Tips To Get Started With Flash/Ambient Real Estate Photography (Gear/Settings/Edit)

Flash/ambient real estate photography is a great way to capture stunning shots of properties in a unique and eye-catching way. In this video, we'll cover the basics of gear, settings, and editing techniques that will help you start shooting amazing real estate photos like a pro!
Don't forget to subscribe as new videos are in the works!
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.
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Real Estate Photography Gear I Use:
Sony A7iii (Photos) - amzn.to/3VHJKEL
Sony A7Siii (Photos & Videos) - amzn.to/3TzbKsp
Sony 16-35mm F/4 - amzn.to/3DmGiHr
SIRUI N-1204SK Tripod
DJI Mavic 3 (Main) - amzn.to/3VHJKEL
DJI Mavic 2 Pro (Backup) - amzn.to/3D9ipnY
Ronin RSC 2 W/ Raveneye - amzn.to/3Svm7gd
Godox Xpro-S Flash Trigger - amzn.to/3TRaIbI
Godox ad600bm - amzn.to/3Tcqk9w
MacBook Air M1- 16gb mem/ 1tb ssd - amzn.to/3yURNnZ
🖥 Lumenzia (Affiliate Link): getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529...
🖥 Luminar Ai (Affiliate Link): skylum.grsm.io/xrkemmdzgu3396
📷 Definitivehdr.com
00:00 Intro & Gear
04:33 How To Shoot F/A
11:47 How To Edit F/A
25:35 Speeding Up Your Workflow

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Excuse my typos, I thought I corrected them all lol 🤦‍♂️

[@gigxr]

bro ive seen a lot of flambient tutorial and by far this is the most beginner friendly + u went in details but not too long. u can learn something on every minute of the video. and the way u explain things can be understood clearly. keep it up bro

[@heyricksander]

Where is the tutorial on your HDR merge action? Great video.

[@paragzone23]

This is the best video on flash light and real estate photography I have ever seen on the youtube. Excellent explanation of each and everything 👏🏻👍🏻

[@PIXELvoiz]

awesome work thanks!

[@CoreyCosgrove]

This was exactly the video I needed! Thank you 🙏🏼

[@ruggeropoggianella5451]

Good tutorial, well done, simple, clear and effective. Thanks so much for sharing

[@Neil.H]

Ive been shooting flambient RE for a couple of years now and recently introduced your particular techniques, including creating a master action for the HDR blend, darken repair and side to side gradient. Awesome improvements to both quality, consistency and speed of workflow (both on and off site) as a result. Excellent tutorials Brandon and your presentation style is getting better and better too. You deserve way more subscribers and I wish you continued success in building your channel. I'd be very keen to see your approach to exterior shots and twilights sometime on the future.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Thank you so much, I really enjoy making these videos and helping others! The workflow is definitely an improvement, that's for sure! As I first transitioned from regular flambient to utilizing the additional flash pops, it would take me 2 to 3 hours per house to edit the whole shoot. Then after 2 months of shooting and getting better at quality, I needed to figure out how to get better at speed. Because once I increased my quality, there was no going back so I needed to find a way to get faster all-around. So that led to my biggest question: What do I need to do in order to get PS to do most of the work for me? And that's when things started to click. I've been refining this technique all year through actions and every time I get just a little faster and faster. Hopefully this will help others not just increase their quality, but their speed as well. As for the subs, they're coming. I just don't want to be the guy spamming the internet with my videos so I don't go sharing them anywhere. I'm in the FB REP group and if someone asks a question that I feel I can answer through a video, then at that point I might share a video. Otherwise I'm just waiting for Reddit to get a hold of my videos so they can pick me apart. At that point, I'll really start to get better since I grow mostly off criticism.

[@Neil.H]

@@BrandonWattsREP btw .. I made one small change to the workflow for creating the Darken Repair layer - Instead of applying a white mask I apply a 50% grey mask and then use a black to white gradient. The advantage being that the 50% grey mask enables visibility of both side flash pops so it's easier to see exactly where to begin and end the gradient :-)

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Oh wow, very nice, I'll have to give that a shot as well! Definitely makes sense to have it and then apply the gradient after.

