I have started doing real estate / architectural photography recently. I have a couple of year's experience shooting landscapes (is how I got started in photography) so exterior shots are not too much of an issue. I also have experience using multiple lights in a studio doing portrait work so lighting interior shots is not as complicated. Where I am struggling some is when it comes to the framing of the interior shots. For real state I am using a wide angle (24mm) lens on a full frame sensor (Canon 5D Mark II), and since most of the spaces I have photographed so far are not big, this focal length does a good work of showing a good portion of the space in front of me (which is what most real state agents apparently want). The issue I got, is that too much of the ceiling and floor are included at this focal length, so I am always struggling at the end on how much should I crop on post and what are the best crop ratios for this type of photography.
The image of the bedroom below, was just my third time doing this type of work. That scene required using 6 lights to expose the area evenly. Probably overkill for Real State work but bear in mind I am working towards architectural clients. That one area was also big, so it sucked natural light like crazy and would have required multiple lights anyway. But back to my subject, as you can see, there is A LOT of ceiling included in the shot, at least for my taste. I have played around with the idea of cropping it (2:1 seems to be a good fit for this scene, getting rid of the fan and other distracting elements in the ceiling), but I just don't know if this is something that is expected on this type of photography. So, my question to those who have experience in this genre of photography, is how much of the floor / ceiling should be included in these shots? Should they be included at all or only in some instances (when there is a good reason to do so: chandeliers, etc...)? What would be a good split for ceiling vs.floor (if any)? I know every scene is different, so I ain't looking for magic rules, just some pointers as to what to look for in an scene when trying to make those important decisions.
While we are here and I got your attention, feel free to leave your critique on this image, I firmly believe that we grow our skills the most (and fastest) when learning from our own mistakes. I myself see a few other issues with this photo so I know it is far from perfect. If you do give your critique tho, please do also mention how you would have attacked that issue yourself, so that me (and others reading this) can evaluate and learn from it. Thanks in advance!
P.S: I am also including the Exterior shot for this house for CC, but hope it doesn't distract us too much from our subject on framing interior shots. Your feedback is appreciated.
Great work Adalberto given your relative inexperience. I've also found the ceiling/floor factor to be a constant issue with interiors. 90% of my work is shot on a full frame and a 24mm tilt-shift lens which can be very helpful.
The more ceiling that is shown, the lower the ceiling feels and the most claustrophobic the photo can feel. In the above bedroom shot I think it might feel more natural had the lens been shifted down 10% to chop off some ceiling while showing more of that nice textured floor while still maintaining an attractive composition. Losing the top blade of the fan isn't a big deal compared to seeing a bit more bed and tile.
The other general solution is to simply shoot more closer-up shots. Real estate demands the all-encompassing full-room shot (to quickly show a space while making it feel expansive), while architects and designers often like to see their work shown in the most attractive way (a close-up of the tub/shower area, etc).
Retouching out the vents and fire alarm plus cleaning up the seams showing in the sheetrock helps to keep the focus on the room below. Fans, recessed lights, and other lighting generally stays in. I always check with the client in case it needs to be shown accurately.
Bigger picture, it's about the feel of the shot. Too much ceiling/floor can feel very unnatural. I try to get the ceiling/floor to "hold" the room in the middle. Similar to how just the right amount of space around the person in a headshot can make it sing, while too much (or too little) space around the subject will diminish its impact.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks Gustav, your feedback is appreciated. I hadn't noticed the sheetrock seams, good catch. The fire alarm and the vents I was undecided, as those could be considered a fixture of the bldg. and I didn't know if I could go ahead and take them off to advertise the property. I got no problem with retouching stuff, the blanket was actually a bluish purple in the original shot and I went ahead and changed it's color to be more in sync with the rest of the room, but people are not buying the property because of the blanket so I feel safe doing that, other stuff in the room which is fixed to the bldg I am cautious about removing, but it is good to know vents and smoke alarms are fair play.
On composition, the reason I went ahead and included more ceiling than floor on camera was the bed, I felt it was taking too much of the frame already. One way I have worked around the too much ceiling issue is by cropping in a 2x1 ratio (attached) but then again, I don't know how much cropping is "allowed" in this type of photography. Is 2x1 and acceptable crop ratio for this genre? it works very well on landscapes.
I like what you mention as far as: "I try to get the ceiling/floor to "hold" the room in the middle".