The HDR Myth in Real Estate Photography

You may have seen HDR real estate photos on social media that look too good to be true, and you're probably right. Today's HDR is not what it used to be, so in this episode I pull back the curtain to show what is really going on, and how you might incorporate some of this into your work. Below are links mentioned in this video:
My online courses to learn real estate photography:
LearnRE.NathanCool.com
Learn pro interior photography:
prointeriors.nathancool.com
Learn pro editing:
ExpertEditing.nathancool.com
Learn pro exterior photography:
ProExteriors.NathanCool.com
My real estate photography series:
amzn.to/3XcmQ8k
Mastering Flambient Photography:
amzn.to/3RES5Yp
Mastering Color in Photography:
amzn.to/3lzTMdO

[@henem_]

You are the true mentor for real estate photographers. I respect you so much! Always thank you for sharing your honest opinion.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

I appreciate that!

[@Kalmin13]

Thank you very much for this video Nathan. You covered the topic finely. I always see RE photographers on Instagram brag about the time they save using HDR, outsourcing the editing abroad and that the result are great + saying the flambient method is not necessary. I will always go for flambient for its accurate colors, overall image sharpness, quick edit time and more professional look. I care about quality and I want to be happy with the results i deliver. But in the event of not being able to use flash for whatever reason, its nice to know that HDR will do fine for RE work with simple windows etc. You are the GOAT!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome Matěj!

[@roxanneashe4902]

Flash is by far such much more professional and higher quality. I love flash and what it can do! Not sure why so many are against using and learning it. Thank you for teaching us how to be better pros. Thank you for your time and efforts in helping us all!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Totally agree! And you're very welcome Roxanne.

[@user-cs8lk9ng1x]

People don't use flash because they need to LEARN how...and this is an effort... and people nowadays don't love efforts.

[@lucasfysstudios]

Since I started using HDR / Flash hybrid method, my photos look much better, it takes just a few seconds more to shoot and pretty much the same time to edit. I realise that the merged HDR frame helps a lot in keeping the natural look to my photos whilst the flash brings up all the details (window pulls always!). Thank you very much for all the knowledge Nathan, It's been just a year and a half since I started in RE photography, but because of everything that I learnt from you, translated to my work, I managed to successfully shoot just over 200 properties until then.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome, but I don't recommend the HDR-flash hybrid method. I explain why in amzn.to/452P49z You can save more time (and footage) by utilizing the dynamic range from the flambient footage, which you can push much further nowadays with modern cameras. I'm glad though that things are working well, and happy to hear I've been able to help.

[@DelgadoPropertyManagement]

So thankful you made this video. I am a "Nathan Cool flambient shooter" myself, but have to admit.... I've been HDR-curious. No longer after this tutorial!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome! I'm glad I was able to fill in some blanks :)

[@NeonShores]

Even the best HDR methods don't have the professional crispy look of flambient. But of course as you show it's good to know multiple methods so you're prepared for every situation. Fantastic video!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you!

[@calmetosis]

Had recently done a property with flambient, and indeed the results are superb. I had a bathroom that I did previously with just HDR and it was unusable even after a lot of post processing killing the green mixed with blue casts from outside, oranges from lights and wood basin, it still looked terrible. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@stevepaterson2]

Many thanks for creating this excellent tutorial Nathan. I’m glued to your videos and books and setting me on the right track.

[@allenrich8808]

When I started 5 years ago, I used enfuse for 6 months. Then I discovered your videos. Bought most of your books and have been using your flambient techniques ever since. I appreciate the great content your videos provide. Thanks so much.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Awesome! You're very welcome Allen.

[@jeffopenshaw6878]

I shot a house in August using flambient and received a call from the homeowner who liked my photos so much that he hired me to shoot 3 of his equipment businesses last month, just one of the scenarios you were talking about on getting a higher-paying job. I"ve been using flambient for a little over 5 years now and just purchased one of your books a couple weeks ago, wish I had purchased it earlier, so much I didn't know. Thank you!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

That's great Jeff. Glad that was helpful.

[@goosepicklefire]

you are the RE photographer GOAT🐐🐐🐐 been watching for about a month and been practicing with my speedlite and canon t7i, 10-18mm and I have been able to accomplish some pretty decent looking flambient shots. still practicing everyday

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you!

[@aureliabaum3050]

Thank you for this video and showing manual HDR techniques! I used that method (manual exposure blending), too. This type of editing is not only time consuming, but also frustrating: Cutting out windows, fixing colors, WB issues... most of the time you try to repair the results of a faulty method. Today I do that only when there is not enough time or the space is too large.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're welcome Aurelia. Glad it was helpful!

[@marcvloeberghs8179]

Thanks Nathan and congratulations with the success of your various publications on the subject.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thanks Marc! Much appreciated.