[@robertalvarez1168]

Great video but I cant find the previous video that you mentioned that explained how to do the HDR Merge. Do you show how to do that without an action? or how to create the action for the HDR merge.

[@johnduque3486]

Thank you, great and easy to follow tutorial. Keep up the good work.

[@RickReezi]

This video made it everything easier!

[@photos-fera7392]

Wonderful workflow man. I typically use the style that Nathan Cool employs which requires more lights on site but I find it be quicker on the editing side. This is still a wonderful way to work. I may consider trying this out at home a few times to see if it saves me anytime on an actual shoot since my edits are typically done in under 2min/image using Nathan Cool method.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Thank you! So for my speed I typically like to use just the one strobe light. As for Nathan he employs multiple flash stands/ lights to cut down on the editing but to be honest, I can have each image of mine edited in 30 seconds to 2 minutes, longer if it's a high-end edit. They both have their place and I started with Nathan's technique at first. I just didn't like how the natural shadows were washed out by the initial flash pop over head that he does.

[@soni835]

Excellent video 👌🏽👌🏽

[@brokeforever]

This was amazing, especially seeing you on the job and how you work around setting exposures and adjusting the light was super insightful.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Ha! It was about time I started to step it up a little bit with the video production lol. Hopefully we only get better from here!

[@ramihz42]

Amazing, thanks alot

[@BrandonWattsREP]

You're welcome and thank you!

[@GarethDanks]

This is a fantastic video mate. Especially the editing part. Very excited to see this different approach! Can’t wait to try it. Jealous of that big flash tho. I’m using an ad200. Amazing but under powered sometimes. Good luck with the channel mate. You’ll do great 👍🏻

[@LevinsThe]

Thanks! A lot of flambient videos on KZbin, but almost non of them are covering that gradient trick

[@VisiPianoOfficial]

This is an amazing guide even for those of us who have been doing it for a while. Great job explaining everything!

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Thank you, I appreciate that so much! Even though I've been into photography for 17-18 years now, I've never considered myself an educator, so this has been a big experience for me to learn. Hopefully I'm able to help people get started for anyone who has been on the edge. And once these beginner steps have been taken care of, we can move on to more serious business.

[@jeremybeal23]

Amazing

[@BrandonWattsREP]

I appreciate it, thank you!

[@wtait99]

Your process is pure gold. I do have a question…if you don’t have a wall close enough to bounce off, are you just flashing straight up at the ceiling?

[@adrielsalazar3552]

my fave ❤

[@BrandonWattsREP]

A lot of trial and error with this video but I'm happy with how it came out!

[@janjirekreality]

Excellent show, Brandon.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Thank you Jan! I certainly hope it helps people learn how to do this without adding too much time to their schedule. I think the increased quality over typical flambient paired with the efficiency of the workflow is a total gamechanger.

[@241photography]

Thank you for another informative video. I have started using your system about 2 weeks ago having just used a simple flambient process previously. I love the way the side pops bring back the natural shadows. To save a little bit of time I have found importing the final image back into LR before the camera raw process. then when I have finished the set, I select all the TIFFs in LR and click AUTO in the basic panel, reduce the shadows, vibrance and saturation (with AUTO SYNC on) and then just eye ball each image for final tweaks. Keep up the good work.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Thank you! The way the shadows are brought back is one of the main reasons why I switched to this type of technique. Though, there are so many more pros that come from utilizing this type of flash/ambient that'll I'll soon be going over; which I can't wait to share. As for your workflow, that's very interesting. I've never considered to AUTO the batch of tiffs in LR, so I'll definitely give it a shot on my shoots this week. If anything the only thing I do in LR is straighten each image and maybe add .10 or so of increased exposure and contrast. What do you think about sharpening though? Do you do that in LR as well?

