As someone who's been doing real estate photography forever, it's clear that some basic things about light are just... missed. And honestly, light is the most important thing in a photo. Period. You don't need all the fancy equipment I use, but you DO need to understand light.
Natural Light - Use It Properly
Let's start with the obvious: natural light is your best friend. Use it. But use it right.
Exteriors? Sunrise or sunset. Golden hour. That's it. Makes the house look inviting. Any other time and you get harsh shadows or it just looks flat. Don't photograph the front of a house with the sun behind it, that's just basic.
Interiors are best mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Get that nice, even light without sunbeams making weird shapes or blowing everything out. Cloudy days are actually wonderful for inside shots, makes the light soft and beautiful.
And for goodness sake, open ALL the blinds and curtains. Let the light in! If the sun's too strong through a window, maybe use a sheer curtain to soften it. A simple white board can bounce light into dark corners, it's not rocket science. Just bounce the light that's already there.
Interior Lights - Don't Mess It Up
Yes, turn on the house lights. They add warmth, make it look lived in. But you absolutely must be careful about mixing different types of light. Sunlight coming through a window is one color, and your lamps are probably another. Mix them sloppily and your photos will have awful yellow or blue patches. Pick one main light source for a shot if you can, or at least make sure the lights match each other.
If the natural light is good, sometimes it's better to just leave the house lights off completely to avoid color problems.
Simple Artificial Light - If You Must
If you have to use a flash, never point it straight ahead. It looks terrible, flat, awful shadows. Bounce it off the ceiling or a side wall. It softens it. Makes a huge difference with zero extra cost if you have a flash unit.
Even just moving a lamp to a better spot can help fill in a dark area. Think about where the light is going.
Dealing with Problem Rooms
Low light happens. Get a tripod if you can – lets the camera take a longer exposure to gather more light without getting grainy noise everywhere (though a little grain is sometimes unavoidable without pro gear, just don't overdo your ISO). Open doors to borrow light from brighter rooms.
Windows being too bright is another classic mistake I see agents make constantly. You expose for the room and the window is pure white, or expose for the view and the room is dark. The simplest fix is called bracketing. Take a few pictures at different brightness levels and combine them. Your phone can probably even do this now. It's not hard, look it up. Gets you detail both inside and out.
Look, it's not rocket science. Good lighting makes your listings look professional. It makes rooms look bigger, more inviting. It attracts buyers. Paying attention to the light you have, even without fancy equipment, will put you ahead of most of the listing photos out there.
Stop making simple mistakes. Learn the basics of light. Your photos (and your listings) will thank you.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1kley28/if_youre_an_agent_taking_your_own_listing_photos/
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