The Foolproof Flash Method for Perfect Interiors & Real Estate Photos!! (With Free Practice Photos)

[@chase5860]

Nicely put together Taylor. I've recently started getting into real estate photography myself. I don't know what the market is like where you are but I have found that although it certainly is competitive, it isn't saturated like other commercial photo genres. Always plenty of work to go around. I only shoot with a single speedlight on my camera either bounced off the ceiling above or behind me. Results have been fantastic. Another technique I have tried out in my work that I have found led to superb results is a bracket of only two photos, one heavily underexposed and the other overexposed. Combine them in lightroom and you get a result that I think is even better than a conventional three photo HDR

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Thanks! And thanks for sharing. I’m glad to hear things are going good for you 😁

[@NguyenTien-vw9xc]

Hi Taylor, that's a great video full of tips! Love it! But can I have a question? What is the formula preset for the first HDR (the one that merges 3 pictures)? Thank you for your sharing

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Hey! It's mostly just the settings you can see on the screen with the HSL sliders tweaked a little bit (less yellow, blue etc depending on the shot) Before that you have to select the three layers, right click, and merge photos first. I have a preset pack which is what I was using here - www.etsy.com/listing/882621709/real-estate-hdr-drone-presets-for?click_key=41124db02dab16bcb05a46bb77458c5913ca46a3%3A882621709&click_sum=4eb2a452&ref=shop_home_feat_1

[@NguyenTien-vw9xc]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo thank you for your reply

[@JoeHurdNewBraunfelsRealtor]

Thank you!! as a realtor sometimes it doesn't make sense to hire someone for shoots but I still want to make homes look the best I possibly can. I'm getting better with my photography and videography because of you and your videos!

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

No prob! Thats great to hear.

[@imovete]

I understand that you will often want to save money, but there will come a time when you will have to deliver excellent service to your client and when you have many clients as a real estate consultant it means that you will not have time to do real estate photography and video and then you will have to hire someone to do it, because it is always better to try to be an expert in one thing than to try to be good at everything.

[@JoeHurdNewBraunfelsRealtor]

I completely agree with you but there are times it doesn't make sense to hire a pro. commission vs expense, availability, and location. Having some basic skills is better vs no skills @@imovete

[@mikem6796]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo How much do you charge when you use flash and different layers like in the video? My goal is to use flash but try to get everything in one shot. Do you have video on this? Thanks.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

@@mikem6796 Thanks! Yeah here's a funny BTS where I used two flashes to get everything in one frame basically. Not the most perfect photos since it was rushed but it's a pretty realistic example for a day to day RE scenario. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZKpqa1jqZp0oas Also here's an editing one with a variety of examples. Some with more layers and some with just one layer to show different things you can do with flash - kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ6UmKiGlsmqlac As far as cost - that's just the way I shoot so it's not any different for me & depends on your area + size of the house so how long the shoot is going to take and how many edited photos you're going to need to deliver since that will vary if it's bigger.

[@projectrealhome]

Great video and adding the photos to download is a really nice touch👍

[@doptimist]

Hi Taylor, I did my first property the other day (west coast of Ireland) and your videos were very helpful, thanks you. I did some simple flambient stuff but the closer I can get to a single frame the better!

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

So awesome to hear! Same for me, always trying to make things faster 😆 How’d the shoot go?

[@doptimist]

I am pondering do I need more flash power for bigger houses though 🤔 I have one Yongnuo 560iv and another on the way. Should have prob just gone with the AD200 to start with.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

​@@doptimist It can definitely help! But if you're shooting RAW you might be able to push the ambient exposure a bit more than you think and pull back highlights (so the flash power you do have goes a bit further) Worth experimenting with!

[@lighthousephoto7143]

Great to see more Irish in here ☘️😀 I'm in the Midlands

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

So cool! Would love to see Ireland some day :)

[@bonsain00b]

Love this with the practice files! Thanks for all your content!

