The Photo Shoot

By
DSC_0014

Interior – kitchen – photographed by Alli Vonrae

The Photo Shoot

The physical aspect of the work is the actual photo shoot, I love this part. I usually get to meet wonderful people and I literally break a sweat photographing. Bending and stooping is part of the job but it’s completely worth it. It can make the difference between a tilted room and vertically consistent photographs, resulting in a cohesive batch of images.

Initially, when I coordinate with my client, I gather such information as:

  • Address
  • Date
  • Time
  • Size of the property
  • Possible weather conditions

The day of the photo shoot I do the following:

  • Prepare my equipment
  • Clean my lens
  • Charge batteries
  • Make sure I have two SD (memory) cards in my case
  • Arrive early (for the most part) so I can set up

The equipment I use:

  • DSLR camera
  • External flash
  • Wide angle lens
  • Tripod with a tilt/swivel head

Photography equipment, camera and flash on tripod and pack

Untitled-1

I set my camera to “Vivid.” Setting to “Vivid” allows more color depth. The following are the approximate adjustments I make during a photo shoot.

For exterior shots:

  • Keep ISO at 100
  • Set aperture to 7.1 or 6.3
  • Set shutter speed between 1/160 and 1/500 – depending on lighting conditions

For interior shots:

  • Set ISO to 160 to allow more light
  • Set aperture to 6.3 or 5.6
  • Set shutter speed between 1/5 and 1/10
  • Utilize my external flash

Each photo shoot is different but I usually start photographing the exterior of the property. I try my best to go in some logical order but that’s not always possible. It’s important that I get complementary shots of the front of the house since these are lead or face photos on Multiple Listing Service (MLS). I use a tripod with a tilt/swivel head. This is not a customary tripod head, but it works better since I photograph property in the hills on a lot of uneven terrain. Using this type of tripod head means I have to work hard at lining up my shots in the view finder and then utilizing Photoshop tools to correct unevenness. Once I’ve worked my way around the property exterior I move into the interior. I turn on all the lights, readjust my camera settings, and utilize my flash. I usually start at the entrance of the house. My favorite rooms to photograph are kitchens and bathrooms.