Flambient photography, also known as “flambient method”, is a style used in real estate photography that combines the ambient shots and the flash exposures. This method helps photographers capture the most natural looking images that are less time consuming than pure flash photography. Learning how to shoot flambient photography will upgrade your shooting style.
The way to shoot Flambient real estate photography is broken down into three parts. The ambient shot, the flash exposures, and the window pull. Perfect these input photos you can move over to Lightroom and Photoshop to edit the perfect flambient photograph for your real estate clients.
To be able to execute this method of photography that gives amazing real estate images, you will need to understand the components of this wonderful technique. We will talk about the ambient shot, the flash exposures, and the window shot.
The Ambient Shot
The ambient shot is the base shot on which your photograph will be developed. It is the shot that does not use flash. It captures the natural lights inside the room. However, depending on the condition of the light available in the room and the camera setting you are using, you may need to take more than one shot. Commonly, real estate photographers would use a bracketed ambient blend. Instead of relying on one photo, taking multiple exposures without flash will ensure you get the best ambient shot for your image. Dial your EV -2, 0, +2 should help you get the most optimal ambient shot that is free of noise and dark spots. This would also ensure details in full-blown areas.
The style of using bracketed ambient is more commonly known as HDR photography. However, this style has many limitations. The most glaring on is issues with color casting and your image looking flat, unnatural.
The Flash Shot (Flash exposures)
Our eyes are so unique that we can see light so well. A camera cannot do that by itself. It will need our help. In comes the flash shot. The flash shots are photos taken with assisted flashlights. Most popular lights used for this are the handheld flash or the monolight that professional photographers often bring onto their shoots. The flash shot helps you provide light to shadow spots. In addition, when the room is too big and you cannot allow too much light into your camera without risking the photograph becoming noisy, the flash light will make up for this.
The flash shot also helps you get the most accurate color for your interiors. A white light is flash upon the photography being taken, bouncing off all the objects in the room. The ceilings, the wall, the furnitures, cabinets and counters will all receive this lighting support. The flash will bounce off the objects and provide information to your camera. This is the additional information your photograph needs to get closer to portraying the real image.
The Window Shot (window exposure)
This is perhaps one of the main perks of professional real estate photography. Getting clear windows. To get clear beautiful images with scenery outside the windows, you need to capture it. The window shots or window exposures will do just that. There are two ways you can go about this. One using Ambient exposure with EV -2 or lower or using a flash window pull. The point is to make sure objects or views outside of the window are evenly lit. Keep your aperture the same and lower your ISO. Point the flash directly at the window, at a 45 degree angle.
Note that sometimes when shooting window shots with flash, there might be some reflection of the window glass. Use the EV -2 from the ambient bracket to repair the flash reflection on the window instead.
TWO things to remember.
- Expose for the exterior.
- Overexpose the interior with flash. Take the flash closer to your window in some cases to eliminate the reflection on the glass.
So, how is flambient different from HDR photos?
Flambient style creates much more natural looking photos. Furthermore, it will help you reduce the problem of color casting in the photos. When are you shooting using only bracketed shots without flash, there are natural glares from the lights inside the room. With flash shot, and the flambient method, will eliminate glares on wooden floors, cabinets, and other surfaces while maintaining the true colors of the objects in the room.
True colors are well preserved using the flambient method and will take the quality of your photos to the next level.
Most higher price real estate listings and more luxurious houses are using flambient or multi-flash style. The “HDR look” is slowly losing popularity.
Using flambient style, you will have to rely a little bit more on your post-production. The general process is to blend together the ambient, the flash image that corrects for all the right color, and a window pull merger for the clear window effect.
Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of HDR and Flambient Images
HDR
Pros of shooting HDR Photography:
- Can be more efficient and saving time in deal lighting condition
Cons of shooting HDR Photography:
- In adverse light condition (reflective surfaces and color casts)
- Less highlight for high-contrast scenes
- You may have washed out colors in rooms with vivid colors
Flambient Style
Pros of shooting Flambient Style:
- Photo looks more natural
- Save you time in the long-run once you have perfected the technique
- Higher quality photos will result in more clients
- Counter and easily manage difficult light conditions
- No more worries of color casting, and blown out lights fixtures
Cons of shooting Flambient Style:
- It will take longer in the beginning to learn
- Requires additional equipment to pull of such as:
- Multi-flash unit
- Strobes
- Light Stand
- Speed light (with shoot through umbrella)
Let’s talk a bit more about the challenges you may encounter while transitioning to Flambient style.
Challenges of Flambient method for starters
Shooting with an external flash is not something you can master overnight. You are aiming to light a room. There are a few notable techniques and equipment that you would need. However, it is important to focus on the problem that you are trying to solve with your flash.
There are a few different types of lights you can use. A speed light or a monolight are the most popular. You can use them with or without an umbrella or a handheld light bouncer.
The main problem you are trying to solve is, what colors are the lights being used in the room. Sometimes when the ceilings and walls are white, there is no problem. However, if the walls and ceilings are not white, your bounced flash might have a slight color cast.
Therefore to effectively light up the darker area of the room, use a shoot through umbrella, or a white handheld reflector. This will be your ideal white ceiling anywhere you go. Consider how much power you need for the room to have enough light. This will come with a lot of trials and errors. However, a general guideline is that if you have to use a shoot through umbrella along with your handheld speed light, its time to move to something more powerful.
The goal of all this is to get your correct and natural color.
Flambient Photography and Flash Shadow
Watch out for those shadows from the flash. As you work with your post-production, remember to merge the ambient shot and eliminate those flash shadows.
Every house has its own challenges. They are not meant to be photographed, they are meant to be lived in. You want to be able to provide those rooms enough white light to fully capture the true colors of the property for your customers. Wall colors don’t have to be cooperative. That is why you must prepare and gain more experience. Good things are, you can improve and you will. Soon this new method will feel second nature to you in no-time.
Once you have the skills of flash lighting down, your flambient method will bring you and your clients the best photos you have ever seen.
Second main challenges of using Flambient photography method: THE EDITING
If you are not familiar with the post-production process, merging flambient photography will also take some time for you to get used to. You will need to be good and then proficient at merging your ambient, your flash and your window shots. Like any skill it will take some practice. There are plenty of video tutorials you will be able to find on youtube to walk you through it.
Here are some channels we would recommend as you begin learning to edit the flambient style.
As you do it, you will also see the things that you need to improve within your shoot. You might have to do a couple of reshoots in the beginning. Once you are informed of what you need to get the optimal results, the time you spent in property.
This will make the way you move through a property more efficient, save you more time and shoot more property. With any scalable business, you can train new photographers for your company and take on more clients for your business.
Editing for Flambient Photography
Now, there is the editing. You can get very good and efficient at editing your photos. Especially with flambient style photography, you need to get this part down. Understanding the ins and outs of this process is very important. The Reason is, if you don’t understand, how can you possible teach or hand it over to someone else?
Here is when you start to consider bringing in editors or outsourcing your editing online. There are many services out there that specializes in Flambient style edit. We also offer this service. Feel free to send us some samples to edit. Make the necessary edits as you work with editors or editing houses to get the right preferences you want for the final photos.
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