First of all I would like to thank Bryce Mohan for his excellent tutorial articles posted to ActiveRain.  Thanks for the excellent information.

Second, I saw that many agents were having problems with indoor photography of their listings.  I thought my experience will help those. 

I  am using a Canon 20D, which is similiar to most DSLR cameras.  Indoors I never use "AUTO" mode.  The ISO speed may be auto-set too low and cause dark pictures.  Set the mode to "P" and set your ISO to 400.  Anything lower will be dark and anything higher will be grainy.

The cameras built in flash is not strong enough. Get an add on flash. I use a Canon 420EX.  For inside shots use bounce flash, angling the flash forward and up to the ceiling.  Most ceilings are white, so this provides good light dispersion for room photography.  Direct forward flash will illuminate the object in direct focus but other areas will be underexposed.

Another problem is the typical standard 18-55 mm kit lens is not wide enough for real estate room photography.  Because of the sensor size in DSLR cameras, except the high end professional models costing $5000 up, the actual lens acts as a 29-88 mm compared to conventional SLR film cameras.  This is great for most photographic conditions from scenic shots to portrait photography.  For rooms you need a wider lens.

I considered the wider Canon zoom, but the cost was prohibitive. I bought a Tamron 11-18 mm, which is equivalent to a 18-28 mm film camera lens, which is available in mounts for most of the popular DSLR's.  Getting down to 18-24 mm is critical for room shots.

I also recommend a tri-pod or a mono-pod for indoor shooting. An inexpensive one is available at $20 to $30.

Many of the other ActiveRain member's suggestions are excellent, but I like to keep it simple.  Shoot in "P", ISO at 400, tilt-bounce the flash, use a wider lens, and shoot away.  You do not need to readjust settings for each shot. It is simple.  I get excellent results.

There are a lot of point and shoot low priced cameras that will do the real estate photography well, as many members have pointed out.  However I do action sports photography and wildlife photography so I needed a good DSLR with lens interchangability.

If you have a DSLR, this is the simple solution.

Here are some additional articles and tutorials that may be of interest to you:

Simple Way to Resize Pictures to Post to the MLS or to Send to Clients

Photoshop Elements Tutorial I - Correcting White Balance

Kodak v705 Tutorial I - White Balance

Kodak v705 Tutorial II - Sharpness

Kodak v705 Tutorial III - ISO Speed

Kodak v705 Tutorial IV - Picture Modes

Kodak v705 Tutorial V - Color Modes

Kodak v705 Tutorial VI - Exposure Compensation

Kodak v705 Tutorial VII - Flash Photography

Kodak v705 Tutorial VIII - Picture Size

Mike Stankewich, Realtor, Huntington Beach, California

www.MikeStankewich.com

www.RealEstate4HuntingtonBeach.com