Hi all,
We have been shooting Real Estate photography and Interior photography for some time, and for many these terms mean the same thing. But we believe there is a difference and here it is … Real Estate Photography is all about showcasing a property and is often about photographing space, and incorporating other features (such as views, position etc) to make it look attractive. Interior photography is less about the shell, and more about what is contained within it, such as cushy lounges, colour combinations and great pieces.
So yesterday, I had a job in which I was shooting for real esate, and for an interior designer at the same place. I thought it would be interesting to show the different results, so lets have a look below.
Interior photography – this image is all about the pillows
The above image is all about the pillows, that is why they are lit by the reading lights so it draws your attention. I wanted to illustrate the colour combination the designer used, and used lights from 45 degrees behind to create 3 dimensionaliy. Don’t you feel like your head deserves to lay there? You will notice this image has a nice piece of colourful art above the headboard, something that is likely to attract the viewers attention. So in order to keep attention towards the pillow I blocked light towards the artwork so that did not take attention.
Now, lets look at the same room photographed for real estate purposes (below).
Real estate image – this is all about space and the view
I am sure you will notice an enormous difference, depending on your purpose. In order to show space in real estate photography you usually want to show the floor. Also, in this house the view is very important, so my perspective is a little higher than normal, simply because I had to show the beach pool out the window, a very important aspect. So, my point here is that my decisions as a photographer will vary depending on the purpose on how the final image will be used.
And below is another example, one image is for the interior designer, and the other is for real estate purposes, guess which is which…
Interior Photography – wanted to emphasise the lounge and colour combination
Real estate image, emphasising space
The purpose with the first image here is to bring the viewer into the lounge, and show the relationship between different areas of the house, and how the colour ties them together, something that an interior designer does strategically. The second shows the space and the relationship between the area and the rest of the house.
Finally, a big difference between the 2 types of photography is the depth of field. Most real estate images have front to back sharpness to show all areas within the field of view. Interior photography on the other hand usually focuses on a single, or small amount of pieces, such as the following image where the depth of field is very shallow.
Interior Photography – you can use shallow depth of field to focus on particular parts of the image
Hope this comparison has been interesting.
Shane Law [NBPD] Northern Beaches Photography & Design
Photographer | Blogger
[NBPD] 
These are all fabulous pictures but your comparison is especially interesting. I never thought about how a different end goal could change your photo plan so dramatically.
Thanks Jacki, glad you like the images. Yes, the end results are so different. I love both areas, but i must say the shallow depth has a dramatic look when shooting for interior designers.
Nice images.
Me being me, I’d suggest the third one is really a real estate picture because the door is open, had it been closed it would have been a interior photograph.
I particularly like the way you’ve managed the lighting balance in the shots that show the outside view, I think you’ve done this particularly well.
Yes Stephen, thanks for your comment there. Actually that door did not close. I would have preferred it closed too.
🙂
Thanks from here as well – Beautiful work! I like to use a bit of both styles when I shoot for agents. I think adding interior shots tends to break up a home as the potential buyer goes through the photos. Interior-specific shots also act as focal points so the memory of a particular space may be intensified for the buyer. I’ve had good results so far. Thanks again!
Hi Craig, it certainly does not hurt to shoot somthing a little different. As long as you exceed your clients expectations you are on the right track!!
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Just this morning I was shooting with my “real estate” lens and then I took out the TS-E 24. Boy was it fun and I really think I’ll use many of these shots in the MLS. I was still able to capture enough of the room to in my opinion still be a real estate shot. I think these two worlds are blending more.
Great article….. Very interesting. You illustrate the differences in genres very successfully. I’m interested in knowing the lenses you used to capture the different shots. (?)
Hi James,
They are all shot with the same lense (canon 17-40mm f4 lens), apart from the final image of the cushions which was the canon 70-200mm f2.8.
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