How Pros Get Light and Bright Interior Listing Photos

Do your listing photos have this problem?


Dark interiors accompanied by bright ("blown-out") windows are usually a result of the limitations of your camera when confronted by a high-contrast lighting situation.

Digital cameras are not able to "see" as well as the human eye when it comes to light and dark areas of a scene. They automatically determine the exposure, or the amount of light they let in, usually based on the average amount of light. (The more expensive your camera, the more control you have over how the light is metered.)

The result can either be fine or lousy, depending on the level of contrast. When shooting indoors, the light coming in the windows can be so bright that it fools your camera, making it think the whole room is bright. It then reduces the exposure, causing your room to look like a cave and the windows to look like there's a nuclear blast detonating in the front yard.

There are three ways to deal with this very common problem:

1. Take the photos at just the right time of day, when the light coming in the windows is balanced with the light level in the room. That can be impractical, because these conditions may not occur at the same time of day in each room. And you usually can't schedule your photography according to available lighting conditions anyway.
   
   
2. Use flash photography to compensate for the relatively low light level inside. This also can be impractical unless you are a pro with lots of lighting experience. To solve the lighting problem, it may be necessary to use multiple lights, which must be simultaneously triggered by your camera. That kind of lighting setup is usually only done by professionals, or very dedicated amateurs. Even for professionals, a lighting rig can be too time-consuming to deploy for real estate photo shoots. On the other hand, if you are using an inexpensive point-and-shoot digital camera with built-in flash, the light provided by your flash will seldom extend beyond 6-10 feet and is not sufficient to illuminate an entire room.
   
   
3. Use HDR photography to blend multiple exposures together into one, more natural-looking image. "HDR" stands for "High Dynamic Range" and is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of luminances between light and dark areas of a scene than normal digital imaging techniques. Done well, HDR accurately represents the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows, so that you don't get blown out highlights or black shadows with no detail.
   
   When shooting for an HDR photograph, the photographer takes several (usually 3-5) identical shots in RAW mode at different exposures. Then those mulitple images are composited into one blended image. The blending process occurs during the digital editing stage.

Here's an example of a room that was taken without HDR (left) and with HDR (right).
HDR enabled the view outside to be seen rather than "blown out," and details hidden in dark shadows inside the room become visible. The result is a more natural and attractive photo.

The photo on the right was also enhanced in other ways as explained here on our photo staging web site.

Eliminating Distractions from Your Listing Photos

If you list (and photograph) homes, sooner or later you will run into un-photogenic distractions that can detract from the appeal of the photos. Some are easy to deal with, such as physically moving the trash bins from the driveway so they are not in view of the camera. Other distractions can be more challenging.

Perhaps the most common distraction is having a real estate sign in the front yard. While it's great for getting the attention of passers-by, it does not add to the appeal of the home in listing photos. Home shoppers viewing your listing online will be more attracted to your listing if the sign is unseen, because they are trying to visualize the home as their own. Since the signs are usually front-and-center, usually the best solution is to eliminate them from the picture using image editing software, as illustrated below. (We also digitally "watered" the lawn and improved the sky.)

Here's another example (not one of our photos). There are two distractions. First, the owner should have parked the car in the garage or down the street. Second, the light pole sticks out like a sore thumb.


In this example, the photographer can de-emphasize the light pole in two ways. First, shoot from a position that shifts the light pole to the side of the image. In this case the photographer did this but could have stood more the right. Unfortunately that also would provide an even more direct view of the garish traffic sign.

The best solution is to use a wide angle lens, then stand with the photographer’s back to the light pole while facing the front of the house, so that the pole is completely out of view. Even though the photographer will be standing quite close to the house, a sufficiently wide angle lens will capture the entire width and height of the house in one frame. The resulting photo will have some lens distortion but that problem can be easily corrected with image editing software. The result will be a relatively distraction-free image.

One might ask whether it is fair to depict a house like this without it's light pole. If in doubt, use pictures with and without the pole, and have the primary photo be the one without the pole.

Sometimes we're asked about power lines, antennas, and other distractions appearing above homes that we are photographing. While we feel that it is not right to eliminate them with Photoshop, there's nothing wrong with selecting the most flattering camera angle to de-emphasize them.