Real estate photography is a demanding type of photography that requires you to capture compelling, engaging images. You’ll need to take photos of properties in the best light, with the right composition and interesting details revealed. So what do you do when the weather isn’t on your side? Sunny days can be challenging, but there are ways that you can improve your chances of getting fantastic outdoor photographs on a sunny day. The following tips will help you get better shots regardless of the lighting conditions and especially camera settings for sunny day.
What is the camera settings for sunny day?
As promised, here is the camera settings for a sunny day
- Aperture – f/11
- ISO – 100
- Shutter Speed – Determined by Camera
- Focus Mode – Single-Shot Autofocus
Have a plan before you start shooting
Before you head out, you should have a plan for what you want to shoot. This will help you decide which areas are best to shoot, plus it will help you prioritize the most important shots. If you have a checklist of the most important shots that you need to make, it will assist you in making sure you get the most out of your day. You should also consider what time of day you want to shoot. For example, if you want to shoot a sunset, you’ll want to capture the sun as close to the horizon as possible. Once the sun is below the horizon, it will be too dark to shoot.
Check the weather forecast
Before you leave, you should check the weather forecast. You’ll want to know if there are any storms in the area or if there is a chance of rain. You don’t want to drive long distances to shoot only to have to turn around because of bad weather. Depending on the time of year, you may also want to check the UV forecast. If your shoot will be during a time when you can expect long periods of sunshine, you may want to consider wearing UV-protective clothing or UV-blocking sunglasses.
With photography concern, it it’s not raining you can make it work. Snow and rain are the only condition that can truly hamper you. With overly sunny days, you can apply the camera settings we suggested and use HDR method to compensate. Perhaps you can consider scheduling in transportation time and time at the property to save yourself the effort.
Find optimal times of day
When you’re at the location, you should find the times of day when the light is at its best. Generally, photographers will look for the “golden hours”, which are two hours at the end of the day when the light is warm and soft if you need to also take twilight images. When the sun is low in the sky and behind you, the light will appear more dramatic and shadows will be longer. The light will also be more intense and will create dramatic shadows throughout the scene. When the sun is high in the sky, the light will appear softer and shadows will be shorter. This is the light you will want to use for outdoor real estate photography during the spring and fall months. Generally the best time window to shoot is from 10 am to 3pm. You can still make it work outside of those hours as well.
Shoot in manual mode
On a sunny day, you’ll generally want to shoot in manual mode so that you have full control over your exposure settings. You may already be familiar with aperture priority mode, which allows you to control your depth of field. However, on a sunny day, you’ll want to avoid using aperture priority mode since you’ll want a shallower depth of field to create a more dramatic look. You’ll also want to avoid shutter priority mode because you’ll want to manually control your shutter speed. If you’re shooting in open shade, you’ll want to use a slower shutter speed. You don’t want any motion blur in your images because there will be no motion in the scene so that’s when the next tip comes in.
Consider using a tripod
Using a tripod will allow you to use a slower shutter speed and it will also give your images a more professional look. When you shoot with a tripod, you’ll need to use a remote shutter release or the timer on your camera so you don’t accidentally move the camera when you press the shutter button. If you have a very expensive lens or if you have heavy-duty lenses, you should use a tripod with a weighted head. This will help you avoid any movement when you’re adjusting your tripod. If you’re using a lightweight tripod, you should use a wind-resistant hood on your lens to avoid any unwanted lens movement.
Here’s a list of great tripods you can use in real estate photography.
Use natural light
If the sun is out, try to shoot in areas with as much natural light as possible. An overcast day is ideal for outdoor real estate photography since there will be even light throughout the scene. You can also shoot in open shade, which is when the sun is casting shadows on one side of the scene. When shooting in areas with natural light, try to avoid shooting into the sun. You want to shoot with the sun behind you when possible to create a more flattering look. You’ll also want to avoid shooting in direct sunlight because it can be too intense and it can create harsh shadows.
Use UV filters and ND filters
When you’re shooting in direct sunlight, you may notice that your images have a yellow or orange tint. This happens because the UV rays coming through the atmosphere are too intense and they affect the color in your images. To prevent this, you can use a UV filter on your lens. You can also use an ND filter to reduce the intensity of the light. The ND filter will darken the image, but it will allow you to select a slower shutter speed so you can avoid any motion blur. ND filters come in various degrees of darkness and you can stack them for various light conditions. For example, if you need a 10-stop ND filter, you can stack two 3-stop ND filters to darken the scene even further. When you stack filters, you’ll need to be careful about the shutter speed since it will be further reduced.
Utilize HDR and exposure bracketing
If you’re shooting during a time of day when the light is too intense, you can use HDR photography to create a more balanced image. HDR photography combines multiple images, each with different exposure settings to create one high-quality image. You can also use exposure bracketing when you want to create an image with a wider tonal range. For example, when you need to shoot a landscape with a lake or river, you need to be careful not to overexpose the water. For a landscape shot like this, you would take one photo at the recommended exposure, and then you would take three photos at half the recommended exposure, and three photos at double the recommended exposure.
Stick to the shadows
On a sunny day, you’ll want to find shaded areas to shoot. When you find an area with shadows, you can use those shadows to create more contrast in your images. If the shadows are too dark, you can use your camera’s flash to lighten them up a bit. If you don’t have a flash, you can use reflectors to help lighten the shadows. You can also use natural reflectors. If you’re shooting outside, the sun can reflect off water, sand, or even grass and help lighten the shadows. You can use shadows in your images in a variety of ways, such as by shooting a subject with or against the light or by shooting silhouettes.
Take advantage of dappled light
Dappled light can be found in shaded areas or in an area with heavy foliage that is filtering the sunlight. It is a very diffused light that creates shadows throughout the scene, which can give your images a more interesting look. Dappled light is ideal for outdoor real estate images since it can create an image with a wide tonal range. With this type of light, you’ll want to use a slightly slower shutter speed to avoid any motion blur.
Improve your post-production process
After the actual photoshoot session in the property, you still have your post-production to pull everything together. Any photographer or company out there in the real estate market knows this. It’s the post-production that produce the completed premium images that realtors are used to receiving. This process is an essential process to keep your image quality high and consistent. You can fix a lot of lighting errors, shadows, color casts, misalignment etc.
Especially if you are using the HDR method or additional flash images. You need to process the raw images in post-production then blend everything together to give a beautiful image. Any photography package you find highly ranked online in the market today has an optimized post-production process. Most photographers you talked to would agree that the post-production process is the most time-consuming process.
If you don’t want to do everything yourself, consider outsourcing your post-production to a professional editing house like Havah Edits. We will get images edited for you within 12 hours as you sleep.
Conclusion
When the sun is out, you have the opportunity to shoot during ideal lighting conditions. Sunny days can be challenging, but there are ways that you can improve your chances of getting fantastic outdoor photographs on a sunny day. Before you head out, you should have a plan for what you want to shoot. You should also check the weather forecast, find optimal times of day, shoot in manual mode, consider using a tripod, use natural light, use UV filters and ND filters, utilize HDR and exposure bracketing, and take advantage of dappled light. When you take advantage of these tips, you’ll be able to take better photos on sunny days.