[@241photography]

@@BrandonWattsREP let me know how you get on :)

[@241photography]

@@BrandonWattsREP sorry missed your reply. I usually use a high pass filter set to afairly small amount on soft light in PS before I send back to LR. I do all my straightening in LR as well

[@gregoryone]

I shoot with an older camera and use a profile that is as flat as possible. This creates more work, but shows me to dial in colors and saturation myself as opposed to in camera

[@steefanoable]

Hello, really interesting advice. Perhaps the next step would be to know how to photograph different rooms while maintaining a uniformity of style and light. There is something on the channel about it. Thank you very much, and congratulations on the channel.

[@vitalis]

Underrated channel. Instant sub.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Thank you! I'm coming back soon! Just been immensely busy these last 2 months with increased clients wanting a ton of weekend shoots as well as a little bit of life getting in the way in between shoots. I'll be creating more vids to come once I clear off this work

[@vitalis]

@@BrandonWattsREP Awesome! BTW, what virtual tour software would you recommend? I would like to have hotspots so that I can navigate to the different rooms. If you could do a video it would be fantastic!

[@nutoriousclown4107]

How do you avoid the trigger overriding the flash power on the strobe

[@rupertpeace4547]

Such a nice system, very clearly explained. I'd be interested to know how you might deal with moving objects like curtains when using this system? Which repair layer would solve this? Thanks!

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Thank you! I just ran into this error yesterday so I will have to make a video on it. But basically, I just mask out the layer that is throwing everything off. In some cases it could be the ambient layer, other cases it could be the flash layer. Though typically, I just mask out parts of the ambient, since it's that shot that won't align to the flash pops, assuming the object moved after taking the ambient bracket.

[@zfranklin4231]

I use the Yongnuo wireless flash triggers in addition to the R2Pro. I may give imaging edge another try.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

What camera are you using it with? The A7iii is slow af with IE. A7Siii is about the same as a Camranger 2 in terms of speed and connectivity. I think any newer model of Sony should have a decent tethering capability compared to older models that had dropped connections from 5 ft away.

[@michaelroach3553]

Time saver: Set a C1 function to recall a continuous bracket drive mode. Buy the "Wireless Remote Commander", hold c1 and shutter down, you've shot your bracket. When you release, the camera goes back to single drive mode. No more manually switching drive mode. For White Balance, get a "dumb" trigger adapter, the only downside is your sync speed will get lower and you lose HSS, but AWB will function correctly. I've been shooting on the A7iii, 16-35 zeiss, almost entirely at f 7.1 ISO 400. I just got the A7iv but I haven't done a real estate shoot with it yet. I'm *hoping* I'll be able to look at the image on the back of the camera without the wifi disconnecting from Imaging Edge haha

[@BrandonWattsREP]

I'll have to see if my local camera store has any of this otherwise I'm buying it off Amazon today. This sounds interesting! As for the A7iv, I have the A7iii and A7Siii and the Siii doesn't disconnect when viewing images on the camera. The app just says something like "camera in use" while you view on camera. Once you get out of playback the A7Siii app reconnects automatically quite quickly. The transfer speed is way faster than the A7iii so I assume the A7iv should be better than both of mine.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Question for you though. Do you leave the flash trigger turned on at all times? When I leave my trigger on and shoot a continuous bracket on manual mode; my aperture changes instead of my shutter speed and it doesn't end up being continuous, it instead turns into a single shot bracket that I have to trigger 3 times. You have any idea why this happens or a way around it? Or is this fixed by the trigger adapter?

[@michaelroach3553]

@@BrandonWattsREP #1 - A7IV is WAY better than A7III wifi, I can also go to settings on the imaging edge app and go to a "view only" (batteries charging, may need to update name) mode for full screen live preview. I can ALSO use playback on the camera lcd to punch in and check focus! I leave the Flash Trigger on the camera, but it usually falls asleep by the time I've composed the next shot (setting inside the firmware on the actual flash commander). If it doesn't, I just flip it off so I'm not firing flashes. One thing I forgot to mention, I did have to "customize" my single-pin trigger to make it fit my hotshoe right. I basically shaved some of the plastic off with a utility knife / hacksaw. I can't remember exactly because it's been a few years now lol.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

@@michaelroach3553 The speed increase from the a7iii to the newer models is crazy. Lol I've completely forgotten about my Camranger 2 and really using it if I ever need my A7iii for any rare occasion.

