Little help over here?

[Riseforms]

Need to shoot some stuff for work, basically houses. Any tips for getting a good shot? I'll be borrowing a Canon, I think it's a Rebel.

Thank you very much.

[ibenick]

Are you going to be shooting interiors or exteriors?

I do architectural photography in luxury homes for my employer but I'm a total amateur. But with that said I've learned a few things, they might not all be the correct way to do it but it works for me. You can see some of what I've shot on my company's website,_____. I shot about 90% of what's on there, especially the stuff in the Private Theaters section, I also designed and programmed the website although most of the good stuff is on the back end where the public can't see.

Here's what I do:
-Canon XSi
-Canon 10-22mm lens wide open at 10mm, I think this is very important for shooting interiors, any wide angle will do
-ISO 100
-sturdy tripod
-use the 2 second delay or a remote trigger, wired or wireless.
-I auto-bracket (AEB, -2/0/+2) almost every shot as if I was shooting HDR but in post I layer the images together to fix harsh light, I don't actually make an HDR with them
-make sure you set your aperture high enough to keep things sharp, f7-f9 zone should be good.
-use manual focus! I've screwed a few shots up because the AF was hitting something in the foreground and it made everything else blury
-watch out for windows, they are my nemesis when shooting interiors. it's all pretty easy when you're shooting a home theater but when you're trying to shoot a Great Room with 60 foot windows in the daylight it's a real pain. I haven't really found a good way to do it.

[ibenick]

One more thing... no flash. I observed a real photographer for a couple of days in some of our homes and he would sometimes set one up remotely and point it back towards the camera in ways that made the light appear more natural but for the most part it just looked like crap.

[Riseforms]

Sorry, I should have specified, but it will be the exteriors.

[JONBOYLEMON]

Mount the camera on a large RC plane and get aerial images. I think they look the best. OK so maybe you dont have a setup like I do, but it is a great way to get house pics, esp if they are big places that look nice from the air.

Or you can do the poor mans aerials and use a really long pole w/ camera on top.

http://www.google.com/search?q=rc+aerial+imaging&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GPEA_enUS290

[ibenick]

If you're just doing exteriors I would just recommend doing it under the ideal conditions. Morning, evening and some nice clouds. I don't like the results when the skies are plain blue or overcast and the light during the middle of the day isn't the best.

[archbishop]

A polarizing filter can help with reflections on windows and in general make colors "pop". Especially the blue in the sky. With some exceptions I don't shoot outdoor work like this without one. Having said that, they're not cheap though. Expect to pay around 50-70 dollars for a decent one depending on the size that you need. Pay attention to sun light. It will make or break your picture. Evening shots with the sun low in the sky usually add a nice glow to landscapes. Of course this assumes that the direction your shooting works with sunset light. Sunrises are my second choice for light it it works directionally better than sunsets. Waiting for day with nice fluffy clouds may not be possible, but if you can they will also enhance the shot.
And finally, good luck.

[Riseforms]

Thanks for the help guys. Hopefully I'll find the time to get out of the office one morning and get some shots.

[Scott Card]

For curb appeal, have the homeowner water the lawns just before go (but let the sidewalks dry out unless they are completely wet) Also have them fluff the soil in the beds and wet the soil down a bit Water on the lawns and water on the soil also helps the color pop with a polarizer. If the concrete is stamped, colored or there are pavers, water on that can also help with the color.