Choosing the right aperture for real estate photography is a balancing act. When taking interior photography, common apertures are set in the range F/8 to F/11. Depending on the light available in the room, you may need to make adjustments accordingly. In addition to aperture consider adjusting the ISO and shutter speed. It comes down to how much light you are letting go in your camera lens.
For some of us who are beginning to explore the world of photography and/or starting a real estate photography business, let’s break down the elements involved in taking indoor photography. What does aperture and shutter speed mean? What is the right ISO and aperture for real estate photography?
General guidelines for manual photography for indoors. Three variables to consider: aperture, ISO and shutter speed.
What is aperture?
Aperture is perhaps the most important parameter in photography. It is the hole in the lens. This hole acts like the pupil in our eyes. Just like the pupil, the hole determines how much light enters the lens at any given time. When a photo is taken. Light is captured. How much light is captured is determined by the aperture.
Aperture is measured using F-Stops or F-Numbers. This is an easy way to describe your camera manual lens setting. Each lens has a range of aperture value or F-Stops. The higher the F-Stops the smaller the aperture. Vice versa.
Aperture is the parameter in photography that affects the depth of field in a photograph. F/16 brings the foreground and background object into focus. Just like how our eyes can see clearly the building in the horizon and the window pane 3 feet from us. Lower aperture F/1.4 are considered fast aperture, allowing the most light into the camera. This happens when we hyper focus on something and the rest of the background becomes blurry. In photography this effect is also known as “boca”.
Learn more about aperture and shutter speed for Indoor Photography.
Here are some beginners’ guide to Aperture
You can select either manual or aperture mode on your camera. To get the best results from your camera, automatic is not the way to go. You have way more control.
Aperture mode is favorable for most types of photography. In order to get a good crisp image, this is something you must learn. There are a few aspects besides aperture.
First, it is the use of the right lens. What is the focal length of your camera? A 16mm is considered a wide angle lens. This lens is able to capture the widest possible image but it may have some distortions on the edges that you may need to crop.
Second, you must do your best to reduce camera shakes. For real estate photography, the standard is to get yourself a good and sturdy tripod. Consider getting a remote shutter button.
Thirdly, adjusting the focus. Make sure you manually adjust the focus of your shot. Now we are ready to go in depth with aperture.
Is it better to have higher or lower aperture when shooting interiors?
The answer to higher or lower aperture is: it really depends on what you are shooting. However, what we can say is that if you are shooting interior real estate, there is no need to be shooting at more than F/11.
Before one makes the decision, what do each variation of aperture do to your photography.
What is high aperture used for?
Higher aperture means that the hole with each light is let in is very small. This will make the foreground and the background in the photo look sharp. You will see depth in the photo. Landscape photography will make the best use for higher aperture settings. When you take street photography, higher aperture will capture the lights from lamps in the frame like starbursts. On the reverse, you should not use these settings for human faces.
Another important note worth mentioning is when you are using higher aperture, set the shutter speed slower. While you camera will most likely do this for you. It is good to understand why. Simply more time for lights to be captured.
The best lens to use for this level of aperture is a wide angle lens (roughly 10mm-20mm).
What is lower aperture used for?
Lower aperture (e.g. f/1.4) means wider hole for lights to enter the camera. This mode is also known as the isolation range. The F-Stops will be under 5.6 and down to 1.2. The reason it is called isolation range is because it is the best to isolate and highlights objects that you want to capture. The object is more focused while the background is blurred.
Lower aperture is very convenient for low light situations. If you find yourself in a room with lower lights entering, perhaps try lowering your aperture and focus on specific objects that you want to capture. When you are shooting at lower aperture, it would be recommended to use a flash to make up for the lack of light or boosting your ISO.
What about in between? The Sweet Spot Aperture.
Aperture of F/7.1 to F/11 is also known as the sweet spots. Using this setting you have the optimum of sharpness, contrast, colour, and the least amount of lens distortion or aberration. This is the ideal settings for street photography and shooting on the move. Even more, if you are shooting real estate interior, this should be your go to range.
Another time to make use of the Sweet spots aperture is during sunrises and sunsets. If you are looking to incorporate twilight real estate shoot into your services.
The best lens for this aperture setting is 24mm – 70mm.
So, how do you know which is the best aperture to use for indoor photography?
You should start with the end in mind. You can rule out the idea of using the highest aperture setting for shooting indoors as it may not serve you any good.
However the sweet spot and isolation aperture settings are the two that you will need to choose from while shooting interiors. Talking specifically about real estate photography, you should consider shooting in sweet spot aperture and every now and then when you want to highlight certain parts of the property or when there is a lack of light, use isolation (lower aperture setting).
That’s pretty much all you need to know to get started. That’s where we stand. To know enough to get started. Taking the first step is more important than being completely, and perfectly prepared in theory.
When it comes down to it, photography is about capturing. Aperture is just one of the 3 pillar parameters that you need to consider. There is also shutter speed and ISO setting.
Learn about the basics of shutter speed.
Increasing your ISO will result in brighter photos. However, you need to consider that turning up your ISO, your photos might become noisy. The best practice in real estate photography is to keep your ISO under 400. Following that set your aperture at the optimal F-Stops of the Sweet Spot. (F/7.1 – F/11).
All that’s left is the shutter speed. Good news, your camera should be able to self adjust if you got the other 2 pillars dialed in.
If you want to know the exact number of apertures for your usage, go out there and experiment with what you have learnt. You will get your own SPECIFIC manual settings.
Conclusion
Mastering your art is not an easy process. However, it is a gratifying process. We hope you can improve further in learning what is the best aperture for interior photography. If you are a real estate photographer running your whole business operation alone, time is your most valuable resource. As you perfect your skills and create better photographs for your real estate clients, we can help you. We offer a suite of real estate photo editing services for photographers like you.
If you are interest in growing your business further, check out our post on how to grow/scale a photography business.
