Graduating from beginner to pro takes a lot of time and patience, but it’s truly never been easier to get busy at getting good.

The main advantage nowadays is that with a single instrument you can create both high-quality photo and video. No need to dump money into both fields as most new DSLRs are now equipped with HD video and photo resolution that handles pretty much any job.

If you’ve decided to go out and purchase a new camera and are looking for ways to develop your skills, there are countless resources on the web. Online training doesn’t need to cost a thing, and the pool of informative resources continues to grow by the minute. Here’s a list of just a few of the great places to start learning:

Vimeo Video School
Vimeo is no longer just YouTube’s classy little brother, they’ve began compiling and sorting training videos for the videographer in all of us. The lessons range from absolute beginner to pro, so there’s something for everyone. It’s growing constantly, and worth a look. Go to Vimeo Video School.

Adorama TV
What a stellar collection of videos here for photographers looking to learn. Adorama has seriously outdone themselves producing this epic pile of awesomeness. New episodes come out regularly, so keep checking back. Go to Adorama TV.

Photography for Real Estate
PFRE surfaces a ton of valuable information for real estate agents who are looking to up the ante of their photo and video creation. This blog has been running for a long time, and it’s difficult to search for information that hasn’t already been discussed. Go to PFRE Blog.

Pop Photo
Slightly more on the advanced side, Pop Photo has created a worthwhile “How To” section for photographers looking to gain an edge in their productions. Pop Photo is not real estate focused, but there are numerous tips and tricks that will assist in any genre. Go to Pop Photo’s “How To”.

Video for Real Estate
These guys seem to be riding on the wake of success of the PFRE blog mentioned above. Although there’s plenty of room to grow, VFRE has begun to compile a strong body of content designed to educate and encourage. The bonus here is that they are real estate focused, so the techniques discussed are completely relevant. Go to VFRE.

There’s plenty more out there, and if you have any great resources to add, feel free to leave them in the comments area below. Happy Shooting!

If truth be told though, wintertime photography can be a lot of fun, and the photos you can achieve can be quite stunning. There’s a certain brisk, freshness to winter photos, and snowfall can often create a sense of minimalism adding emphasis to the focal point. I went out the other day, and snapped a quick shot to use as an example:

As one may expect, wintertime real estate photography involves a bit of practice and often a few editing tweaks to achieve a pleasing final shot. So let’s get started on the tips and tricks.

Timing is Critical

Like all listing exterior photos, I recommend shooting while the sun is rising or setting in the sky. As winter days are shorter in length, and the sun stays lower in the sky, you will have more flexibility than during summer. Aim for days with clear forecasts so you have a better chance of puffy clouds and blue skies.  I suggest choosing between morning or evening based on which direction the house faces – you’ll want the light to fall on the front face of the house.

The reason why early/late light is beneficial is because the sky will polarize better, and the low angle of the light will add texture and dimension to the snow. If you go too close to mid-day, the snow and skies will likely overexpose, or appear bland.

Precise Framing/Cropping

How you frame your photo will vary from listing to listing, but always try to make the snow work to your advantage. Think minimalism, and try to add emphasis to the property. Balancing your listing between snow and sky will help hold a viewer’s attention. If you’re unsure, always shoot wide and crop afterwards.

One problem you may encounter is an abundance of dirty snow, especially if your listing is near a busy street or walking path. Try to crop/frame out dirty snow patches as much as possible. If there is a walkway leading up to the house, you can use it to lead the viewer’s attention up towards the property. One other thing worth mentioning, is try not to breath too heavily around your camera. Breath will fog up the lens and soften your focus.

While shooting, play with a few different angles so you have lots to choose from later on. Sometimes a shot looks great in the viewfinder, but only mediocre during the editing stage.

Perfect Exposure

If you have your camera set on JPG mode, then you may want to bracket your photos to ensure that you get a pleasing exposure. If you’re shooting photos in RAW format, they’ll likely have enough flexibility in exposure to attain the shot you want from a single file, but bracketing can be a safe bet nonetheless.

Most camera’s have a bracketing feature built in so that you can quickly obtain three or five shots of the same scene at different stops (exposure levels) with ease. If your skillset is advanced, I suggest using a tripod, so you have the ability to blend the exposures using exposure fusion or HDR techniques later on.

If you’re eager to try blending exposures, I suggest using PTGUI Pro ($113 US) for exposure fusion, or Photomatix($99 )for HDR. If you prefer using free software, then I suggest Enfuse GUI for exposure fusion, or Picturenaut (Windows only) for HDR. I’ll talk about the differences between each in a future post.