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Wow thanks Erik! Appreciate the support ✌️

[@earthgraduate726]

How do you balance your flash power with shutter speed to get a nice exposure from a room with big windows and rather high ambient light coming in ? Thanks Taylor for your great videos 🙏

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Hey! I’d set the ambient exposure as bright as it can be without overexposing the windows , then add flash probably at full power and see where to go from there. If there’s a lot of ambient light you might not need too much fill light (personal preference)

[@brandserie9824]

Do you try sometimes to control the light by blocking some lights with curtain when there is high exposure?

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

You could, also for interior lights that cast color and shadow all over you can do layers with them on and off then combine to control the affect on the image. Lots of options!

[@michaelcoopermedia3643]

Thanks for the in depth workflow. This process seemed a little complicated in the editing process but it’s always cool to see how other photographers work. I’m using a canon m50 and I’ve recently noticed how much sharper my shots are by using flash instead of HDR. So I am starting to practice the flambient method

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Awesome! It’s definitely overkill to do this for every single photo but comes in handy to know How to do everything in the time comes. How’s it working for you so far?

[@michaelcoopermedia3643]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo I love the flash so far! Just got it yesterday, so haven’t done a clients home yet, but I love how it basically sets the perfect white balance for the room

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

@@michaelcoopermedia3643 So nice! Just be careful with colorful walls since it can tint the whole photo when you bounce flash on it. One easy hack is to find a white pillow somewhere and use it to bounce your flash off of in that case to get more neutral color! (or bring a bounce board or reflector) Red walls, blue walls, and dark walls are the worst! lol

[@Gt_Rickshow]

What aspect ratio do you use? Also what pixel size do you recommend for best quality delivery for MLS, social media, etc.?

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

2x3 crop, and 4500 pixels (long edge) on export at 300pixels per inch usually looks good for me! Also file size limit to 8000k so the files aren't TOO huge for sharing.

[@myjourneywiththetrumpet]

Brilliant presentation, plenty of useful tips. Thanks much for sharing/effort. Take care!

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Thanks! You too :)

[@wrealestate8778]

Thank you great work as always . A small thing to ask if possible a little more basic showing on photoshop for those of us that unfortunately are not good at PS.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Hey! Check out some of my other editing tutorials, they go a little slower :)

[@elenamihailescu9451]

By any chance.. where did u get the presents ? Where can we download them ? :D id appreciate it alot ! 🤘

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Hey! Thanks for asking. I have my presets here - www.etsy.com/listing/882621709/real-estate-hdr-drone-presets-for?click_key=84227e2b7a549d7172cc06dc44bd64e99ddcb9f4%3A882621709&click_sum=daf533a2&ref=shop_home_feat_1

[@pascalpro06]

I would I’ve shot : -One exposure no flash for the inside, outside overexposed -One exposure for the outside with me on the frame standing as close as possible to the tv flashing the ceiling (tv side), and would keep the sofa side of the image -One exposure same setting but on the sofa side, flashing the ceiling (sofa side) and keep the tv side of the image -One exposure same setting but behind the camera flashing the window, as a security shot (in case one of the last two ones got random shadow i can’t fix with the 1st exposure but from my experience, every light coming from the back of the camera looks bad. depending on the type of shoot and budget, i can walk the scene with my flash and light more specific area, but assuming your case is a 2h max real estate, 3 shot is enough =photoshop, starting with the 1st image at first, then adding 2nd and 3nd with mixed technique of fusion mask. I’ve been doing this technic for more then 10Y on my hotel/luxury real estate business with great success. You have the best of natural light and sharp colorful light from the flash, i dumped HDR 20Y ago. I’m using a profoto B2 + the canon remote app on my iPhone to control setting on the fly so i don’t have to go back and forth to the camera. I can adjust flash power very fast and check on the iPhone screen i get the expected result on the side of the image I’m keeping. Bonus, i don’t touch the camera at all and don’t need to align them on post. The fun of this technic is you get your customer telling you everyday, hey, you’re on the frame 😂 PS: enjoying your channel :)

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Smart strategy! Thanks for sharing :)

[@ckdesignlab]

Great stuff Taylor! I love your videos. I keep coming back to learn more. How is the real estate market for you? Dallas has leveled off. It's insane that mortgage rates have doubled but we still get lots of people moving here from all over.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

I think its similar in most places right now! I have a friend about to close on a house in Dallas and the market seems crazy.

