Eye Candy
eye can-dy noun. Visual images that are superficially attractive and entertaining but intellectually undemanding.
Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about real estate photography, lol! I know you are mostly interested in eating some sweets right now, but this blog is about photos. In particular, 5 things I have learned about getting the best images when photographing properties. Just like shooting weddings or taking beach portraits, real estate photography has its own set of requirements. If you want to get the best results, I have found a few ways to make your property stand out like eye candy!
Real estate photography can be tricky! Here are Five lessons that I have learned for myself that I would like to share with you:
5. Use the right equipment, correctly!
The tripod and equipment are heavy and cumbersome, but bringing it to the job not only saves time with later edits, but it also keeps my focus crystal clear. My camera has a level that will let me know when I am dead-on. This is very important to keep the angles from looking catawampus. When used correctly, the tripod can straighten an image better than trying to guess at it.
4. Lights, camera, action!
Just like the tripod, the lights can make an ok photo great! I have 3 tri-color LED cordless lights that are lifesavers when creating eye candy! There is usually not enough natural light indoors, so the extra wattage is extremely appreciated. The tri-color can allow me to change the hue of a room. Too much yellow sunlight coming through the window, no problem, slide over to the blue and bam, perfect!
3. Size matters, when it comes to your lens!
To avoid a warped look that would come from a fish-eye lens, I use a high-quality wide-angle lens which allows the whole room to be in the photo, without distortion. Now when there is a special feature such as art or an amenity, I use the 85 mm so that I can focus on what is important and the rest will fade into the background.
2. Every property has a stand out feature, find it!
I ask the property owner what they like best about their place and start there. It may be anything from the view, high ceilings, decor, or an amenity, that is where my focus goes and I try to capture it as creatively as possible… again the eye candy!
1. Bracketing!
This is done with some technical camera settings & is a wonderful feature! With this setting, the camera takes multiple images one after the other from overexposed to underexposed. Before editing I merge the images into one, this allows me to present the high dynamic range (HDR) that is needed to properly manipulate lights and darks (so you can see the view outside the windows, and have every part of the photo in focus).
Wide angle lens captures the entire space
HDR photography keeps the whole room in focus
I know you want a brownie right now!
Let’s focus on the details, and let everything else be soft and fuzzy.
Cute & True!
with the 85 mm lens
There you have it, my 5 tricks to taking real estate photos! Now what you really wanted to know… this candy store is in Orange Beach at Zeke’s marina. It is called Sweet Cones and it is new in town! Trey & I stopped in for ice cream the other day on the way home from photos. We happened to be the only ones in the store for a few minutes, so I just had to break out the camera and take a few eye-candy photos!
