The Best Focus Techniques for Real Estate Photography

In this episode I show the best techniques for focusing in various rooms and subjects for real estate, using different methods to show what works best, and why. Below are pertinent links mentioned in the video:
My real estate photography series:
amzn.to/3jngtNI
Photography for Real Estate Interiors:
amzn.to/3rfCaUr
Learn interior photography:
ProInteriors.N...
Mastering Color in Photography:
amzn.to/3usACsj
Episode on the the Nikon Z5 used in this video:
• Low-cost Nikon setup f...

[@erikender2785]

You are a great photographer and teacher. I have learned many things just like the other million people. Photography is practical thing I wish instead writing a book make a video courses in detail.. Now a day’s most of the people don’t read rather watch and learn. Therefore You tube is very trendy and your videos are very educational and demand. I would pay any price for your detailed videos. I hope you don’t misunderstand me. Again and again,thank you for your educational videos. Erik

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you Erik!

[@aliciadrummond3204]

Thank you! I am at the very beginning of my real estate photography adventure. Like still at the point where I’m deciding what camera/lenses to purchase but I really appreciate your videos. This is the second I’ve watched (since last night) and I appreciate the wealth of information you provide in such a digestible way. Thank you!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thanks! And I'm glad it was helpful. I would though suggest that if you're serious about getting into REP, then you should take a detour off the "University of KZbin" and download ebook #1 in my REP series, which has a lot more information at your fingertips and will explain everything from start to finish when it comes to gear, composition, lighting, blending, and more. Here's a link to that if you'd like to check that out: amzn.to/3L1Ln9Q

[@aliciadrummond3204]

@@NathanCoolPhoto Thank you! I bought that first book and it’s perfect timing as I’ll be on vacation next week and will have plenty of time to read through it!

[@bosscoman]

A very useful video. I have just started doing focus validation on my Sony because I would miss focus and not realise until I was editing. If focus is only slightly out, sometimes a high pass filter can sharpen it enough for casual viewing.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you!

[@UrbanSipfly]

From a novice perspective like myself, who has an interest in entering the realm of photography is something of sorts from learning a new language to taste testing chocolates. Not everyone wants to go through the process of acquiring learning points; but, everyone enjoys the satisfaction of the end results. Thanks for your amazing knowledge input, Mr. Cool, as you've gained a student of the craft.

[@Bishnu_Deb]

Very helpful video on a very important subject: Focus. I've learnt a lot from you and wholeheartedly thank you. Love from India 🇮🇳

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome!

[@TomaszTwojFotograf]

Detailed as always! But this "small" thing do the whole image PERFECT! Great work!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@michaelsabell9294]

Love your work as always Nathan! I also love being a Nikon guy like you, and it's great seeing you show recommended settings (like in this video) which makes it easy to update my own settings.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you! Happy to help!

[@PaulMrPKcom]

Great info. Actually I always use manual focusing and zoom in on some details in most cases 1/3 of the room deep to check focus. Never care about any electronic help the camera offers :)

[@ramihz42]

Hi Nathan, if you don't mind asking you this, I know that you recommend F8 for aperture to get sharp photos for real estate photography, A lot is telling me to go for f10 even more, I have tried that but I can't see any difference, so do you recommend to use higher F stop than 8 for zoom lenses or shall I always stick at 8? Do you have any tutorials for that? Thanks alot for your time.

[@realadultactionman]

Fantastic video. Thank you.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you!

[@p.burley4533]

Should we be concerned if distant objects are only slightly out of focus? I would think foreground objects must be sharp. For example, I always make sure faucets are (esp. if near a bath entrance-which they always seem to be), because shiny surfaces would be a distraction to the whole image if they were soft. What about bracketing focus points in at least two shots?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

I explained that in this episode, and how you can get nearly everything in focus with the proper technique and settings. Rewatch the live-view section that talks about this more and I think that will help.

[@HelmutWFanck]

Many thank's for this great video! It works👍I use the "BBF" for many years and I won't miss him. Have a great day🖐

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome!

[@MrGarcianian]

Hi Nathan, thanks once again for sharing your knowledge. I follow your videos for a long time and I must say that thanks to them I get a better result. Soon I will buy your book advanced editing for real estate photography. I hope that in this book I can find the last touch to my photographs. Thank you very much.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome! And I'm glad my videos have helped. You can also help to support my efforts on this channel by purchasing some of my books as you mentioned, which allows me to continue bringing content like these videos to the REP community. Here's a link to my books if you'd like to check them out: amzn.to/3kYyvqE And thank you for your support!

[@MarkRomine]

Beautiful expiation!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Many thanks!

