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03/08/2004 01:55:55 PM · #1 |
Here's a question I'm hoping someone here can answer. I have an opportunity to do some real estate photography for a realtor up here. what they want of course is just some good shots of the outsides of the houses for listings... and then occasionally on the higher priced listings, they'll want 2 or 3 interior shots to use on one of those sheets they hand out at open-houses... like a glossy sheet with a couple pics of the house that look good, with the specs and info.
so my question is this.. has anyone on here done this sort of work before? would you recommend it? if i do it, any tips or recommendations?
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03/08/2004 01:58:54 PM · #2 |
I can't relay any experience as far as what to do, but if you go to Realtor.com, you can browse through listing and see thousands of samples to give you an idea of what the industry uses.
Message edited by author 2004-03-08 13:59:04. |
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03/08/2004 02:06:30 PM · #3 |
Here's a few.
Use as much available light (through windows) as you can.
Make the unique desings a focal point. ie. archways, stained glass, views down from cat walks...etc. Show what makes this home different from all the others.
Use wider angle lens to make rooms look bigger.
Remove all clutter.
Bottom Line: make people wish they lived there just from seeing your photos. |
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03/08/2004 02:08:00 PM · #4 |
Most of the shots on real estate sites are pretty bad, so almost anything you do should work.
Before you start, find out if the pictures can be cropped to best effect, or if they must fit a fixed aspect ratio.
Avoid "neighborhood clutter," try to shoot the most flattering angle, but include the entrance if you can; make sure the doorway looks well-lit and inviting, not in shadow and foreboding. If you're fairly close, you might kneel to make it look a little bigger.
For interiors I'd try to include windows (especially big ones), but make sure you adjust the exposure to balance keeping some interior detail while not blowing-out the view. Fill-flash is probably acceptable for these as well. |
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03/08/2004 02:23:14 PM · #5 |
yeah what prompted me to this is that i just bought a house, and all the listings we went through i was non-stop making fun of how bad the pics are. i asked my realtor "who does these shots" and he's like "well, we do them ourselves, we bought a digital camera"... so i'm like "i see...." "we used to pay a professional, but it's cheaper to do it ourselves" ... i mean, these shots have like the finger in front of the frame hahaha
at any rate, the interiors are where i dont' have as much experience with shooting, but with a little practice i think i can make good shots both for listings and for their pretty flyers.
i'd be curious to hear from someone who's done it, like what to charge, or what a good pricing scheme is
thanks for the tips on the interior shots, i'm gonna play around with some interior shots of my apartment, to practice with bounce and fill flash...
i'm thinking what i'll do is ask for them to take me to one house, like during a showing or whatever, and give me a few minutes to snap some shots, and then i'll make 'em a sample page, and see if i can use that to get them to buy my services. by the nature of what i'll be shooting, I think my S602 will work pretty well for it... especially considering the prints will be small in the end.
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03/08/2004 02:43:34 PM · #6 |
| You may want to shoot areas of your own house, both outside and in, for the practice, to be able to hone your skills and to be able to show your clients what you are capable of. |
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03/08/2004 02:55:40 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
You may want to shoot areas of your own house, both outside and in, for the practice, to be able to hone your skills and to be able to show your clients what you are capable of. |
I worked as a real estate photographer in the northern Virginia area for a year. I also photographed virtual tours for the web. Please PM me for any info you need. |
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03/08/2004 03:05:27 PM · #8 |
Two big tips. Ambient light is not your friend is most cases. It is almost impossible to get an acurate interior without blowing out the window shears. This shot is of a breakfast nook I took today while it was snowing outside and is compensated by 2 stops! But since the painter is the client, it's no where near good enough. I'll wait for evening and pull out the strobes.
and then the other extreme.
sunlight through a small window in a SMALL bathroom.
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03/08/2004 03:06:57 PM · #9 |
Wide angle lenses also help for interior photos with digital cameras.
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03/08/2004 03:14:05 PM · #10 |
For interiors, turn on ALL of the lamps that don't directly create excessive glare or blow out the Point of View you are using. Soft illumination patterns will help to make the interiors look more homey and less institutional.
Ron |
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03/08/2004 03:15:20 PM · #11 |
jxpfeer,
Congratulations on recognizing a business opportunity. You may want to pick up a copy of the American Society of Media Photographers 6th edition "Professional Business Practices in Photography" ISBN 1-58115-197-7
There continues to be several posts on business related questions and pricing. It may be a benefit to acquire this or a similar work. Your local book store should have a section on Photography and Business. The key I believe is to be "favorably honest" in the representation. Your job is to help sell the house and you are therefore an extension of the agency. Mis-representation of a property due to "falsely flattering" angles will only upset the potential buyer who hired a babysitter or took time off work to "walk through". On the other hand, the more property you can get people interested in "walking", then the more sales for the agency and the more value you have. So it is "favorably honest" that I would strive for.
You need to understand the various contracts and the "worth" or value of your photos. These could be used for advertising of the agency which would be worth alot more than just a house listing. You need to decide if you are a "work for hire" employee or an independent contractor providing a service. If you are a "work for hire", then your images, copyright, even authorship/by line are the agencies. If you are an independent, then you need to understand what limits you will release for "use". Can the agency put it in the multiple listing? Can they put it in a Realestate weekly? Can they put it in the Newspaper, Internet, Billboards, flyers, mailers? What about TV adds? All these uses of your photograph, without any mention of you as the fotog, your business, and no recourse to recover any money except the initial $10 bucks or whatever they paid. What about your tax deductions? What about liabilities? What about the records necessary to prove the deductions were business related?
Anyway, enjoy the opportunity. It is worth it, just don't go in blind. Read.
Flash
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03/08/2004 03:20:07 PM · #12 |
| You might want to check out Nolo Press for an assortment of books on running a business and all other kinds of legal and copyright issues. |
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03/08/2004 03:37:09 PM · #13 |
Flash - thanks for the insight here. This is something I've considered doing as well. My mom is a real estate agent and I've seen the need for this type of service...
Thank you again for taking the time write a post that gives me a lot of questions to answer first.
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03/08/2004 04:15:11 PM · #14 |
wow cool. thanks everyone for the tips, i'll check out those links for sure. i think i stand a chance at working with this... but who knows... since it seems to be the trend around here for the realtors to shoot their own :) i'm gonna give it a whirl though. i think the best potential will be using the interior shots for advertisements, since those are notably the worst ones these guys are doing ;)
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