Better Real Estate Photography with HDR

I, and probably every other Realtor across the country, spend many late nights camped out on Teresa Boardman’s St. Paul Real Estate Blog. She is the ambassador to St. Paul MN- her ability to digitally capture the magic of the City extends beyond real estate – she actually captures the pulse of St. Paul through her stunning imagery.

That got me thinking.  My second late night past time is watching repeats of CSI Miami.  Most of the characters on the show are obnoxious and the plots are mediocre. Yet I continue to dial-in to see the interesting architectural angles; and the vibrant, captivating, breathtaking shots of Miami captured in the shows cinematography.

So where is this going?  This might be unceremonious following this build-up. And for the record, I am in no way comparing my photos to either of the masters – Teresa Boardman or the cinematographers of CSI Miami.  They are just my inspiration for improving my photography.

In my quest for better photography – I uncovered a process to enhance home interiors and exteriors and reduce that overall dreary, flat, and boring look typically seen in MLS.  I shot my first listing in this process this week – using, High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography.

Unfortunately I deleted the normally exposed photos for comparing to the HDR pictures. So, to demonstrate the before and after photos, I just shot the kitchen nook in my home so you can see the differences:

Normal Exposure:

HDR Photo:

As you can see, the HDR picture is a bit richer in detail, slightly edgier, and plain out looks more appealing.  Even it lousy light conditions, it still creates that WOW factor essential to home buyers.

Here’s how I did it (using a Canon Rebel on a tri-pod):  I shot 3 RAW images using an over exposed, under exposed and normal exposure.  Next, I uploaded the photos to a program called Photmatrix.  After fiddling with the Photomatrix controls, I hit “process” and voila – an HDR photo!

Thank goodness there are Realtors like Teresa Boardman who raise the bar for the rest of us masses.  I will continue to visit her site for further inspiration on my ongoing mission to improve my photography.

Michelle A. Potter

Denver Realtor

ReMax Professionals