[@rekcedmedia3231]

I thought shifting to HDR cause folks on the groups swear by it now but flambient gives me the best WB and colors. It doesn't take me that much time either. Great video.

[@robiken8794]

Excellent side-by-side comparative on Flambient vs HDR. I recently relocated to another state and find myself having to start building a new client base amidst a sea of HDR shooters and that starts with realtor relationships. Actually being a licensed real estate broker, I know who the top agents are in the local agencies and typically the best of the best (top 2-4% of agents) know how they want their brand to be represented in market...they typically do not accept soft focus shots with color casts. It is the next tier down of agents working to be in that top tier that seem less aware or focused on what their brand looks and feels like and I find a lot more using someone shooting HDR. Not terrible looking stuff, but what you expect from that process. When I ask the agent what they like about their current photographer's work and if they would change anything to better reflect their client's listing and what that agent wants for his/her brand to look like, what would that be? When they comment that "the colors are not always 100% what I was expecting", or "they seem too orange"...but they still use the images anyway it opens up a great conversation on building their brand image. To be able to sit down and show an agent comparisons like this can be priceless. I know you have stated in your books and online to not get into a price war to compete and I can't agree more...show them how you can better build their brand in market, draw more people to view their listings and that generally equates to quicker and stronger offers. Great stuff Nathan! Thanks!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thanks Rob!

[@SquareEarth1]

I applied for a position with a company that does a mix of HDR and flash. Required to do 5 bracketed shots from -2 to +2, then a bounce flash of room for white balance, then a flashed window shot and then a no flash window shot. So, 8 shots for one room. The company does the editing. I was competing against another photographer that does HDR all the time, so missed out. I still prefer flash ambient anyday!! Thanks Nathan.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome. Glad this use useful!

[@paulcarpenter3879]

This was a Awesome watch..... Thank you

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed it Paul.

[@dallasroberts3206]

Thanks as usual Nathan!😊

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome Dallas!

[@crystalwizardstudios]

Wow great technique. Thanks for sharing Nathan! I've always used HDR auto blending with Enfuse as my "budget friendly" option, but I'm re-thinking how to use high quality HDR as another option to use in all situations. You're awesome, keep it up brother!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you!

[@tyronecrossmanphotography2713]

I much prefer the flambient technique all the way! Thank you Nathan for clarifying things here!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome!

[@quirkworks4076]

Thank you for being the voice of reason, quality, and professionalism in a world awash in quick-fix, corner-cutting mediocrity.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome, and thank you for those kind words. Much appreciated.

[@holly4221]

Funny that you’re talking about the panes being a pain. Just went thru this myself but only because I failed to set my exposure properly before flashing. It was a “reverse window pull” situation but didn’t pay enough attention on shoot. I use live view as I don’t have a mirrorless camera and failed to set the outdoor exposure properly. Thanks for your videos! Reading your latest book now.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome Holly, and I'm glad this was helpful. I hope you enjoy the book.

[@CharlyMolina]

Great video! Helps a lot to have a comparison. A coupe of day ago a guy leave a comment on one of my real estate video tutorial saying "the best real estate photographers DO NOT USE artificial light, the use of flash is unnecessary, for that the bracketing of 3-5 photos is used with 2 stops of differences in exposure". Personally Im a lazy dude. And always look for the faster way (color wise) to edit my photos. Don't like HDR because of the mix of colors, but in some cases I've used it. This video helps a lot to know that are ways to edit this kind color cast in HDR. By the way, I just bought your Lighting guide and the Mastering Flambient books. I have work to do!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you Charly! I hope you like the books!

[@TomTowles]

Did the person that left that comment happen to mention if those "best real estate photographers" also edit their own images? If they do, that is awesome. Otherwise, they are really only being judged on camera placement. Everything else is due to their overseas editors.

[@bogdangrom]

Woow! Nathan, I didn't even seen the amount of views on this video, probably I wouldn't even open it. But it's only because of the thing, that this topic is not so popular. Hope it will changes and you'll become more famous, because your videos are really helpful, when you're stepping on this track. Thanks a lot!!

[@LeoDodier]

Great video, thank you!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thanks Leo!

[@LeoDodier]

@@NathanCoolPhoto are use the Lambean method, and I’ve always wondered about the people on the Internet that use HDR, hire 200 people to shoot houses, and then send the processing off to India! Honestly, watching the correct way to do HDR hurt my brain. :-)

[@prosunsport1]

Hi Nathan your work is outstanding, and i really learnt something new with flambient , what white balance setting do u use on camera for the flash shots. Thx Vasili

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thanks! WB varies greatly and something you need to learn to control, but it's just the tip of the flambient iceberg. Since you're new with flambient I'd suggest taking a look at my pro interiors course, which covers these things in great detail. It's one of the courses I offer at LearnRE.NathanCool.com

[@anatolysimonov3354]

Thank you sir for your work.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

My pleasure Anatoly!

