced. The Nikon 45 and 85 have pretty good reps while the 24 has always lagged the Canon but it's still well built and reasonably sharp but having more distortion than one would prefer. Have never seen or used the new 19mm Nikkor, but the reviews for it all seem to like it pretty well - that's it's a very good performer once it's stopped down - y'know, pretty much like all lenses. I do have a problem with the price but if I owned Nikon, I'd just suck it up and buy it as it would be a necessary tool.
I think that PanS is probably on the right track now. Start out with a reasonably wide fixed lens even though a 16-35 would be better as a single lens choice and learn how to correct for keystoning in Photoshop and learn how to blend exposures efficiently. The key to real estate photography for MLS purposes is to do a decent job very fast. I had a personal stake in the web link I shared as it was my family house from when I was in high school and I pounded nails, stapled insulation, dug trenches by hand and laid tile. It was a personal project to help sell my dad's house and to have as a family record going forward. We used real estate photographers on two rental houses we sold. The shots showed the property, cost about $250 and digital files were delivered within a few hours of the shoot. Not art all all. What I did took three days to shoot and a full week in post production. I fully recognize the different needs but you never know when someone will start out shooting real estate and graduate into architecture. Hopefully we can provide feedback and inspiration that will make him a better and successful photographer down the road.
Still, the best way to learn this is to try and assist someone who is already doing it. They are often looking for someone to help or a second shooter to make it go faster. You don't have to be architectural digest quality right off the bat. If it's something you end up liking to do, you will naturally get better at it.
p.1 #10 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Peter Figen wrote:
I always bring lights to these type of jobs but almost never use them. Most of the time the ambient/existing light is actually pretty good. You will need a good tripod, preferably with a gear head and not a ball head and a remote shutter release unless you like using your self timer. Bracket your exposures and blend them in Ps. I would seriously look at the Nikkor 19mm tilt/shift lens. Expensive but a great tool.
Same here. In my experience it just takes way too much time to evenly light a big room. I've recently started using Photomatix Pro for the exposure blending. I would also recommend using a geared head. I don't use a T/S lens because of the costs. I just use a UWA and correct the distortion etc. in post...
p.1 #11 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Peter Figen wrote:
Paul - Mind being more specific there. I have owned every single of the EF Canon tilt-shift lenses and while that *might* have applied to, say, the old 45mm, the new 50mm t/s is pretty spectacular, as are the rest of the entire line. And they're all built like tanks and all super rotator now. And they're all pretty reasonably priced. The Nikon 45 and 85 have pretty good reps while the 24 has always lagged the Canon but it's still well built and reasonably sharp but having more distortion than one would prefer. Have never seen or used the new 19mm Nikkor, but the reviews for it all seem to like it pretty well - that's it's a very good performer once it's stopped down - y'know, pretty much like all lenses. I do have a problem with the price but if I owned Nikon, I'd just suck it up and buy it as it would be a necessary tool. ...Show more →
Not saying they are bad, im just saying they could be better given the price of many of them. True, they have improved over the years, to a design that enables to tilt/shift independently as well as going to a more metal design. Still relying on metal knobs, that can get stuck.
I'v primarly used Nikon's T/S lenses, but also tested som of the Canon's
Comparing them the Schneider Kreuznach PC-TS I use now which has 360-degree rotation, no knobs just exceptional stability and smoothness in both tilt/shift and rotation, adding to that lens collar with Arca swiss plate.
Mechanically they are on a different level for sure.
p.1 #12 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
I think it all depends on what you shoot and for whom, if your shooting for agencies and you shoot high volumes then lighting might be too time-consuming, also many agencies have their retouching outsourced so the photographer "only" needs to concentrate on composition and bracketing basically.
On the other hand, if you shoot directly for a client, which often means it's a higher end job and the pay is also considerably higher and it's quality over quantity then lighting might indeed be worth spending time on.
Cheap speedlights with filter systems (for color correcting and balancing) and radio trigger is often a good idea to start and can get quite far.
p.1 #13 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Don’t underestimate the time and work in post if you want to produce excellent images! Make sure you charge enough to cover that time too. Often it takes me more time to process and retouch a complex interior shot than it did to capture it. You can’t just rely on HDR software alone if you want professional results. Quite a bit has to be done manually.
p.1 #14 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
stevesanacore wrote:
Don’t underestimate the time and work in post if you want to produce excellent images! Make sure you charge enough to cover that time too. Often it takes me more time to process and retouch a complex interior shot than it did to capture it. You can’t just rely on HDR software alone if you want professional results. Quite a bit has to be done manually.
I agree on this. Like I said, I bought Photomatix Pro recently because I was not really convinced about the HDR options in Lightroom and Photoshop. The Photomatix is a better option, but it's not the holy grail I was hoping for. Still needs enough work in LR/ PS after the exposure blending...
p.1 #15 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Paul - I've tested the Schneider 28mm PC lens, and it's a freaking pain in the ass to actually use in the field (or the studio). The ergonomics are atrocious. And the image quality just doesn't compare to the Canon lenses. It IS well built, I give you that. But who cares if it's not up to par optically, and talk about pricey, JFC, it's expensive. Never had a knob stuck on a Canon t/s in the fifteen years I've been using them. Plastic vs. metal is not a good argument. In many cases the high tech plastics used in lenses today are a better choice than metal, but each manufacturer has to choose according to their own design parameters.