[@ckdesignlab]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo that's great for your friend. I might sell my house this fall. We definitely have a LOT of Californians that have moved to Dallas. Where I live in Richardson just north of the city of Dallas there are tons of tech jobs. I worked at Samsung Mobile HQ for a year and the number of Tesla cars in my area has quadrupled in the past year. LOL

[@jaredmeche6325]

Have you started using CTO gels on houses you need lights on, mainly with twilight shoots? I've seen the method, but trying to make sense of it. They say it's for color matching with interior lights, but when you raise the shutter to 1/60-1/100, you effectively cancel out what the interior lights affect.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Just depends on the look you’re going for. I don’t really do twilight interiors though.

[@jamiekimble]

Hi Taylor! Love the colors with the flash!! Have you increased your rates with this added skill? It seems like it’s more time consuming. I have been using some features in Lightroom (linear and radial gradients) that seems to work similar to this but obviously not as well. Always love your content! Hello from California 👋🏼

[@JAYSILB]

Hmm, my comment keeps getting deleted (I'm guessing too much text), so I'll try replying to one instead. I'm having a similar thought as the above user. Hi mate, great vid. It's interesting to see again, your approach to HDR & flambient style photo processing. I feel like I've watched dozens of these type of videos, from both yourself, and other KZbinrs. I am pleased to see I'm finally starting to follow a similar pattern in my own edits (but not as well of course). But I have one issue, which I would be curious to hear your thoughts on: How can you manage to do this style of editing for your clients and still expect to be in profit on a job, when considering how long each edit takes? Of course, you are demonstrating the process here, and I expect you are faster when editing solo, but let's say it takes 15 minutes per photo for complex rooms and 10 minutes for simple bedrooms etc. Across 10-20 images, that's could easily be a few hours of editing. In dealing with this dilemma, I've gone down the route of outsourcing to a few individuals on Fiverr. My findings are that the outsourced edits are: a) average quality at best (looks like they just run a simple HDR merge & pull windows, despite advertising flambient) b) somewhat expensive; it's usually $1 USD+ per photo, simple edits only, plus Fiverr fees and local taxes c) still requiring alterations by myself, e.g. spot removal, colour cast adjustments, misc edits My conclusion, I think, is that this type of "deluxe" editing needs to be charged at a premium rate to be justified, given the time required to do it. This way, if I do the edits myself I still have healthy margins, or if I outsource, I can afford a much better editor ($5-10 USD per photo? Do they exist?) and I can be happy with the results. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on this topic? Have you tried outsourcing? What were your experiences? Could be a good topic for a video. Sorry for the rant. Cheers.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Thanks! I’m not sure since it’s what I’ve done (progressing over the years) but I’d think you probably can charge more just because you can do more consistent work in any space with flashes. Also you can use more or less per shot depending on what you’re trying to do creatively. Definitely don’t do 5 layers and all this for most shots , unless it’s a super important one with a view 😆 (or if you’re charging enough to justify that amount of work) Most of the time I can get what I’m going for using 2 flashes in 1 or two layers so that speeds things up on site for me.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Thanks! Yes definitely the biggest thing is using the more complicated techniques selectively so it makes sense for your budget (and charge more). Most shots don’t really need to show the window view unless it’s a big selling point so all the other parts can be pretty quick! Same experience outsourcing, but also keep in mind your margins might be lower per job but you can use that time to do more shoots and make better margins total. So depending on where you’re at with your business it might be better long term still and give you more room to expand :)

[@jamiekimble]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo would love to see a video of you editing other’s work 😉 hint* hint* I tried sending you an email but your inbox is full. You’re a busy guy, I get it!

