I should have made my user name Infant Photographer because this last March (2016) I didn't know what dslr or hdr was. The truth be known I didn't even know where the batteries were located on the basic Canon Rebel I purchased from Best Buy.
In any event, I am a Matterport provider for the Chicago area and decided to add photography to my growing list of services. I do basic HDR photography which seems to please most Realtors. However, I think there is an AMAZING opportunity to be the absolute BEST real estate photographer in my geographic area and I'm ready for the challenge.
I have no idea how to turn on my flash (I bought a speedlite...I think) and just started my first online course for basic photoshop.
Mike Kelley has the video tutorial Where Art Meets Architecture for $299. My concern is my current level of knowledge. I know a -LITTLE- about photography just not a lot.
Is there any recommendations for a guy like me?
Not for technique, but simply inspiration, visual accoustics is hard to beat. It might be on Netflix.
Ditto - I would start by learning about architectural photography before you try to do any post processing learning. The names I would focus on are Ezra Stoller (now Esto Photographic), Scott Frances, Hedrich Blessing, Iwan Baan, Ultimas Reportagens, and Helene Binet. Some of them have great websites but others are best seen in books. You can also grab a copy of Architectural Record every month. They give you a great breadth of styles. Then I would just start taking pictures of buildings. You want to develop a taste for the buildings and what you like and don't like first.
For technique, I would check out Jimmy McIntyre's luminosity masking tutorials on youtube. They're all for landscapes, but the same thing works for architectural photography. But the post-processing should really come after you've immersed yourself in the genre and explored the challenges that buildings and spaces present.
Perhaps the best thing you could do is to reach out to your realtor friends and try to shadow when they have someone come in to shoot a space. The first time just watch. It's amazing how much I learned just by watching some really great architectural photographers.
Practice shooting every day, if only in your own home. This will get you familiar with the camera and force you to learn how to use a flash, how different lenses work (both inside and outside homes), etc.
If you're doing it as a business I would absolutely recommend buying Mike Kelley's first series, then the second. It offers good business tips as well as invaluable shot-by-shot instruction for different types of shots that realtors and others in the building industry will need.
Shoot your own house, shoot a friend's house, shoot another friend's house. You'll learn quickly and can build a portfolio to show to any listing agent. Look on Zillow or any site, find a listing with horrible photography, and reach out to the realtor behind it. Even if you're doing it for free (spending your valuable time on self-education).
Good luck!
Everything you need to know about real estate photography at http://photographyforrealestate.net I would also check out http://lightingforrealestatephotography.com
Beat me to it Brian.