Good real estate photos depend on a sophisticated way of working, a.k.a. the right workflow. After all, it’s about achieving the best possible result in a short time, using the right tools and techniques. The time factor is not only important for your own cost calculation, but also for the time effort on the side of owners or users of a property. The following report gives an insight into my workflow during a recent real estate photo shoot in the Southern German Allgäu region (in English also known as Allgovia or Allgau).
Easy Arrival by Train
The early bird catches the worm. Travelling 450 miles by train to a photo shoot in the Allgäu
It’s February and a busy and exciting day is seems to come up. I’m taking the early morning train from Berlin to Munich, actually because I’ll be giving my workshops on real estate photography there tomorrow and the day after. But this time I received a call for help from a former workshop participant. She needs support for photography of a not-so-easy-to-shoot property. So I decide to meet her for the photo shoot in the Allgäu the day before the workshop.
I love traveling by train on long journeys, because this gives me the opportunity to turn up on site relatively relaxed, to be able to start working in a more focused manner.
My InterCityExpress train arrives in Munich on time, so connecting to the regional link towards Oberstdorf is easy. The agent picks me up at the destination station with a radiant smile. Okay, maybe it’s the joy of seeing each other again, but at the same time it’s also the relief that the weather is really fine today. We’re driving through a small town I’ve never been to – I only know it from the sports news about an ice hockey team.
When we arrive at the property, we park the car some distance away because the owners have an old dog who is always quite upset. The real estate agent approaches the house at least as heavily loaded as I am because she brings fresh fruit, flowers and other decorations for the photo session. When the owner opens the door, there is no dog in sight, it’s enjoying temporary custody in her husband’s workspace.
First Contact with the Property
The somewhat inconspicuous house facade is cheating. Behind the entrance door, the living area suddenly opens up into spacious rooms , so I immediately realize: That’s gonna be fun!
We first take a tour, for which I use my smartphone to create a shot list of all interesting viewing angles. I can then photograph these subject by subject later with my „real“ photo equipment. This way I don’t forget anything in this spacious property. Spoiler alert: This approach would later prove to be very useful under time pressure.
For the first shots the main living room is flooded with light. Couch landscape, large screen TV and huge glass fronts that offer great views to the garden dominate the scene. For the first image of the day, I need two attempts to eliminate the most disruptive factors. Especially the polished stone floor proves to be particularly critical. While it’s tempting to capture the sunlight coming in, the floor mercilessly reflects every ray of light into the room like a mirror, creating bright spots on the walls and ceiling, that distract the viewer’s eye.
Left: The first shot with lots of reflections. There is sunshine in the room, but there is no view to the exterior.
Right: After playing with the slatted curtains, the reflections are gone and the view to the garden is clear.
Details and Wishes of the Broker
Of course, the agent also has her own wishes and ideas for her pictures. She would like to have photos of unique architectural details, and views into the garden should be seen. However, there are limits to the latter because the February sun is low and thus creates strong contrasts. But I know: With photographic and later digital tricks, this wish can still be implemented reasonably well.
The owner is also collaborating well: She has prepared the fireplace, so that it can be lit without further ado. She also did a good job of subtly setting the huge dining table, so that an atmospheric real estate photo can be created with just a few corrective steps.
Dining table for two – The fireplace is blazing in the background.
Just Small Interventions Required
The kitchen, which is in use, needs a little more attention. Here I ask for a cloth to remove the last streaks from the high-gloss granite working tops. You could certainly correct this in post-processing with the right tools. But the time required is in a ratio of 1:50 (!) compared to correcting the motif directly. Thus, I’m not too bad for that.
A quick eye contact with the real estate agent reveals how grateful she is, that I was able to solve this tiny problem so eloquently. The same applies to removing the many refrigerator magnets. Now a steel front appears in the finished photo instead.
Before the sun disappears behind the neighboring house, we take the most important exterior photos of the garden, rear facade, terrace and a cosy seating area by the creek that runs directly along the property. An inconspicuous gray shed suddenly turns out to be a gem – after a few moves by the owner, it is transformed into a barbecue hut with a bar counter.
What helps when taking photos of a porch in winter? The low sun.
Suddenly there is Time Pressure
Then I continue upstairs. But I notice that time is running out, because I have an evening appointment in Munich for which I have to catch a very specific train. So my explanations get more economical and I start to work faster without becoming careless.
Excerpt from the smartphone shotlist from the photo shoot in the Allgäu
Now my well-rehearsed workflow is paying off. Clickety-click … the most important rooms are photographed. I shoot from different angles (the shot list on my smartphone helps me as a reminder) and with different lighting scenarios (room lighting, exterior light, mixed light). The best ones will be selected later on the computer screen. Almost every room is very well prepared, with only a few touches correcting the respective scene.
There’s another good reason why I have to hurry. I want go shooting outside again for the blue hour (between sunset and darkness). The owner of the house switches on all the room lights and, at the end of the photo shoot in the Allgäu, I photograph some of the day’s exterior images again in twilight.
Just as I’m about to pack up my photography equipment, the owner of the house points out, that it could also be worth taking photos of recently modernized energy facilities in the basement . So I set up again and follow him to the basement. These pictures are also taken quickly, because fortunately there aren’t that many photographic challenges to handle.
It’s a Wrap
A little later the real estate agent drops me off at the train station. I wait exactly one minute for the train to Munich. Happy about the successful photo session, I take my seat and start looking at and sorting the first images on my laptop.
The broker gets the previews the following week. These are scaled down versions of the best images with full watermarking and rough editing. From these she can choose her desired images. These then receive the final image editing touches and are available for the broker to download one day later.
Preview image of the guest’s bathroom- small resolution and watermark – this is how the photos are made available for pre-selection.
Conclusion
The day kept what it promised in the morning – it was busy and exciting. After all the real estate agent was happy with the photos and reported. „My client was just as thrilled as I was, both by your style and by the quality of your work and the results.“
I am happy about such praise because it confirms that as a real estate photographer I’m obviously doing something right. Keys to this successful workflow are a targeted, quick and concentrated way of working, an eye for the essential and for the unnecessary as well as the safe operation of photographic equipment.