Lighting for Real Estate Photography
There are 2 choices when it comes to lighting for real estate photography: using only available light or adding in additional light by incorporating flashes. If you’re planning to use flashes in your lighting set up, check out our article featuring the Best Flashes for Real Estate Photography.
If you’re looking to learn more about lighting options for real estate photography, then read on! Additionally, if you are looking for real estate photography courses about lighting for real estate photography, check out our article Best Real Estate Photography Classes.
Table of Contents
Lighting for Real Estate Photography
HDR vs Single Flash vs Flambient
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. Shooting HDR Photography means that you’re only using available light, like natural light from windows and any lights turned on in the house.
Single Flash Photography is, obviously, when you use a single flash, usually on-camera, in addition to the available light.
Many of the top real estate photographers use a combination of the 2 and blend together multiple different exposures in Photoshop. Using both flashes and the ambient light used in HDR photography is called Flambient Photography.
A very lazy play on words where flash + ambient = flambient, but easily the top option if you’re looking for the best possible lighting.
HDR Photography generally uses 1 – 3 photos to create the final image.
Flash Photography generally uses 1 – 3 photos to create the final images as well.
Flambient Photography will always need more than one image since you need to blend both an ambient exposure and a flash expose together. Generally, there will need to be 3 – 5 photos to create the final image.
HDR Example and Explanation
Since HDR photography only uses available light, the only sources lighting this photo are the natural light from the window and the ceiling light fixture. Without using a flash, you are stuck working only with what light the room already offers. If there are huge windows, this may not be a big deal. But in room like this, it can be tougher to deal with.
Shooting HDR is generally much faster than using a flash. You only need to set up the tripod and snap a few frames, then move on to the next shot. This is a major advantage for those real estate photographers who are trying to get a large quantity of jobs.
However, if HDR photography is not edited in the proper way, the photos can end up looking like some of the nightmares we’ve all seen on Zillow where the colors are all off and there’s no contrast.
Single Flash Example and Explanation
Using one on-camera flash helps to light up parts of the room that would be difficult to see using only HDR photography. When the photo above is compared to the previous HDR photo, you can see that the colors are more vibrant and the corners of the room are better lit.
One on-camera flash does lead to the photo looking quite flat though. This means that you don’t get much depth or definition in the photo and the objects closer to the camera are brighter than the objects further away. Look at the bed frame vs the dresser to see this in action.
Lighting for real estate photography is all about balance, and thats difficult to achieve if the on-camera flash is too powerful.
Flambient Example and Explanation
Flambient photography uses the best that both of the examples above have to offer. You can tell that the natural light is coming in from the window on the right since the right side of the bed is better lit than the left side. Thats the HDR/available light effective in action. Additionally, this image doesn’t look flat since there is good definition and depth.
This look is achieved by combining HDR photos with multiple flash photos. The flashes are used not just on-camera, but also on both side of the room. This allows for the best light possible to be used to make up the final image.
Flambient photography is by far the most time consuming, but also yields the best results.
Additional Information
When deciding which lighting for real estate photography technique you’re going to use, it’s best to first figure out what is most important to you and your business model.
Do you want to photograph as many houses in a day as possible? Then HDR or Single Flash photography is probably the way to go. Both techniques allow for quick set ups since you may very well only be capturing one exposure.
Are you looking to create the best possible photo? If so, flambient is definitely the top choice since it incorporates all of the best possible lighting options. If you do choose to use the flambient technique, you will need more time on location and for editing since you’ll be capturing multiple exposures for each angle.
Finally, if you’re new to real estate photography and are looking to turn it into a side hustle or even a full time business, check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of articles that will help you get started on the right path. Check out our Gear page as well for reviews and recommendations on the latest real estate photography gear.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I light my house for real estate photography?
The best thing you can do is open all of the shades and curtains around the windows. You want as much natural light coming inside as possible.
Should you turn on lights for real estate photos?
In general, yes. Unless the bulb is a weird color (blue, red, green, etc.) it’s generally considered best practice to have all of the lights turned on.
How can I shoot real estate photos without flash?
Using an HDR technique (explained above) is the best way to photograph real estate without a flash.