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| Our home for the last 26 years. |
The realtor asked for a photograph of the front of our house. Easy, right?
Well, yes and no.
Easy to step out with my camera and snap a photo. But to make a picture that shows the house to best advantage is another matter. Our house faces west, so the photograph has to be made in the afternoon to get good light on the front. But there are woods in front, partially shading the building. To complicate matters further this was in the fall, so there was only a narrow window of opportunity for good light.
Even then, if I exposed for the deep blue sky above and behind the house the front would be unacceptably dark. Or I could expose for the building, in which case the sky would be an ugly, bald white. What to do, what to do, what to do?
I've never been a fan of a technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range) because to me the results often look somewhat artificial. The process involves making a series of photos in a range of exposures from light to dark, then using a special software to combine the various exposures into one that's just right, with both light and dark areas of the photograph rendered in their proper values.
My main problem with the technique is that many people who use it lighten dark areas of their photos to what I consider an unrealistic degree. That's why I think HDR pictures often look phony. But I had a problem and HDR appeared to be the best answer. So I downloaded a free software called easyHDR BASIC 2.
With my Fuji X-T20 camera on a heavy Bogen tripod (the tiny camera on the big tripod looking a bit ridiculous), I made a series of exposures, downloaded them into my computer, and went to work. I wound up combining just two exposures, one light and one dark. You can see the result at the top of this post.
My office, by the way, where I'm writing this post, is in a loft behind the two top windows.
Blog Note: I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at alifeinphotography.blogspot.com. I'm trying to build up my readership, so if you're reading this on Facebook and like what I write, would you please consider sharing my posts?
(Photograph copyright David B. Jenkins 2020)
Soli Gloria Deo
To the glory of God alone
When HDR was new, everyone overused it. I think we've all figured out now that it's a tool that really helps in certain circumstances.
ReplyDeleteWhen I sold my house in 2017 my realtor hired a pro to photograph it. My house was just a humble brick ranch in a declining neighborhood. The pro made it look tantalizingly good. I'm sure that's part of why the house sold before noon the morning the listing went live.
I have no idea what a gig like that pays, but of all the kinds of photography-for-pay out there this strikes me as a kind I could very much do. Not that I'm looking to change careers!
Don't quit your day job, Jim. Real estate photography is extremely competitive and pays poorly. I looked into it a few years ago and decided it was too much work for too little money.
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