Fall Photography Tips for Real Estate
- Composition Tips for Photographing Real Estate Exteriors
- How To Photograph Real Estate in the Winter
photo by Korisbo via iStock
Fall or autumn may be full of intense colors where you are or things may be more subtly colored, but it’s a good season for outdoor photographers of all types. Fall photography tips for real estate can benefit from the opportunities this season presents.
How to take good exterior real estate photos is a top concern for real estate photographers regardless of the seasons, so you can use many of the real estate photography tips for fall as general exterior real estate photography tips for shooting any time of the year.
The Colors!
photo by aimintang via iStock
The colors of the leaves and other plants is one of the most appealing aspects of any type of fall photography, real estate photography included.
Much of the coloring will be trending towards the warm end of the color wheel. Red, orange, yellow, and all of the various hues and combinations such as rust, burnt ombre, and so on.
An amazing photographic opportunity also exists with the juxtaposition of the cooler colors along with those warm shades. Examples could be including the deep blue sky or a large swath of reddening leaves with spots of green from trees that have yet to turn or from evergreens. Vice versa works just as well, spots of warmth inside a mostly green view.
A polarizing filter is a very useful tool for creating these vivid color contrasts or for deepening the saturation of whatever colors dominate the view. A circular polarizer can eliminate glare, creating the deep blue skies that look so pretty with autumn trees and also removing glare from the leaves, allowing the true colors to shine through.
It’s not merely the trees that can have intense colors, wildflowers, grasses, shrubbery, can also exhibit an amazing array at different times during the fall season. Keep your eyes open for pretty views that can be incorporated into your exterior real estate photography.
Afterwards, go out and shoot some personal images for your portfolio or just for fun. I love fall photography for all sorts of imaging opportunities, including outdoor portraits and macro photography.
Composition
photo by Korisbo via iStock
Real estate photography composition tips follow the basic photography tips in that we primarily want to capture a balanced view of the subject.
For the exterior views during fall season, one method used by real estate photographers is to treat the house as a portrait subject. Some portraits look great as a straight-on frontal view, similar to the posing used for ID pics.
Straight-on curbside views present the property in a manner that lets people see exactly what and where the property is and are an essential image in real estate portfolios and listings.
As an extra view, consider posing the home as you would a ¾ view portrait. It’s similar to moving the camera position over a bit and asking the portrait subject to turn their shoulders.
With a house, moving just a little bit to one side of the property or the other and including a slight angle of a second exterior wall accomplishes the same effect. While still realistically showing the property, this view is more like showing it off than a straight-on curb shot does. Being able to include a bit of fall color will also add extra appeal.
Learn More:
Bracket and Merge HDR
photo by Davel5957 via iStock
The bracket and merge HDR method is one of the techniques used by many real estate photographers for capturing realistic views of the properties that show detail in the highlights, midrange, and deep shadows of the exposures.
Bracket and merge HDR is every bit as usable as a method of how to take good exterior real estate photos as it is for interior images. It can be especially useful for blending the extra colors in order to make them appealing without overwhelming the property itself.
Check out this YouTube tutorial explaining the technique and how it is used for real estate photography in general.
Less Is More
photo by nikitsin via iStock
We have to consider the question, what’s being sold? Is it a residential real estate property or artsy images of fall colors? The answer for real estate photography is obvious, it’s the property. So, we add this idea to our autumn photography tips for real estate, use the colors available but showcase the property.
Fall foliage colors can enhance the property, but the focus of the imaging is to showcase the property to potential buyers. Showing the beautiful scenery around the home can definitely add curb appeal, but a house exists all year long, so we want to present it both realistically and in the best possible way.
Offer Extras
photo by JamesBrey via iStock
Here is where we can add in some gorgeous images of the beautiful colors on the property. A high-level perspective, from an extension pole or a drone, is one method we can use to showcase the fall colors in the neighborhood or throughout the property.
A nice hero shot could also take full advantage of the autumn foliage that may add scroll-stopping viewer appeal. Using the bracket and merge HDR method will allow us to fine-tune the images to their best potential.
Many times we use HDR for creating twilight views as a hero or beauty shot, but in the fall season, Golden Hour may be a better choice. With twilight, the cool sky colors might compete with the warm plant colors. In some cases, this contrast might be useful. During Golden Hour, the scene’s color temperature is naturally warmer and we can use that to enhance the autumn view.
Use our fall photography tips for real estate as a starting point for crafting realistic views of the property in general and for creating beautiful extra images such Golden Hour hero shots and high vantage point views that have instant eye appeal.