[@babaarcuszatir]

I am totally not into real estate photography, but this was fun and educational to watch, great content! Some stuff may come handy at weddings.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@_Donald_Duck.]

Interesting video, made me want to learn the flambient method =) *i only used auto HDR in Lightroom of bracketed photos.

[@josephlandrum4592]

Thank you for the videos. I’ve learned a lot. Would it be possible to use a darken mode window pull with the bracketed photo set to get an easy HDR window pull? Hopefully I’m explaining myself. Basically can you add a flash window shot on to a set of bracketed shots and get a easy window pull?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome! You could do a flashed/darken-mode window pull on an HDR image, but if you're going to use flash then you might as well just flash the space too...and you'd have better results overall. Yes, it is possible; but I wouldn't recommend it.

[@NIKOSPS]

Thank you very much for this video Nathan! I 'm an amateur photographer and want to learn more of RE photography. Which of your books should I start with first?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome Nikos. You can download the first ebook in the series, on interiors, which is a broad view of things, then take it from there amzn.to/3lKoNf8

[@KamarleyBlake]

Thank you for this comparison as I'm just starting out (already purchased some of the books in your series on the kindle as you suggested) and was struggling with which method to prioritize. I'm curious as to your thoughts on Affinity Photo + Capture One v. Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome, Kamarley. If you're going to pay for software then you might as well use the industry, de facto standard for REP, which is Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. You can get both for ten bucks a month. I also have more info on various editing software in Mastering Color amzn.to/410KuYg and if you want to use a free option then check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2LGm36jr5Vsaqs

[@KamarleyBlake]

@@NathanCoolPhoto Thank you for your response. I’ll definitely check out those links

[@creativeeffects-de]

Nathan, thanks for your video and your opinion. You sum up my impressions on this subject. I have been working a lot with Flambient and using HDR only for large rooms. I have noticed the increasing videos of photographers calling HDR the golden way. Shot quickly, practically on the run, 4-5 houses a day, image processing outsourced. I was curious and in the last weeks I watched many techniques from these photographers and tried them on my own photos. None of them work for me. HDR editing is mostly about correcting the typical mistakes like color casts and manually cropping windows. This eats up an incredible amount of time and leads to unsatisfactory results. The only solution as to why this works for some is outsourcing. At the same time, the examples in many of these videos are under ideal conditions. Just like yours, windows are mostly hidden or partitioned. There are scenarios, like the large rooms, where HDR has its place. But again, a flambient photo would be better, it's just not possible. To me, this is a big myth that I don't understand why some push it. Finally, a question for you. How do you create those nice soft contrasts like on the wood from the pool table? Looks like Dodge and Burn or a heightened detail contrast but at the same time not as harsh as clarity. I've noticed this several times in your photos.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thanks! On your question, there is no magic editing, if you use lighting correctly then simple flambient does the trick. You can learn more in my course on this, here's a link if you'd like to check that out: prointeriors.nathancool.com

[@diogoguerreiro3011]

Very good video, can you show the making of the photo on the right monitor? Cheers from Portugal

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you! That was easy, it's just another 2-sided composite like I show in amzn.to/3IvJ15c

[@thedronemediacomvancouver4976]

As always , an amazing teacher.. Tha nks so much!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you! 😃

[@nommiezorba]

Hi Nathan thank you for the video. If I may ask, when you are shooting the 3 shots do you use the flash WB for the flash shots and then white ballance for the room for the ambient?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

You're very welcome! It's a bit more involved than that, but those are some of the flambient basics that I cover in my interiors book at amzn.to/3LhI0iK Also I delve into the entire process in great detail in my online video course that you might want to check out at prointeriors.nathancool.com

[@nommiezorba]

@@NathanCoolPhoto Thank you for your reply. Is the course compatible with Mac?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Yes, my online video course works on any device and OS, just using a web browser, you can take a sneak peak at prointeriors.nathancool.com

[@Perceivedshift]