Regarding Photomatix Pro. I've got that too and while I've used it I'm not a fan. For me and the way I work it's just faster and better to blend manually where I have total control. Photomatix often just looks fake to me. Don't bother with it anymore. But who knows, it may work wonders for some. Use it if you like it.
p.1 #16 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
Peter, then you obviously would have a hard time to use a lot of the gear I use...
Ergonomics is far better than both Canon and Nikon in my opinion, then again my requirements are most likely very different from yours.
They are built to another standard anyone who has any experience with cine lenses knows this. Which Schneider PC 28mm lens did you test ? Considering you claim the 28mm is so much inferior to Canon is odd, to say the least. It's, however, a somewhat old design but still, on 35mm it should match just about everything.
Neither Canon and Nikon can be used with focus gears, nor do they have seamless aperture rings. Not sure if electronic aperture control can be disabled on them these days. If not that could be an issue for stacking/stitching.
As for sticking knobs, plenty of reports as well as my own Nikkor 85 which had this issue.
Either way ill take the Schneider over Canon/Nikon and you vice versa! Happy shooting!
p.1 #17 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
However I do use lights when shooting when necessary. An on camera flash when bounced will help but if it’s a big room the fall off will be terrible. That’s when a second light placed in other areas in separate shots will fill the room nicely. Done correctly you won’t need an HDR program. Only need to layer in the different areas together in post. Go out and do some tests and you’ll figure it out eventually.
p.1 #18 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
PanS wrote:
Hey guys, I wondered what type of lights and light modifiers you bring to light interior real estate shots?
Is my SB-700 flash and Pocket Wizard combination good enough or would I need a stronger light, two?
Will I need gels to make the images feel warmer?
Should I bounce flash or use modifiers like shoot through umbrellas or reflectors?
All tips are appreciated for how to light up a room and make it feel warm and inviting.
I'll be using this in conjunction with a Nikon D750 & 20/1.8G for interior shots.
(is 20mm wide enough or should I rent a 14-24mm?)
Your SB-700 should be fine for most cases unless you have very high ceilings. No gels or filters. I highly recommend using flash to shoot interiors for real estate. I'm not a big HDR fan. You will want to bounce it off the ceiling while holding the flash, not mounted on the camera. Do some Google searches on the "Flambient" technique. Also watch videos by Nathan Cool Photo on YouTube. Highly recommended. I shoot a little bit of real estate on the side and enjoy the challenge.
p.1 #19 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
sungphoto wrote:
Start with just your speedlite. Learning how to bounce it will solve many of the problems that you'll run into in terms of adding light.
Bad advice. He should start with ambient.
sungphoto wrote:
I actually would say a tripod is the most important tool to start, as if you want a lot of depth of field, you're likely going into shutter speeds where image shake could be an issue.
Agreed. I'd also recommend a gearhead but a ballhead will do, it's just not recommended.
sungphoto wrote:
In terms of lenses, I think the 20 f1.8g is plenty wide. If you really want something super wide, I'd recommend the Tamron 15-30 f2.8 over the 14-24mm. Not only are they quite reasonably priced at around $600 used, the tamron is sharper and has IS.
12-85mm full frame (I don't mean in one lens but that focal range) is what I'd recommend. I mention up to 85mm because sometimes it's nice to have telephoto shots of certain objects in the room.
When you're starting out, it's hard to find 5 million dollar mansions to photo and bathrooms can be small. 12mm allows fake tilt shift too in some of the slightly bigger rooms. You don't need IS on a tripod, so I don't know why in the hell you've commented on that.
After ambient, I'd go with 2 flashes, not 1. This is because once he learns artificial light, he should be able to learn how lights react with each other. As for the bounce recommendations in this thread, I would say they're overdoing it. Too much bouncing can flatten the image. You only really need flashes to add sparkle in most cases.
Polarisers are pretty useful for surfaces.
Get a cheap white reflector, to bounce flash with.
And before you flame me asking to see my work, bla bla bla. I've seen what little interior you've shot. You're not as good as me, so don't go there, thx.
gwaww wrote:
I’ve done a lot of real estate and only use speedlights some of the time. Most of the time only one bounced and ambient is all I use. The other thing is that I prefer to use stitched photos as opposed to an ultra wide. I think the unrealistic prepective of an ultra wide is deceptive and can make a space look way larger than it is. In terms of real estate photoraghy that is.
This has some credibility but it's also time consuming and if you're adding flashes, it can start to become annoying. Especially if a light source leaks over from one surface to another across multiple frames.
p.1 #20 · Tips for lighting interior real estate photography?
"And before you flame me asking to see my work, bla bla bla. I've seen what little interior you've shot. You're not as good as me, so don't go there, thx."
I guess you really should be posting a link to your wonderful website so we can see just how much better you are than the rest of the world. I mean, really? "You're not as good as me?" As the saying goes - put up or shut up.