Fine-Tuned Edits

There are only three main edits that need to be performed on a wintertime photo: color, contrast, and levels – preferences will vary, so take my recommends as a guideline only.

When I’m editing a winter shot, I like to push my highlights (snow, clouds, etc.) very close to the point of overexposure. My intent is to have very pure looking snow with a slight cool blue tint. Adding contrast will increase the subtle texture in the snow, and emphasize features on the listing. Always aim for realistic color, but if you have to choose between cool and warm tones, go with cool. If possible, try to counteract the cool tone of the sky and snow with a bit of warmth on the house. The final image should look like a cozy home just waiting to be lived in.

If you have a few wintertime beauties that you’d like to share, feel free to add them to our Flickr photo group.  Or feel free to add any additional tips, or ask questions in the comments area below. Happy shooting!

HDR, or high dynamic range photography is not unlike the process of stacking negatives.  Essentially, the goal is one of the same: combine a number of bracketed exposures in an effort to create one final image that embodies perfect tonal range.  HDR is not limited to astrophotography by any means; with new hardware and software readily available to the general public, it’s common to see images in every genre that attempt to utilize HDR processing.  Thus, it comes as no surprise that real estate photographers have taken hold of HDR – using it to create both stunning masterpieces and disastrous flops.

The perfect shooting conditions are rare, especially when it comes to real estate.  Fluffy clouds, blue skies, perfect light… these conditions come together sometimes, but not always.  So, it’s nice to have a few tricks up your sleeve that still allow you to create great photos even when your timing is off.  I stepped out the other day for instance, to shoot a photo of the Point2 building (above) only to find washed-out skies and all around ‘bad’ light.  The perfect exposure was not a possibility, and my polarizing filter did nothing to correct the hot sky. I had a tripod with me though, and shot a number of photos at varying exposures, later merging them with HDR techniques.

Here’s a few tips for shooting raw images for later HDR processing:

• Use a sturdy tripod, and a cable release or remote control so your framing remains consistent.
• Bracket your exposures by adjusting your shutter speed rather than your aperture so your depth of field does not change.
• Shoot at least three photos – one underexposed, one overexposed, and one metered correctly.  Spreading out each exposure by a couple of stops is best.
• Shooting at dusk or dawn works great, and you may want to turn on all of the house lights to create a warm, ‘homey’ feel to the final shot.  Keep an eye on varying light sources though, as interior light will appear yellow.  Alternatively, exterior light may appear blue when shooting interiors.
• Avoid shooting areas that have moving objects if possible.  It complicates the merging process.

Once you have three or more bracketed exposures, it’s just a matter of merging them into the ‘perfect’ shot using specialized computer software.  Here’s where things can get tricky, but once you find a system that works for you it becomes much quicker and easier.  When it comes to HDR, practice truly does makes perfect – so don’t expect to master it on your first try.

Keep in mind that the best HDR images tend to be those that appear vibrant, colorful, and clear, while retaining realistic and natural tones.  Unnatural HDR images are everywhere, and there are a number of people who love them as an type of photographic art.  For real estate purposes especially, it’s very important that your images retain their realistic and natural appeal.  After all, you’re using them to sell houses not to win art competitions.  Here’s an example of an unnatural-looking HDR image:

Just because you’re using software designed to create HDR images, doesn’t mean that it’s always correct.  Color and tone can become skewed in the processing stages – sometimes to a point where they can’t be saved.  Just learn to trust your eye.

There’s a growing mass of software solutions that allow you to merge photos for the purposes of HDR.  The most popular is Adobe Photoshop which allows for both automated and manual processes.  Other common solutions include Photomatix, EasyHDR and PTgui Pro.  PTgui Pro also provides photo-stitching solutions for panoramas, and 360-degree virtual tours.  Free solutions include:  Enfuse Gui (PC), xFuse (mac), and Hugin (both).

Countless tutorials are on the web for those looking to get started.  Here’s a few decent one’s I’ve come across:

Adobe Photoshop: Automated Process |  Manual Process
Photomatix : Tutorial on Abduzeedo
PTgui Pro: Tutorial from PTgui Site

Personally, I like to merge photos manually with Photoshop.  It takes more time, but it always looks more natural in the end.  I have tested both Photomatix and PTgui Pro though, and I find Photomatix best for automated HDR processing and manual tone mapping.  Almost all of the paid solutions offer free trials, so I suggest testing as many of them as possible before making your final decision.  In the mean time, have a peek at some real estate HDR samples on PFRE’s Flickr page.  Enjoy!

