Real estate photography isn't just about making properties look beautiful; it also needs to inspire the buyers to take action. If you are keen on taking photos of your real estate listing, it's important to understand real estate photography camera settings to get beautiful real estate photos that sell.
When it comes to capturing high-quality images for real estate photography, it's important to choose the best cameras for real estate that offer flexibility and superior image quality.
Once you have the right camera, familiarize yourself with the below concepts for the best camera settings:
The aperture controls how much light comes in through the lens. Just like the iris expands or shrinks as you move between brighter and darker surroundings, you can increase or decrease the aperture to allow more or less light into your lens respectively. Keep the aperture between f/8 and f/11 for the perfect real estate photos.
ISO describes how sensitive the camera’s sensor is to light. Therefore, ISO is used to brighten or darken the photo. As the ISO increases, the photo gets brighter. This makes ISO important when you are trying to capture images in darker environments. The perfect ISO setting for real estate photography should be kept within the range of 200-400.
Shutter speed controls how long the camera lets the light reach the sensor. It determines how long your camera spends taking a picture. When you use a long/slow shutter speed, moving objects in your image will appear to be blurred. On the other hand, when you use a fast shutter speed, the fast-moving objects appear to be still. For the perfect real estate shot, 1/125 is likely the best shutter speed setting.
Exposure refers to how much light or dark image the camera will capture in a given scenario. You can control the exposure of an image using the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. You can choose between Automatic, or Manual exposure mode based on what your preferences are.
The perfect exposure for your real estate photos depends on the value of these three factors given in the particular surroundings.
You can check out the above video by True Homes Photography to get a quick overview of the basic camera settings used for real estate photography and how they can be utilized to control exposure of your photos.
Metering determines how your camera evaluates the surrounding light to determine the correct shutter speed, aperture, or ISO. Based on how your exposure is adjusted in the particular image, the most commonly used metering modes are Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot, and Highlight-weighted.
Once you have the right camera, shoot in RAW instead of in JPEG.
Shooting raw with most of the best cameras in real estate will give you more control over the image's exposure, highlights and shadows, white balance, contrast, and more. If you are confident of getting the shots right the first time, then shoot in JPEG (less work in post-production).
Many photographers have different opinions on the best way to create the best composition for each photo. Some photographers vouch for head-on shots, others believe in shots taken from a corner of the room, while some mix both of them to find the most creative angle.
Every space is different, so you can experiment a bit and try shooting at each of those angles. Take a head-on shot, then take a shot from a corner of the room, and then take a photo from a spot you think will come out well.
Technically, take a shot at a shot at a 1-point perspective and then at a 2-point perspective. The 1-point perspective shot has a central focal point (fireplace or a corner of the room). And the 2-point perspective shot has two points of focus.
Ensure that the vertical lines in your image are perfectly vertical. So, make use of a tripod.
The optimal camera height should ideally depend on the space and the way you have set it up. Ensure that the height of the camera gets the most out of the room possible.
If you are shooting in the living room and family room areas, set your camera anywhere between 36" – 48". These areas have furniture of varying heights, hence the large gap. While shooting, don't focus too much on the furniture in the house; rather, highlight the features like built-ins or crown molding.
In the kitchen, set the camera anywhere between 15" – 20" higher than the kitchen counter.
In bedrooms, set the camera anywhere between 15" – 20" higher than the bed.
If you find the image too dark with these settings, make the aperture wider by moving it from f/8 to f/7.1. Or boost the ISO by moving it from ISO 400 to ISO 800.
If the image is too bright with the above settings, narrow the aperture to f/11 or reduce the ISO to ISO 200.
In this case, the camera settings remain the same as for rooms that are not dark, except for the metering mode. Use these camera settings in rooms that are dark:
Generally, the best time for indoor shoots is when the sun is bright and shining. And for outdoor shoots, the best time is at dusk. Do not shoot on rainy, cloudy, and overcast days; they cause uneven white balance and bad lighting.
If you go into the technicalities, the best time to shoot depends on the way each space/room in the house faces. You should always ensure that the sun is behind the camera for well-illuminated photos. Avoid using artificial lighting in a room unless the house is dark.
Also Read: What Is HDR Photography In Real Estate? Everything To Know About HDR Photos
According to the National Association of Realtors, 95% of buyers searched for their dream home on the internet. So, if your house isn't attractive online, buyers may not be interested in seeing it in person.
The quality of your photos is also important when you are getting them virtually staged. If a photo of an empty room has poor lighting, is too zoomed in, and taken from a wrong angle, it may become difficult for the virtual stagers to place furniture and present the room attractively and realistically.
ProTip: Capture more floor than the ceiling. Floors are often more interesting and patterned, especially if the flooring has decorative tiles or is made of hardwood.
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