*Taking Real Estate Photographs *

Real estate agents rely on photographs as an essential tool for photographs of houses and real property. Whether you are a professional photographer or just take pictures as a hobby, when showing real estate property on a website or in a brochure, your photographs should look professional.

Taking real estate property with a wide angle lens, although isn't required it allows you to showcase an entire room and not just one wall.

When taking photographs of real estate using a wide angle lens you will often get what is known as barrel distortion. Barrel distortion occurs when taking photographs at the widest angle of a lens. This causes images to curve outward when straight edges are near the side of the frame. Lines that are supposed to appear perpendicular are not. It's most noticeable when taking wide angle shots of doors and edges of walls. By moving back and zooming in instead of standing close, you can minimize this effect. As you zoom in watch for distortion. If images appear distorted move back from the subject and zoom in again.

When photographing interiors it's best to place your camera on a tripod to prevent the camera from shaking.

Open drapes and blinds. You don't want a potential buyer to have the impression of a dark and dreary room.

One of the best time to shoot an exterior picture is shortly after sunset when the sky is a deep blue. If it's not possible to shoot at this time then try to pick an overcast or cloudy day when the sun won't cast shadows on the home or landscaping.

Surfaces such as mirrors, countertops, appliances, or any object that reflects light should be shot at an angle to avoid a camera flash reflected back into the camera.

Take several pictures of each room at different angles and take lots of photographs inside and outside the home.

Photo accessories you will need:
Extra batteries... digital cameras drain batteries quickly.
Extra memory cards...If you take a lot of photographs memory cards can fill up quickly.
Padded camera case...Your camera should always be protected from being dropped or bumped.
Tripod...Prevents camera from shaking when taking photographs.
External flash...Offers more light than a built-in flash.