Now, even though I take great pleasure in patting backs and dishing out compliments, I must admit, I can also be a ruthless perfectionist at times.  So, while perusing the excellent stockpile of photos from Pima County, I also made a list of some common errors that I take no shame in unveiling right here, right now.  Furthermore, I’m confident that the fine folks of Pima County will forgive me for making an example of them.  How do I know this?  Well, after just one look at the county’s website I knew immediately that these were a kind and forgiving people.

So without further ado, here are the seven most common errors I noticed while browsing listings:

Noise – The result of shooting low-light photos at high ISOs.  Noise is very common in real estate as home interiors are notorious for suffering from poor lighting.  What’s happening here is that the camera is struggling for light, resulting in impure color that’s littered in randomly colored pixels.  If you want your photos to have pure, bold color and flawless dark tones, there are a few ways of achieving this: add more light (flashes, open windows, interior lights), or lower your ISO and shoot longer exposures (be sure to use a tripod), and/or opt for a DSLR with a full frame sensor (the larger surface area on the sensor will minimize noise at high ISOs).

Camera Shake – The result of shooting hand-held while zoomed in or when the shutter speed is set slow. The most obvious signs are when the detail becomes blurred, and when sharp edges become soft gradients.  Easy workarounds are: use a tripod, increase the amount of light so that you can shoot with a faster shutter speed, opt for a camera or lens with image stabilization, and/or increase your ISO (which may result in more noise… *sigh*).

Color Balance – The result of having your white balance set at a Kelvin temperature that differs from the primary light source, or by having two different light sources that are not the same temperature.  In real estate, the most common problem is shooting interiors that are lit by both interior light (3500 degrees Kelvin) and daylight through a window (6000 degrees Kelvin).  Workarounds for color balancing are: lighting interiors with a powerful flash (which is also daylight balanced), or close the windows and white balance your camera in accordance to the interior light (read more here), by shooting multiple exposures and merging them using HDR (High Dynamic Range) techniques, or shooting one exposure and color correcting it in an image editor.  If interested, I talk more about light here.

Low Contrast – Some shots just look bland because they lack contrast.  The easiest fix is to give the photo a quick tweak in an image editor using level adjustments, brightness and contrast.  If you’re keen on minimizing blandness while shooting, just make sure you have ample amounts of light, and that your camera is exposed accordingly.  More light will allow your camera to more accurately capture the true color and contrasts of a scene.  Sometimes, even when shots are lit properly, they will still benefit from level adjustments.

Exposure – The most common error results from photos that have a wide span of exposure in one single shot.  For instance, a dark room that is underexposed with an open window that is over exposed.  Balancing these exposures is one of the hardest challenges for agents.  The world’s best real estate photographers are commonly the ones who have perfected this balance.  It is achievable by using a large amount of light inside (daylight-balanced flashes) to match the light coming in through the windows so the same exposure works for both.  Other techniques include HDR, and/or compositing numerous images to produce a final result. Both HDR and image composites require multiple photos that are framed the same.  A tripod is mandatory, as is advanced photo editing skill.

Compression – Images are displayed on Point2 Homes at 475×356 pixels, although you can upload photos that are larger than this and they will be automatically resized.  However, if you load images that are smaller, they cannot be resized larger.  If you take a photo that is smaller and scale it larger in an image editor it will appear soft and pixilated.  If you save a photo using huge amounts of compression it will appear also appear poor as well.  When prepping photos for the web, size them accordingly (pixel dimensions), and save them without overly compressing them.

Flash Reflection – The result of shooting reflective objects straight on.  The most common objects are windows, mirrors, glass cabinets, and glass on hanging pictures.  Essentially the light of your flash is bouncing off the reflective object and back towards your camera.  Avoid this by shooting reflective objects at angles if you are using on-camera flash.  Alternatively, you can opt to use off-camera flash which will give you more control for how the room is lit, and make for easy repositioning.

In many ways, I want to say keep up the good work.  The listing photos look great overall, and the effort put forth really shows.  That being said, there’s no time like the present for making improvements.  So let’s make 2009 a year for great photography!  And thanks again to the folks in Pima County for being my examples.  Also, I’ve once again included a printable PDF document if you want to have a copy of this checklist for your records – download here.  Enjoy!