Real Estate Photography - Equipment List

[Jon_Are]

I'm wondering what gear would be essential for a real estate photographer. I think I have an idea, but I'd be interested in others' input.

I would especially like information about lens requirements (indoor shots in particular).

I shoot with a Nikon D80.

Thanks!

Jon

 

[Josh66]

I would assume that the most important things would be a good tripod and a good wide angle lens.

 

[Steamy-Lens]

A good Fisheye lens.

 

[twozero]

A good Fisheye lens.

I wouldn't think a fisheye would be ideal, the curvature wouldn't be too appealing.

my guess would be a nice wide angle (possibly ultra-wide), a few strobes/flashes, wireless triggers (pocket wizards or the like), a nice tripod and some patience with PS. of course you will want more than JUST a wide angle, but a wide angle is a must.

then be ready to get up early or work late (depending on the season, i suppose). let the sun be your friend!

 

[WTF?]

yeah, fisheye wouldnt be the best idea, you want things to look like what they look like.
wide angle lens is your #1 thing to get, then you just need some lighting equipment i guess, strobes, softboxes, etc...

 

[skieur]

A wide angle zoom with a full frame equivalent of 28mm to 75mm would do the job. Too wide an angle and you will distort the house which is not what the real estate company would want.

skieur

 

[Jon_Are]

Yeah, I think the fisheye is a bad choice.

I guess my biggest question is with regard to aperture requirements.

Here's what I have now:

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5

Getting very soon:

Tokina 50-135mm f/2.8

Will these suit my needs (at least for now)?

Jon

 

[twozero]

speed won't really be an issue. you are going to want to shoot around f/11 (or there about). since everything is static, you can shoot at whatever shutter speed necessary.

for interior shots, make sure to expose a few for the outside, that way you can layer in a correct exposure of whatever is viewable from the windows.

 

[skieur]

Yeah, I think the fisheye is a bad choice.

I guess my biggest question is with regard to aperture requirements.

Here's what I have now:

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5

Getting very soon:

Tokina 50-135mm f/2.8

Will these suit my needs (at least for now)?

Jon

Yes, they will certainly suit your needs. You should watch your camera angle for outdoor shooting, since shooting toward a bright sky will considerably darken the house exposure-wise. I would probably go with an ISO of 200 or so and darken a bright sky with a graduated neutral density filter.

skieur

 

[Jon_Are]

I appreciate the replies and good advice.

It didn't even occur to me that a fast lens is not really a requirement, particularly since I'd want some decent DOF.

As for lighting, I suppose I'd need some supplemental flash in some shots? I have an SB-600; would I need a second? How about an umbrella(s)? Light stand for sure. Pocket wizard??

Despite spending some time lately at thestrobist.com, indoor lighting is my big weakness (just 'cause I haven't done much of it).

Anyone own a huge house I could practice in?

Jon

 

[manaheim]

*Chris rubs his hands together in glee...*

Hi Jon. I do quite a bit of this so I can help out here. I agree with what a lot of people have said, but I'm going to get a bit more specific, particularly since you have a Nikon and I shoot with Nikon.

Some of this varies a LITTLE depending on commercial or residential, but not too much. Just be aware as you shift from one to the other that requirements may change a bit. This also assumes more mainstream real estate. Pricier residential places would justify more equipment, more setup, etc. Standard RE is gonna be shoot and move, shoot and move.


The following are the core things:

