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Genres in practice3 min read

LESSON 43

Real estate and interiors

Rooms that look as they feel.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. A branch of architecture
  2. Small rooms and wide lenses
  3. Bright windows, dark rooms
  4. In practice: honest and clean

A branch of architecture

Real estate and interior photography sit within architectural photography, and Wikipedia treats real estate photography under that article. The same tenets apply: pictures that are pleasing and accurate, with vertical lines kept parallel rather than converging, achieved with view cameras, tilt-shift lenses or correction afterward. Interiors add two problems of their own. Rooms are small, so you often cannot step back far enough. And the light inside is usually much dimmer than the view through the windows, so a single exposure cannot hold both. This lesson covers both problems.

Small rooms and wide lenses

A wide-angle lens is the usual answer to a small room, because it takes in more than the eye notices at once. The source on wide-angle lenses lists interiors among their main uses, where the photographer cannot move further back. The cost is exaggeration. Near objects look large and far walls recede, so a room can look bigger than it is; and if the camera tilts, verticals lean more strongly than with a normal lens. Keep the camera level, usually at about chest height, and correct any remaining lean in software. Lesson 34 explains why distance, not the lens, shapes perspective.

Bright windows, dark rooms

A room with a sunny window holds more range of brightness than one frame can record. There are three common answers. Bracket several exposures and blend them, as lesson 57 explains. Add light inside with flash bounced off walls and ceilings, which the reflector source describes as giving light like a large window, and keep it a little weaker than the room's own light for a natural look. Or wait for an hour when outside and inside are closer in brightness, such as dusk with the room lights on. Many photographers combine two of these.

In practice: honest and clean

This section is working practice. Clear surfaces, straighten cushions, open blinds evenly and turn on every light, with bulbs of one colour if you can. Shoot from corners or doorways to show how rooms connect, and include one detail frame per room. Keep white balance consistent across a set. Above all, keep the pictures honest. Do not remove permanent features, hide damage or change views from windows in pictures meant to sell or let a property; in many places that can mislead buyers, and rules and platform policies on editing listing photos differ by country. Ask the owner what they consent to show.

Try it today

  1. 01Choose a room with a window and set a tripod at chest height, level.
  2. 02Shoot one frame exposed for the room and note the blown window.
  3. 03Bracket three exposures two stops apart and blend them.
  4. 04Make a second version with flash bounced off the ceiling behind you.
  5. 05Compare the two, and check that verticals are straight in both.