[@jackbrainassociates8806]

Thanks for the video Nathan. As always the professional photographer needs to use all the tools at our disposal. Most of my work is done with tilt shift lens that are manual focus its a bit slower to use but the features are irreplaceable. I think if we are going to representing ourselves as professionals we need to shoot,act and charge for our services. I understand the need to be efficient when shooting but quality comes first. Thats how we will be able to charge what we are worth and make a respectable living. Please keep up your good work and I highly recommend your books (I’ve read them all, some twice)

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome!

[@corey688]

Are you aware if transmitter/receiver shutter release triggers would activate the AF if you don’t have back focus on ?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Shutter releases work in the same manner as shutter buttons, but the method of AF in REP is not tied to either. This requires a deeper understanding of how triggers and auto focus methods work, and in particular for REP. There are two sources I can point you to that would help: First, this is covered in great detail in my course on Pro Interior photography at learnre.nathancool.com Second, you can look through my book on interior photography at amzn.to/45XUV1D Those two sources will teach you a number of things, including the various trigger and AF configurations and how they are implemented and used.

[@AndyMindel]

Great information (as always!). I can't figure out where to find the pin-point setting for the AF area on my Nikon D610. Is it called something else?

[@brandonbrodie4547]

Hi Nathan, great video! Have you tried Canon's "guide frame assist"? I've been using it for years now and I have never missed a shot that was out of focus. This magic tool makes focusing a breeze and I have 100% confidence in it.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you!

[@derekmeccaphoto]

Thanks as always, Nathan. I watch all of your videos and I've taken notes on each one of them including this one! One quick question. In the beginning, you showed the example of the bathroom at the "18mm, 7.1, 10', 3.5' - infinity+" as having issues with a shallow depth of field and then the "18mm, 9, 3', 1.7'-12'" as being "better" with the depth of field but introducing color casting due to the necessity of a higher flash power. What is the answer then, with your example of that bathroom or a similar small space, when the first option has a shallow DOF and the second option introduces color casting? Thanks as always!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thanks! There is no "answer", only balance that depends on a photographer's best judgement for each situation knowing what they could be up against. If depth of field is critical then you may have to deal with color casts from higher flash power, which may or may not be an issue depending on the room, its colors, size, etc. These are options for you to use as you see fit when you encounter different situations, allowing you to make the call...rules don't always apply, but "principles" do, which are much more flexible ;)

[@derekmeccaphoto]

@@NathanCoolPhoto Nice. Thanks for the reply. Each space is its own puzzle to solve.

[@sarahdavis407]

Why can you just use a lower shutter speed in order to keep a larger depth of field but not use as much flash?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Hi Sarah, because you'd have too much, uncontrollable ambient light. As I mentioned in the beginning of the video: too low of a shutter speed will allow too much ambient light to enter the scene, and you only want to add the luminance from ambient (not its color) selectively using flambient blending. This is one of the basic principles I show in my interiors book at amzn.to/3NaaHMC The principle of using flash is that shutter speed controls ambient light while aperture controls the amount of flashed light that reaches the sensor. You need to ensure you can eliminate or greatly reduce ambient light to avoid ambient artifacts while controlling color as the dominant light source (flash), and then add ambient luminance where appropriate for the blended image.

[@derekmeccaphoto]

Do you ever find it necessary to shoot interiors at f/10 or more? If so, what qualifies that rare occasion and why?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Nope :)

[@derekmeccaphoto]

There have been a couple times lately I've gone to F9 for a bathroom or F10 just to be sure, but I'm seeing that F9 should be the max.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

No need to push past f/9 since you'll start getting diffraction issues with most glass, something I talk about in amzn.to/3oKaWDy but moreover, you'll be stressing flash/color-casts with no real benefit in DOF. Let's take a look at a few examples of near to far DOF, shooting at 16mm full-frame, focusing at just 2' away: f/7.1 = 1.3' to 4.0' f/8 = 1.28' to 4.5' f/9 = 1.23' to 5.3' f/10 = 1.18' to 6.7' As we can see, we get very little benefit in near limit DOF, but some benefit to far DOF limit, but this is focusing at just 2' away, like in a very small bathroom. Let's say the bathroom is larger and we want to make sure we can focus farther than 5' to keep everything sharp. Instead of focusing at 2', if you focus at 3' you get these results: f/7.1 = 1.7' to 12' f/8 = 1.6' to 17.4' f/9 = 1.54' to 54' f/10 = 1.46' to infinity As we can see here, larger bathrooms will have everything in focus at f/9, even up to 54'! Going to f/10 only buys you 0.08' (less than one inch), while at the same time you enter diffraction problem territory. Hope this helps.

[@derekmeccaphoto]

@@NathanCoolPhoto That does help! I just finished your interiors book and it talks some about this. Time to get another book in the series. Thanks Nathan.

[@vicentedapalong1671]

Thank you. How do you edit your exterior photos?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're welcome! This will help: amzn.to/38tCZmx