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

​@@jamiekimble That would be fun. Feel free to send again, I don't think I got it !

[@HariS.-gp2te]

Thank you for the great video.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Thanks!

[@jg_jgjg]

Second! Great stuff! I tried this the other day, and it took me 2-3 hours on site 😭. But I think it was worth it. I also tried my hand at some interior design compositions.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Nice !!! Definitely overboard to do for every photo 😆 But a good way to learn what works for you and what doesn’t. How’d it go with the new compositions ?

[@jg_jgjg]

The new compositions were definitely out of my comfort zone! Using a 35 or 50 from a distance away to get a detail or vignette of a stager’s work felt different from my normal wide shot from a corner

[@jg_jgjg]

Also, my comment was 4th 😭

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Yup! I’m sure it turned out great though👌

[@chipwillis]

Thanks Dude!

[@SakuraHayashi-u2m]

Hello, I only havea canon 24-70mm, will the 24mm be wide enough?

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Not really unless it’s for interior design. Most realtors expect the wider shots to make sure and show everything

[@trueairspeed130]

How do you go about the white balance set up if there are no white objects in the room?

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Either just get it as good as you can from memory OR the professional way is to bring your own white or gray object to put in the room, essentially. Could be a little piece of white paper or a gray card that you put somewhere in the photo where it's easy to edit out or do multiple copies of the photo with and without the card in it for reference. (ex: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1365028-REG/vello_wb_csii_white_balance_card_set.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A6879&gad_source=4&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2a6wBhCVARIsABPeH1s3QrQN-fUFayiqTMi-DaqRV5OvDRD2HzVHwkOeN6t6OBBICmJk8dgaAhTqEALw_wcB)

[@epectase6314]

hey, do u usually bring down the contrast in HDR for a more natural look?

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Yeah! Whatever works best for each shot but thats a good way to start :)

[@tommyjohnn2080]

Thank you for all these tips! Aprreciate it!!!!

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Glad they got to you! Thanks for sharing :)

[@brandknewme]

Super helpful! Thank you for saving my butt.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Ha! What happened?

[@fabiofieri854]

a question: in the last 3 layers, you use a white mask that masks all the layer below..you use a black brush to use it on the ceiling. is correct? but with this method you don t see anymore the layer HDR Merged, it s true? thanks

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Hey! Sorry I never saw your comment. I think the answer is probably yes. Just depends on how much you leave in the layer as the stacks build. I think for this example I wasn't trying to include the HDR merged layer under the other ones since I was combining the flash layers so in that case you wouldn't see it.

[@notarcostadelsol]

Hello, is the link still available for downloading your 3 bracket photos ?

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Hey!! Sorry for the delay. I had to fix all of that since someone deleted the files out of the folder haha. Here's the new link! taylor-brown-university.teachable.com/p/my-downloadable-548708

[@michaelmccoy8048]

If you don't mind my asking, what is that sphere on your flash head?

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Hey! It’s one that comes with the flash (Godox v1) pretty handy and makes it a bit softer.

[@michaelmccoy8048]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo Fantastic, thank you!

[@ezequielmartinez3582]

Your the best bro keep up the good work

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Thanks! Hope everything is going well for you :-)

[@ezequielmartinez3582]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo thank you, i got my first shoot in el paso tx, you've helped me a lot!

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Congrats! El Paso is cool! I’ve been there a few times 😃

[@ezequielmartinez3582]

Maybe we meet one day and do a Collab

[@image-i-nation-photography]

Love your videos very informative

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Hope so! Thanks so much for checking them out :)

[@kyleschwartz.]

How long does an average shoot take for you?

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Depends on what it’s for. Normal RE client, 1 hour for normal photos max. For architecture or interior design portfolio shoots it could be a whole day 🤷‍♂️ more detail !