1. Flash - You need at least one flash. I have an SB600 and an 800, but I actually use the 600 more. It's a workhorse and it recharges quickly.
2. Wide Angle Lens - 18mm is NOT going to do it on a partial frame camera... not even close. You need the Sigma 10-20mm 4/5.6. It's the widest angle lens availabel for partial frame cameras without going fisheye. This is going to be your primary lens for 80-90% of your shots, interior and exterior. This is a MUST HAVE. It's also the most expensive thing in your must-have kit at ~$500.
3. Tripod - You can initially probably get away with anything reasonably sturdy... just don't buy some $50 best buy special. There are a number of threads on here about good less expensive alternatives to the usual Bogen/Manfrotto.
4. Mid-range zoom lens: usually 20ish-70ish is about what you need. There are a variety of options available.
5. A circular polarizer and any adapters you need to fit to other lenses. (Generally the 77mm thread on your 10-20 will be the biggest so you can usually step down from there) You will need the cpol for a lot of your exterior shots to cut down glare and bring out those nice blue skies.
6. A cable shutter release. Gotta have it. A -lot- of your shots will be tripod-mounted, slightly longer exposure with a flash fill bounced off the ceiling wall BEHIND you. Gotta have it. Don't buy the cheap-ass ones... they break.
7. Keep your lens hoods on-hand (be aware the CPOL adapter may interfere)
8. I highly recommend a shoulder bag that you can access gear from without taking the bag off. Don't get one too big- the key is to be mobile.
9. A screwdriver and a roll of duct tape. Odd, I know, but I can't tell you the number of times I've had to remove things or tape something up and out of the way temporarily. (always put stuff back!!!)

If you have everything listed above you can pretty much survive without any issue on any shoot you will ever do. Now on to some of the more advanced stuff:

1. Graduated ND filters... you need these when the sun is positioned such that the sky gets overexposed and turns white when your subject (house) is exposed properly. The truth is that most RE agents won't notice or care that you had this problem and you can generally maximize your skies by planning the shoot when the sun is positioned properly relative to the house- that being said, a couple extra ND filters isn't all that expensive, so you could easily slip this up to the required kit.
2. A second flash and remote triggers. (Sb800 and cactus triggers, likely) Remember the key is to be mobile and fast and while occasionally a second flash will be handy, you're not going to have the time or patience for anything more than that flash and MAYBE a small light stand to put it on (generally just the stand they give you with the flash will be fine... stick it behind a plant somewhere) No umbrellas or any of that craziness. Keep in mind cheaper remote triggers are less reliable, but you're NOT going to use these that often, and when you do an occasional misfire will not be a big deal. Stick with the cheap.
3. Deeper zoom lens. A 80-200ish range lens will come in handy if you want to get finer details that are further away from you. Generally speaking (particularly in residential) this lens will rarely get used.
4. Higher quality glass. While fast glass isn't necessary, the effect of higher quality glass tends to be noticable. Since this also tends to be fast, you wind up with F2.8 lenses. The very first one I would buy would be the 24-70mm 2.8. A wider one would be good, but the Sigma is a pretty solid lens and you're not likely to get any better at that width, esp. since super wide lenses also suffer all kinds of quality issues by their very nature.

That's the bulk of it. As you shoot more, you'll tune your needs a bit, but I would bet you money that this will be pretty damned close to what you'd wind up with on your own over time.

Good luck with it!

 

[Jon_Are]

I checked out your website, Chris; stunning photography (not just the properties, but the artsy-fartsy stuff as well).

I've read about the Sigma 10-20mm, and have considered getting it instead of the Tokina 50-135mm I was set on (not necessarily for RE, but just because it would fill a gap in my arsenal). Bonus: The Sigma is actually less expensive.

I hope you don't mind if I pepper you with questions for a bit, either here or via email. I recognize your username as one I've come to respect around the forum.

I've got a million questions, but I'll try and take it easy on you. Here are two:

1. I was under the impression that only higher-end real estate would even consider hiring a pro photographer; I would think that the average listing would not budget for that. I figured I would concentrate on a nearby market, maybe targeting only realtors who work with homes selling for around 400k and up. Am I correct?

2. I assume I would need to create a portfolio. How in the freak can I accomplish this without access to a couple of gorgeous homes? I know it is said to not "give it away", but I'm wondering if my best bet is to offer a free shoot of a nice home to an agent. Any thoughts?

Thanks again, Chris.

Jon

 

[manaheim]

I checked out your website, Chris; stunning photography (not just the properties, but the artsy-fartsy stuff as well).

Thanks! I'm particularly fond of the farts.