Very well said and shown Nathan, the time investment for both is similar, but the results of flambient is just more professional and consistent. I'd like to see you do a part 2 of this with a shot with non-white walls. Wood interiors or homes with nutty wall colors can really throw off HDR, creating a mess of needed adjustments in post. Someone outsourcing all their work will find their editor skimping on these jobs. Its probably why when I get emails from these editors advertising their services ALL of their example work is of homes with nothing but white walls. I also don't have faith in their willingness or ability to mask around complex windows or decor in front of windows. These editors charge per photo, which means they are incentivized to rip through as much photos as possible through the day. Why would they spend 20, or even 10 minutes on a single photo? As far as the morality, if an editor can edit each photo in 3 minutes, they'd make $20/hr, which in a 3rd world country is a pretty decent pay rate...that however is assuming they are freelancing and not part of an editing firm. This does mean however they really don't want to spend a lot of time on any single photo. Another question to pose in part 2, what about flambient + outsourcing? A good flambient editor may or may not be worth it depending on how busy you are. But then again...depending on someone across the world for a huge chunk of your workflow is a huge liability. Not to mention how much you can learn on how to photograph better while editing your own photos, creating a positive feedback loop you'd otherwise miss.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thanks! Sounds like you might have stopped the video early...the second example shows non-white walls and a mess of colors.

[@ngtrongtri]

Hi, what flash are you using to take this photo? I bought Godox Ad200 but it seems that its power is not enough for interior photography

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

See amzn.to/3K6hGYy

[@porchlightvisual207]

Hi Nathan, thank you for your email May I know how to open all exposures( flambient, flash, window pull in...) in one layer?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Not sure what you're asking, can you elaborate?

[@VioletLilikoi]

What flash transmitter would you recommend? I have a Canon R6. I’ve heard that we should use different brand ones?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

It's a bit more complicated than that, since there are a number of ways to go, and more than one trigger type involved. These are some of the basics covered in my interiors ebook at amzn.to/3I37ugL and I go into much, much more detail in my course at prointeriors.nathancool.com

[@VioletLilikoi]

@@NathanCoolPhoto awesome! Thank you! I’m looking to purchase your course cause this is exactly the growth I want to expand into.

[@lights_camera_coffee]

Any tips for handling realtors who are getting conditioned to the on-site speed of HDR? Been doing RE for a year now shooting only flambient and I’m 100% in on it. I’ve been hearing a lot from realtors that I should be spending less time on site or their other guy can do it faster. I know I’m still learning and can get faster but in particular in this one case I spent about 2 hours at a large house for 70 photos included drone. 30+ interior photos so with the 2 min rule that’s an hour right there. Am I really that far off? I feel like that house in particular might have cost me my local lure after months of good work together

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

It's a great question, and perhaps I should put together another video on this? Let me know. The "large" house you mentioned didn't specify sq.ft. or selling price range, so can't say for sure, but 70 photos seems rather excessive. But I can say that if you have a client complaining that you're taking too long on site, and if you are within a reasonable timeframe, then you have bigger issues with the types of clients you're attracting, which will have a negative impact on your ability to expand, not just in the listing market, but also the higher end listing market and other areas/markets of real estate photography. Let me know if you think this would be a great topic for an upcoming video.

[@brodyport6395]

@@NathanCoolPhoto I would also be curious on this for a future video. Starting out more or less and have had one realtor saying almost the exact opposite of what @light_camera_coffee is saying. The appreciate that I was taking the time to get the shots and not rushing through the whole interior in 15 minutes. And they could also appreciate the final look and it's benefits over the quick and dirty attempt.

[@thelongarmmarine]

I still struggle at times doing a good window pull…I understand the darken mode concept, but never seem to get the best flash at the window…sync speed is 160…f8, Godox AD 200…I usually shoot several, starting @ 1/8 and ramp up…never satisfied…what might I be missing?

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

I'd have to see what you're doing to answer that. I do offer private sessions via Zoom, you can email me for more information on that at [e-mail] and you might also consider my online course, which gets you 50% off private sessions at prointeriors.nathancool.com

[@thelongarmmarine]

@@NathanCoolPhoto I watch most of your videos & have two of your books…sometimes I’d like to see more details of the settings used on the camera & flash, to get a better starting point…just a thought, but great info!

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Thank you for buying some of my books! Since you are struggling though I would consider having me sit down and go through your work to help you fix what's going wrong. Thanks again!

[@elnaelna4467]

Hello! Nathan, could you please activate subtitles for this video. Thank you!

[@denisl1071]

Can you enable subtitles for your video? Thanks a lot

[@VioletLilikoi]

I feel triggered watching this. Lol. At least I know I’m not going crazy when I spend literal hours editing 😭

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

HA! Love it :)

[@donniewhitaker6267]

At the end of the day all that matters is if your client is happy. I get that. But, what kills me about the people who shoot HDR and outsource is that most are taking credit for a final product they couldn't produce on their own and getting pats on the back for it as if they are some amazing photographer who did it all. Their clients assume they are doing all of the work because they don't tell them they are sending the images to an editor. IMO editing is at least 50% of the process and if you can't edit I am not sure you should be considered a real pro.

[@NathanCoolPhoto]

Yep, I agree.