[@kyleschwartz.]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo i think my main issue is that realtors around here don’t fully prep so I have to wait till they move stuff around. I have a sheet that I’m hesitant to send out basically just a list of things they should do before I get there

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

​@@kyleschwartz. Just do it. Setting expectations is good so you're not just stuck in limbo wasting your hours you could be at another shoot. That way at least there's something agreed on that you will have to back you up if you need to leave or anything else happens lol. I know it's awkward but it can really help :) They will appreciate it later too since it will end up saving them time and they can just leave you at the shoot alone.

[@patriciaserrano33]

Awesome

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Thanks!

[@Flamamacue]

Love the use of the combined darken layers, this is a great method. Creative ways to solve some of those RE photography problems. I've been developing my own method over the last 2-3 years and while my method has a few key differences but it's kinda blowing my mind how similar our line of thinking is (I even have an ambient, dark ambient, the bounce, two direct flash shots and refer to it as a foolproof method. I initially I thought it was actually the same haha! If you felt so inclined you might find the snoot attachment (or even just popping the dome off) for the V1/round head may help with the window shots too. It will cut the amount of light bouncing around the room/on the roof and cut the resulting glare off the windows if they're dirty at all (is it me or are windows always dirty, even in a clean house). Cuts it down to just the two dots of the flash which darken mode alone usually gets rid of. It's a little extra work on site but I found it cuts more time in post. In the sea of RE photogs on YT that just solely do rebranded standard flambient but don't add anything it's good to see some innovation! Great stuff

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

That's an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing!!

[@TheCoolProfessor]

Good video but I use Luminar Neo. It's easier to use and I HATE Photoshop.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Really? That's awesome. What do you like more about it?

[@TheCoolProfessor]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo It's too easy to say it's much easier to use. What really grabs me is the notion that it uses categories which intrigue the user and makes them want to come back and try it. For example, I was editing a photo of a bathroom I took and I tried the "Mystical" tool and it made the photo look like it was from heaven. Obviously my client couldn't use this but the program piques my curiosity every time I use it.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

@TheCoolProfessor true! A lot different than just a bunch of manual control sliders.

[@queative]

I usually enjoy your vids and have found them extremely useful for my real estate work, but this one was a bit complicated for an everyday workflow that minimizes your time in post. I realize this was 2 years ago so I'll check out a few more recent posts to see how your process has evolved or became more efficient.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Thanks! The main point of this one was to show some common methods in comparison to help people see the difference and decide what workflow they might want to use or try out.

[@CurtisPenne]

Awesome! Pics download require approved access, I sent you my email.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Whoops! Just fixed it lol. Here's the link drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t6dUD_IxegJa3JcMIafZmlInkAkLDUCJ?usp=sharing

[@Tony_miata]

Hdr plus 1 flash is all you need for these results. 60 second edit

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

Sounds like a fast workflow! Would love to see how they come out when you do that.

[@clydedigital]

Tbh, I thought the shot with a single bounced flash was good enough.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

That’s what I normally do 👌

[@kyleschwartz.]

Flash looks a lot better and colors look more realistic

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

I’m in between flash and HDR with no lights right now! Both have their strengths and weaknesses.

[@AndreiRestrepo]

First

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

You win 🥇

[@CayceWatson]

You probably have a color cast because you used something white to set your white balance instead of 18% gray.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

You're right! What do you do for WB strategy?

[@CayceWatson]

@@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo i’ve never created a composite for real estate photography. That’s why I watched your video, thanks for sharing. There might be a way simpler way to do this, but since you’re blending natural and artificial light, I feel like one solution could be placing a gray card in your photo, hitting with the color picker in post, then removing it.

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

​@@CayceWatson Yeah! Definitely a great option to dial things in more. Most RE shoots are pretty fast paced so in the past I have mostly eyeballed it for editing colors.

[@thomaszaru3094]

Taylor, your Instagram?🤔

[@TaylorBrownPhotoVideo]

instagram.com/taylorrbrown/