Tips for Indoor "room" photography?

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

11/19/2009 10:52:10 PM · #1

Any ideas, sites, suggestions or lessons learned for taking indoor shots of rooms -- similar to a better homes type magazine?

Was thinking with natural sunlight, I could do well since nothing is moving, I could tripod and longer (< 1/15) exposure etc. to insure good images.

My widest is only 18mm or so too... about 27mm on 35mm scale. But most of the rooms I'm shooting are very open floor plan, so I may not be in tight corners.

If I have to use flash, I can bounce it, but my off camera remote receiver is out of commission. Would a bounced strobe be too much to light such a room or look unnatural?

Any tips would be a big help!

totaldis

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

11/19/2009 11:36:41 PM · #2

I believe on the strobist website the did a series on indoor lighting. There is a flickr group that goes over a lot of shots and examples.

cdrice

Nikon D7000

11/20/2009 12:20:50 AM · #3

I actually just saw an interview with Jay Goodrich last week. He has some really impressive interior work, and been featured several magazines. His website has a lot of great examples (although I personally think it's a little hard to navigate).

Here is the interview. Jay comes in around the 33-minute mark if you want to skip to it. He covers several examples and talks about the setups he used.

Message edited by author 2009-11-20 00:21:05.

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

11/20/2009 12:28:39 AM · #4

My nephew Doug carries his camera, a tripod, and a 120 volt light on a telescoping fiberglass pole. He does multiple shots, and layers them in Photoshop. Here's his website link if you would like to see some of the results.
//www.dougthompson.net

MattO

Nikon D4

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

11/20/2009 12:33:11 AM · #5

Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:

That is impressive work! Man great stuff there indeed.

Matt

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

11/20/2009 12:45:31 AM · #6

Thanks everyone... Looking at Doug's work, I feel very out of my league! Great stuff.

Photologist

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

11/20/2009 02:10:10 AM · #7

I do quite a bit of real estate photography for real estate agents.

Here is a small sampling of my work:

Here are more samples of my work.

There are some tips to consider:

- Use an ultra-wide angle lens (among other lenses) for interior rooms. I use the "Canon EFS 10-22 USM" for my ultra-wide.
- Quality tripod
- Remote shutter release (wireless or wired)
- Knowledge of shooting with the camera mirror raised
- With rooms with pleasant exterior views (through glass windows/doors), shoot in High Dynamic Range (HDR) to capture both the interior and exterior detail.
- Close curtains/drapes/blinds for those windows and doors with non-flattering views.
- Turn as many lights on in the rooms as possible
- Wet the driveway, entranceway, sidewalk, etc. with water for street-view photographs
- Remove all clutter from each room
- Be aware of your camera/tripod's reflections (and your own reflection) in mirrors and glass.

If the images are just for an MLS listing, I normally charge $250 for a "normal" house, consisting of 8-12 basic images. "Normal" roughly meaning 1600 to 3500 sq. ft. and up to 4 bedrooms. If they want something not-so-normal like a view of the grounds from a rooftop or maybe a gazebo or other separate structures, then I alter the price. Sometimes there are sellers that have a large vaulted ceiling and they want a view of the room from atop the ceiling. This is extra, of course. If they don't have a large enough ladder or scaffolding, then the cost any such rented equipment is passed-on to them (with a markup).

If the photos are for a feature in a magazine or other publication (non-MLS), I price it differently.

Either way, I retain ownership of all the photos--I never "sell" the photos, but I license them to the agent, seller, or whomever.

11/20/2009 08:41:07 AM · #8

Originally posted by Photologist:

I do quite a bit of real estate photography for real estate agents.

Here is a small sampling of my work:

. . . .

Here are more samples of my work.

There are some tips to consider:

- Use an ultra-wide angle lens (among other lenses) for interior rooms. I use the "Canon EFS 10-22 USM" for my ultra-wide.
- Quality tripod
- Remote shutter release (wireless or wired)
- Knowledge of shooting with the camera mirror raised
- With rooms with pleasant exterior views (through glass windows/doors), shoot in High Dynamic Range (HDR) to capture both the interior and exterior detail.
- Close curtains/drapes/blinds for those windows and doors with non-flattering views.
- Turn as many lights on in the rooms as possible
- Wet the driveway, entranceway, sidewalk, etc. with water for street-view photographs
- Remove all clutter from each room
- Be aware of your camera/tripod's reflections (and your own reflection) in mirrors and glass.

If the images are just for an MLS listing, I normally charge $250 for a "normal" house, consisting of 8-12 basic images. "Normal" roughly meaning 1600 to 3500 sq. ft. and up to 4 bedrooms. If they want something not-so-normal like a view of the grounds from a rooftop or maybe a gazebo or other separate structures, then I alter the price. Sometimes there are sellers that have a large vaulted ceiling and they want a view of the room from atop the ceiling. This is extra, of course. If they don't have a large enough ladder or scaffolding, then the cost any such rented equipment is passed-on to them (with a markup).

If the photos are for a feature in a magazine or other publication (non-MLS), I price it differently.

Either way, I retain ownership of all the photos--I never "sell" the photos, but I license them to the agent, seller, or whomever.

Cool tips and nice work!

No charge here, this is for my sister-in-law who has done some work for a retired college/pro-football player. A neighbor of ours painted a mural from his football "card" as well (she's a great artist). My SIL wrote Better Homes and Gardens about featuring the room and they are interested and want some photos. She has a packet to fill out and has to send in actual prints, not electronic files.

I have no doubt that these shots will NOT be used in BHG, but that if they represent the rooms well enough, they will contract their own photographer for the real shoot. I might be able to get a photo credit for some of the "before" shots, if those are used.

But regardless, for my portfolio and hers I want them to be done well. When we were selling our house a few years ago, I took the shots myself for the realtor to use. She was using a little cheesy handheld and I knew I could do better :)

Today at 3:30, so we'll see how it goes.