[@michaelroach3553]

@@BrandonWattsREP I was actually considering a camranger as the a7iii **barely** works for wireless tethering. Honestly still considering it though, unless the a7iv can do a high-resolution raw preview I can zoom in on, that's the dream, or I don't know, MAYBE A HISTOGRAM haha

[@laurastewart9230]

Thanks for the great video! Is there a way to save the images as RAW when using Sony Imaging Edge? The photos always automatically save as FINE JPEG for me.

[@BrandonWattsREP]

You should be able to change the settings to save the files as raw to the camera card. Imaging Edge Mobile does save a copy to your mobile device as well, but I belive those are only jpgs so that you can review the images faster. I don't think it can save raw to the Mobile device, only to the memory card inside the camera.

[@joshigeorge1]

❤

[@jeremybeal23]

Man, your videos are great. Do you find the A7Siii gives you enough information for you to edit? I have an siii but purchased a 7iv for HDR images. I've watched you edit and value your opinion highly. Cheers

[@BrandonWattsREP]

I believe the A7siii is great, only down side is the resolution isn't as sharp as the A7iii when you zoom into an image. But unless you're shooting high-end real estate or architecture, zooming in won't matter since homebuyers nor RE agents will ever zoom into an image. The A7Siii has smaller file sizes as well so it helps with processing time.

[@jeremybeal23]

​@@BrandonWattsREP Thanks, man. I purchased an a7iv and followed an influencer around taking photos of them. I was using the A7siii but wanted to provide them with a "sharper image". I spent time grading and composing. They posted the photos on Instagram with a filthy LUT and cropped in 300% on their face, lol

[@BrandonWattsREP]

@@jeremybeal23 lol I'll never understand why they do that!

[@ngtrongtri]

Thank you very much but really confused about how you process the image. Could the process be simpler?

[@chasebrockphoto]

Cool technique on the color darken for flash in reflections. Will Need to use this next time I encounter vs taking a separate exposure of using a black card to block the reflection. I’ve been doing flash ambient for some time after learning and honesty think 1 pop of flash just off camera (more powerful pop than normal) suffices with an ambient hdr blend set to luminosity with a layer mask set to 50% or whatever looks more natural looks great. I also go into each room and pop the flash but have not used screen blending mode which I will consider. Great tutorial on your set Up and showing settings. I’m using 680EXII @ISO 400 f6.3 and anywhere between 1/15-1/60th for the ambient. I pull windows back in with an ISO100 1/100-1/125th f6.3 exposure due to lack of power on the 680exii. Probably time to get a ad600 or similar :)

[@atulkondal8087]

please send the video link how to merge hdr images.

[@JustinBallRecording]

This is a fantastic tutorial, first off. However, it seems to me that with this method you'd be spending at least 12-20 minutes PER Photo. Is this the case?

[@kekonamedia]

Engaged

[@BrandonWattsREP]

You are awesome, thank you so much! Let me know if you ever have any questions, I'm always happy to help!

[@apr6337]

The tutorial is good. But telling a beginner he should go but almost $9000 worth of equipment to start 😂😂😂

[@ush45]

Beginner in the business? I'm afraid there's not really a cheap way to be competitive. There's other methods, and other gear. But you're definitely going to be spending a few grand still. That's not a bad investment into a career tbh.

[@mrt7476]

1/250, f6.3, iso 320 for interior flash shots?…. Call me oldskool, but every setting just screams ‘amateur’…. Sorry.

[@diogomartinez7991]

Subscription added

[@BrandonWattsREP]

Thank you so much! Let me know if you ever have any questions :)

[@mobolajioyesiku9915]

Can I get a link to get your action pack for editing @brandonwattsrep