This shot was inspired by Carson Coots blog http://activerain.com/blogsview/105809/My-Real-Estate-Photo and Propertysnaps82's dusk shots over at the Flickr PFRE group. This was my first shot at "painting with light" and I have to say, it was a blast!
The idea is basically to use a long exposure (6-10 secs) and then use 500w Halogen work-lights to "paint" the light onto the subject. In this photo I used two 500w work-lights to light the tree, the front of the home and the foreground as the shutter was open. The lights inside the home all came from the existing fixtures with the exception of the two rooms, second story far left, and the first story room on the far right (you can see the light on the ground if you look closely). It was necessary to place additional lighting in these rooms as the bulbs were either burned out or the light was very weak and did not produce the results I was looking for. Had I had a few extra light bulbs with me, I shouldn't have needed the extra lights (instead I had five 500w halogen work lights with me... go figure.) The White Balance was set to Tungsten which worked well with the halogens and even accentuated the blue in the dusk sky.
One of the big advantages of being a Realtor that does his own photography is I often have several opportunities to take pictures of a property as I visit to service the listing. This allows me to experiment and take my time as I don't typically have the same time restrictions as a pro photographer. And having extra time is a good thing. These type of shots have just as much to do with timing as they do with the camera and its settings. In the end, a creative approach to a primary photo can help the listing easily stand out from the competition when Buyers or Agents are looking on-line. I will also mention that there was nothing done to the picture (save a little lens distortion correction) nor were there any "tricks" done to make the home look different than what it normally does. In other words, it is possible for someone to see this home in person as it looks here. They just have to get there at the right time...
ILW
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