I've read about the Sigma 10-20mm, and have considered getting it instead of the Tokina 50-135mm I was set on (not necessarily for RE, but just because it would fill a gap in my arsenal). Bonus: The Sigma is actually less expensive.

hehe, that is a bonus.

I hope you don't mind if I pepper you with questions for a bit, either here or via email. I recognize your username as one I've come to respect around the forum.

Ah, I've fooled you! Sweet. Absolutely happy to answer questions.

I've got a million questions, but I'll try and take it easy on you. Here are two:

1. I was under the impression that only higher-end real estate would even consider hiring a pro photographer; I would think that the average listing would not budget for that. I figured I would concentrate on a nearby market, maybe targeting only realtors who work with homes selling for around 400k and up. Am I correct?

This is my impression as well. I haven't actually done much residential stuff myself yet, but I've been starting to tap the market to see how deep it goes. So far my strong impression is that, for the most part, the market will not bear my prices. My hope is that the higher-end RE market will, but I have only just started networking into that.

By and large "normal" agents are perfectly happy with running through the house and snapping a few crappy shots with their point and shoot... because that's what they ALL do, and it works essentially "ok". Getting them to understand that there may be value in higher-end product for this is a bit of an uphill battle, and I'm still not sure I could pull more than maybe $3-400 out of them for a shoot... and for my time and money there's WAY more work involved than a commercial gig and way WAY less money... not worth it.... again, for me.

2. I assume I would need to create a portfolio. How in the freak can I accomplish this without access to a couple of gorgeous homes? I know it is said to not "give it away", but I'm wondering if my best bet is to offer a free shoot of a nice home to an agent. Any thoughts?

So time for me to come clean on my residential stuff...

What I have been doing is the same thing I did to get into the commercial market... run around and take pictures of nice examples.

Ok, I do a bit more than that... I network with people I know and worm my way into nice examples and offer them copies of the pictures for the privelledge. (sp?) I understand and fully agree with "don't give things away for free" thing... you need to be careful with this. For me, personally, however ... I consider this you effectively paying someone else. You are paying them in pictures for the opportunity to develop some materials that you can use to sell yourself.

Looking at my site... the residential section? The white house is actually my last house... the two interior shots are from my friend's place (he is listing his house and wanted some better pictures) ... the other three houses up there are just some nice homes in my nearby ritzy town of Concord. I actually have about 5-10 more I need to put up, just haven't gotten to it yet. I've had a couple amusing conversations with some homeowners who have come out to ask me just what the hell I was doing on their lawn with a camera.

Now... If you look at the commercial section I believe the first image is of a Marriott... I took that for my father in law who sold them the exterior surface materials for the building. I used to have about 12 pictures up here and every single one of them was like my current residential set... not paid gigs in the strictest sense, but just examples of what I -could- do... but now I think the only one that remains from my old starter set is that Marriott one.

What I'm driving at here is that this is just kind of the way you have to do it. You are absolutely not going to sell anyone on your amazing photographic prowess with promises. You need to have something to show... and what's more is you actually need to at least PRETEND that what you have was stuff done for hire. (I made a point to ensure that most of it was... granted, I was hired by my father in law and he paid me a whopping $50, but I was hired!)

I used these to work my way into a couple commercial real estate clients, landed a couple "trial" jobs, convinced them that I actually know what the hell I'm doing and provide some good services, and now I'm a regular!

I hope that was articulate. I'm listening to a concall while typing this. I'll re-read this again later tonight and clarify if I screwed anything up.

 

[Jon_Are]

Interesting story, Chris. Like any venture, it takes a certain amount of acting like you belong/know what you're doing. I know a great house I'd like to grab a shot or two of; preferably when nobody is home.

A few more Q's:

1. How do I deliver the goods? Do I upload them directly into a MLS site? Do I send them via email to the agent? On a CD? Does anyone ever request a hard copy?

2. How in the world to I determine what to charge? Do I take a retainer up front? Or just send an invoice after the job is completed?

Thanks again,

Jon

 

[Sw1tchFX]

SHAMWOW!

Strobist: Working Around the House