Stephen - It's definitely worth experimenting with fisheye lenses. I know it may not be the best choice for all shots, but it can add capabilities that we just don't have with other lenses.

Wallace - I've heard that argument from a competitor and frankly I just don't buy it.  Nothing has been done to alter the content of these frames, except to compress a wider field of view into a single frame.

Kindly explain to me how the above photos are not a "good representation of the home".  In my opinion, your claim that "many prospects are suspecting something" about photos like the ones above is a gross exaggeration. Please be so kind as to quote us some verifiable numbers of these "many people" you have encountered who are "suspecting something".

I don't know how you define a "good" photograph, but if one refers to "good" as a plain vanilla 35mm still photo, I'd gladly beg to differ.  The human eye of a prospective buyer standing inside a home doesn't see the narrow field of view we get from most still photos (unless that person is suffering from severe tunnel vision).  Most human beings have peripheral vision which allows them to perceive a wider field of view.  An uncompressed panorama, taken with a wide angle (or ultrawide angle) lens is a reasonable representation of that field of view. 

I believe most viewers of these shots realize that they are wide-angle photos.  I just don't believe an intelligent viewer will shy away from a property merely because it is depicted in marketing materials in a wide-angle photographic format.

I just LOVE these photos and would put them in First Place category.  I have never heard any seller say, "Make sure you do not make my photos look too good now."  They want their house shown at its very best to attract buyers. You have done a superb job of doing that.   

 These belong on the cover of a high quality magazine. Keep up the good work and your inspiration to many.

Barbara - The implication that wide-angle photographs are somehow misleading or should be held suspect is ridiculous.  You are absolutely correct.  No seller in their right mind would tell their broker not to do everything in their power to portray a property at its best.  We are hired as listing agents and brokers to use all the tools and expertise at our disposal to make a property look beautiful and to show its features in detail.

Comments like the ones implying that wide-angle shots are not a "good representation" of a home sound to me like sour grapes.  I can understand if an agent does not possess the skills to master wide-angle photography and I can also understand the expense involved (the cost of a good DSLR camera body and lenses). 

However this reaction to my post sounds like jealousy.  It is as if the commenter is saying, "I don't know how to do the things you do with photography and I don't wish to learn them, so if I'm not doing these things, you shouldn't be allowed to do them either".  That's nonsense.

When the National Association of Realtors Professional Standards Committee rules that the use of wide-angle photography in real estate listings is somehow misleading to the public, I'll quit using it in my marketing.

Like Jon, I wonder if there really is a difference between a fisheye lens you have to correct with software and a rectiliner lens that provides the same angle of view.  The big difference I can see is that one can correct verticals in camera saving post processing time possibly producing a better image because pixels aren't stretched as much.

Lee - Great question!

I like what Ken Rockwell has to say about the Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. Better yet, take a look at his fisheye photos and what they look like after the fisheye images have been rectified using DxO software. See it here:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/15mm-fisheye.htm

Rockwell writes, "After DxO converts the images, they are straighter than what I get with other standard ultrawide SLR wide lenses".

I shot a set of photos of the listing above (351 Old Fort Road, Madeline Island, WI, photos 1, 2 and 3 in this blog post) with the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L wide-angle lens, followed by another set of the same property using the Canon 15mm fisheye. The fisheye photos are almost outrageously wide, with crisp images and a flat field.

The best explanation I can find regarding the differences between images taken with a rectilinear lens and a fisheye can be found here:

http://www.velocityreviews.com/forums/t245447-rectilinear-vs-fisheye.html

Check this out for more about using fisheye lenses to spice up your real estate marketing:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2753601/add-one-of-these-to-your-camera-bag-next-time-you-do-a-photo-shoot-at-a-listing

I assume DxO can batch process all the images.  If that is true there isn't all that much time added to processing each photo.  

You tend to shoot from a higher viewpoint and you don't attempt to maintain vertical verticals (something RE photographers harp on) in your style of shooting real estate.  I consider this a style and a matter of taste.  Your photos are very good!

Speaking of a higher viewpoint, what's your take on pole aerial photography for exteriors?

Lee - I haven't tried pole photography, but the idea is intriguing.  I'm not real fond of the idea of perching an expensive DSLR on top of a pole platform and risking the possibility that it will get trashed.

I prefer Stan Barron's suggestion in his "How to Photograph Houses" eBook.  Stan suggests renting a "cherry picker" and using that as a vantage point.  I'm not big on heights either, but I'd do it in order to get that perfect shot!

Eric, stunning photos!  I think buyers left-brain would notice that you have taken some "poetic license" with these, but also that they do look very appealing on an emotional level to the right-brain!

Good photography is a combination of Equiment, Skill, Lighting, and Technique: Focus, Exposure and Composition/Framing. 

Lighting is often the key to the difference between the average and the excellent photo. 

Just a bit of digital adjustment (five minutes if you know how) can really improve a photo. I have fixed some agent's snapshots before posting on the web or in brochures or property-flyers, with good results.

George - Thanks for the kind words!  I happen to believe that real estate photography should be a mixture of composition and art, with maybe a touch of poetry thrown in. 

All commercial photography is about appeal.  Fashion photography certainly is and so is advertising photography. 

By the way, the two properties depicted above (351 Old Fort Road, LaPointe, Wisconsin and 2865 North Shore Road, LaPointe, Wisconsin) are both now pending sales.  We received offers on both of these within the past two weeks. 

When listings are selling, I figure we must be doing something right! 

Hi Eric, CONGRATS!!

Meanwhile, what's your take on all this:

The Next Big Thing? :: Pinterest :: What Is It?

(YOU may be a good test case for Pinterest... have you tried it?)

Nice examples showing the power of wide angle photography.

George - I just received an invitation to Pinterest, but haven't uploaded anything yet. I will have to experiment with it this weekend.

Sam, thanks. The two properties shown in the four shots above are now both pending sales.

Eric: I'm just getting into fisheye lenses and doing a little research and there you are! And, on AR for that fact... Fabulous photo's. Like you say fisheye doesn't look photoshopped to death. I like the effect. The distortion is warm to me, it gives you a sense of space. Your eye tells you there's something going on, but it's not too much. Very nice work. Thanks. 

Eric, Really good photos, I think it's fine to mix a few fisheyes in with the normal photos of a large home. The 5D MK III is now out so I'm hoping to find a reasonable price on a used MK II later this year. Some camera stores are saying the Cannon f.2.8 15mm was a grey market lens and is no longer available in the US. Have you heard of this?

Rene, I appreciate the compliments. Yes, it's possible to uncompress a fisheye shot and to work out some of the distortion, but the effect feels acceptable because the trained eye expects it to be so.  The fisheye is superb for specialty shots, like the shower photo or the art gallery shot above.

Wayne - To my knowledge, the f/2.8 15mm fisheye has been discontinued, but I've seen them on Amazon and eBay.  The one I purchased from Adorama was not a "grey market" lens.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if Canon winds up reintroducing this lens.

Realtors who use ultra wide-angle fisheye lenses are misrepresenting the home.