Understanding Exposure: Listing Interiors (Part 1)

The most difficult part of real estate photography is, without question, the listing interior.  To make matters worse, the average listing requires at least thrice as many interior photos than exteriors.  While some agents see listing interior photography as a frustrating, dreadful process, others see it as an opportunity.  Opportunity lies in the inherent difficulty of shooting listing interiors, and the potential to stand out from the competition by learning to master this difficult process.  Here’s a photo that I feel is similar to the average beginner’s attempt at a listing interior:

If you read my previous post on shooting listing exteriors, then you will be aware of how I initially analyze a scene before the shoot begins.  What I see is a room consisting of bright, mid, and dark tones.  In this case, the windows and reflections are very bright, the walls and area rug are mid tone, and the floor and shadows are very dark.  You may find it easier to analyze the scene in gray scale:

So, there are two ways that we can tackle this photo:

1) High Dynamic Range (HDR) Processing - What I would call the software approach – just bracket your exposures and combine them using specialized computer software.  I wrote more about this in a previous post.

2) Use Off-Camera Flashes – What I would call the hardware approach – increase the amount of light inside the room so that it matches the intensity and color of light coming in through the windows.  Additional photographic equipment is required for this option.  If you’d like to learn about off-camera flash basics, read this post first.

I want to focus on option #2, and add additional light so that a well exposed photo can be obtained in a single shot.  So we’ll need a couple of off-camera flashes, and a few other things, but I’ll get into the exact requirements and processes in my next post.

Also, bonus points go to those who were displeased aesthetically with the photo above: uneven curtains, cushion on floor, throw blanket on couch, messy tablecloth, awkward lamp, etc.  As always, it’s important to run through a checklistto make sure your photos will look their best.

Bryan Larson, Media Production Technician
Point2 Technologies Inc 

For more on photography, check out the RealTown Photography Group. For more on Point2, check out the Point2 users Group.