New members to the Photography for Real Estate Flickr group often have questions that come up with some regularity (Frequently Asked Questions-FAQ's) that many people have been kind enough to give input on in the past. As a quick way of helping to respond to some of these FAQ's, I made a brief list. We can "bump" this post up every so often. If you come up with other qu...

Does anyone else get annoyed at the overuse of HDR in RE photography? It used to be everyone that has a camera is a photographer. Now it's everyone that has $30 HDR software is a pro. We all know pro's just crank up the sliders to get those beautiful results. I live in the Huntsville Alabama area and have noticed very bad HDR photography creeping into the listings. So...

Is anyone still using monolights or studio packs at all for RE Photography? Or has everyone moved on to speedlights? Did a search through the group pool for things like "Einsteins" and "alien bees" and "AB" and it seems that there are very few photos that have them listed. ~~~~ Second question: have you ever been on a shoot with only speedlights and found your...

I've read many of you have done this. All I've seen advertised are the 2.5 inch drives and none of the 3.5 inch drives. Can I use the 2.5 drives to replace the 3.5s? If so, what make do you recommend? I use the SATA drives in my computer.

Our board is going from Rappatoni MLS to Flex MLS. Rappatoni was horrible about putting up tiny pictures. Even when they agreed to move from 2 mb limit to 4 mb, we later learned it was just to avoid calls wondering why the pictures wouldn't load - they actually downsized the larger files anyway. So at FLEX training, I asked the max file size - 15 MB!!! Of course ...

Any suggestions on how to deal with Zillow or other responsive sites where photos are "stretched" to fit the width of the user's screen? I give my agents images optimized for the MLS (767 pixels wide) the last agent DIDN'T list in the MLS (I have no idea why) but saw the home listed on zillow. When I clicked on an image to view the larger image, I noticed that they l...

Edit: change of thread title as I know a number of people on here use Houzz I found one of my photos on this site - www.architectureartdesigns.com - which seems to be just a blog, although it's quite a comprehensive site. They have taken my image from www.houzz.com , and probably a heck of a lot more of from other people. They use a disclaimer as follows - "All...

Has anyone else experimented or used this method yet? Its sort of like bracketing, except it exposes at 2 different ISO settings (say like 100 and then 1600) at the exact same time, so you don't have the issues that come with bracketing in environments with slight movements. It then uses a little script to basically overlay the 2 on top of one another and blend in. The cr...

One of my new flashes - a YN560iii - seems to have developed a problem where it won't work as it indicates the batteries are dead. The first time it happened (on Monday) it fooled me and made me think I couldn't have re-charged my batteries. Yesterday, however, it did it with two sets of batteries - shut down due to no apparent charge. I put the batteries in another fla...

Hi Everyone, Looks like I might qualify for some new business seed money because of my layoff (closure) of the space shuttle program. So my question is, what training out there is MUST HAVE that I should apply for. I've already purchased Scott's training video's and his book. So far, I'm going to try and get Mike Kelley's video "Where art meets Architecture. They won'...

Any NW Atlanta area photographers need some work right now? I am turning down shoots every day! The work is in Cobb and Cherokee counties. I only charge my clients anywhere from $60-$80, which is what I would pay my "sub", and I would do all the post work. You must have your own equipment, and reliable transportation. This would be on an as-needed basis, and right now, it'...

Dear Folks, I have a full frame camera and now just have a 24-70 lens. If 24 mm is too short, say for a small bathroom, etc., is it possible to take two photos and stitch them together? (I have Photoshop CS6). I will be purchasing a wider lens soon, but until then, how viable is the stitching option? And is it much more labor intensive (in post) once the steps have ...

I've not used light stands, but the ones I've seen have metal feet, and I would be leery of using them on any kind of wood flooring. Have any of you added your own DIY feet to them or have you had any issues scraping floors with light stands? As always, thanks in advance.

What to do when you have four different color temperatures competing against one another. Punt??? [https://www.flickr.com/photos/67835420@N08/13928205653/] The colors were daylight from outside, fluorescent from the kitchen ceiling, a "cool" incandescent from above the dining table, and a warmer incandescent from under the microwave. would love tips on how to ligh...

Hi everyone, I'm a beginner so excuse me if this may be a stupid question.... But which photo editing software would you recommend? I hear Lightroom + Enfuse is good. Do you think I may also need to buy Photoshop? Money aside I just want to know what will make things easier for me in the long run.

does anyone use a third party post production retouching service? any ideas where to begin?

I was asked to consider doing some post processing work for another photographer with 6-10 jobs on Tuesdays and turn around time to Wed. I am wondering what the general pay would be for this. She wants LR and PS experience, which I can do. Input is very welcome and thank you!

I was contacted by a builder in Sydney, Australia. She needs a great photographer and I wanted to refer her to somebody local. I know there are some amazing photographers on this group based in Australia but I can't remember who they are so if you're in Sydney, let me know. Thanks. Gregory www.LAHomePhotography.com Architectural Photographer App

So many choices for softening / diffusing light when you can't bounce flash ... What is most effective / fastest solution for real estate when there's colored walls? Color casts in only one part of an image are so frustrating to correct for and I'd rater avoid such situations.

I love shooting for MLS listings for agents and it sucks to turn down work but I'm focused on turning a good 6-figure business into a 7-figure or 8-figure business this year. Since I can only be in one place at a time, taking lower-paying jobs from real estate agents for the MLS doesn't make financial since anymore. I've turned down / referred out over $15,000 worth of...