I'm trying to make my way into real estate and architectural photography and at the moment I'm at the stage of compiling a portfolio. I've been fortunate enough to shoot some really nice houses, for free of course, and I would really like some feedback on what I've done so far from you guys. Critique is very welcomed. I feel that I'm not doing enough justice to the spaces, I know I'm shooting really wide and I'm aware I may have some editing mistakes as I am not a photoshop wizard.
Thanks for sharing! It's great that you're starting a portfolio with such a clean palette. A hanging fireplace is a huge bonus. I would say the combination of focal length, two-point perspective, and centrally oriented compositions make this set of images distinctly real estate (excluding the accent photo of the chaise lounge).
Some things to look out for:
It's sometimes better to leave windows overexposed, if the view isn't important. If you still want to composite, it's best to match tonal ranges. (e.g. the view from the bathroom has such rich darks that the eye is immediately drawn to the view which places the room in a secondarily position)
If your goal is to craft more of an architectural vibe, I would experiment more with one-point perspective, asymmetry of forms, and correlation of angles. Here's a great example of this by Robert Morning:
https://fstoppers.com/photo/81783
You'll notice a few objects perfectly line up 2-dimensionally (e.g. the ottoman with the couch lounger cushion, the entertainment center with the kitchen island). The more you can spot these correlations and include them in your comp, the better. Another interesting aspect is that even though the painting is in the center of the image, the vanishing point is slightly left of it. Because of this asymmetry, the eye twirls between the silver tray, fireplace, and painting as anchor points which increase dynamics. It's a bonus that they're all approximately the same size 2-dimensionally.
The last thing to note is being hyper aware of your dominant subjects and how the supporting elements are leading the eye to them. Shot three is a great example of all lines leading to the fireplace. The 2nd to last shot is ambiguous as there is little correlation of angles. The very last photo places the chairs in a very dominant position, which would be appropriate if your client was a furniture designer, but might consider recomposing for an architect.
Ultimately, not too much to sweat about though. You're off to a great start for Real Estate. Just providing little pointers when you're ready to go after architectural clients. Best of luck!
Good job overall. I agree with E Port. It seems like you're over doing it on saving the view out the window. It's to the point that's it's unbelievable. It's ok to leave it slightly over exposed so it is believable, but pull the window view just enough so that the viewer gets a general idea of what is out there. Great photographers to learn from are Mike Kelly, Scott Hargis, and Barry McKenzie. For RE, ultra wide is fine. While you're there though, get tighter shots which will appeal to architects and designers.
Thanks for your great comments guys! It's certainly something to take into consideration when going on my next shoot. Most of the techniques that I've learned are from Mike Kelley and Scot Hargis through their tutorials. I know of the differences between real estate photography and shooting for architects, interior designers and others that require getting up close with the design of the room or the architectural features of the building. On this second set of photos I think I've tried to show more of the design of the office rather than the size of the rooms, at least this is what I think I managed to do. There was no view worth saving out there so I thought of leaving the windows over exposed.
These are great. Your white balance is flawless. Just a word of caution: as Scott Hargis mentions, your eye tends to gravitate to the brightest thing in the photo. So while allowing windows to be over-exposed is ok, completely blown-out Windows can be a bit distracting. Great composition, great staging. I think designers will love you. Make sure your website has good SEO so they can find you!
I am too a Newbie and can't wait to get my teeth into learning, but I will say your images look pretty damm kick ass to me already, great stuff well done, really like the bright, white,feel to the images! how did you achieve this ? do you just keep an eye on the histogram and keep them high??