Floor plan training.
You may be confident regarding photography, however, you will have to also complete floor plans for the properties you go to (If it is on the order).
The software we use to take these floor plans is called Metropix, and you can find their training page here. Please familiarize yourself with the software.
We suggest taking the floor plans on a device such as an Ipad rather than a laptop because the mobile vision of the software can be used offline.
The mobile vision of the application only runs on Apple products, which is why we suggest an Ipad, but the software can also be run online using a laptop if the laptop is online.
If you have any more queries on this please email: management@virtualspectrumstudios.com
Photographer personal protective equipment.
Regarding PPE, we ask that you still wear a face covering while at a client’s house or while collecting keys from an agent. A face covering can be a facemask or a visor, whichever is preferred by you.
Please make sure you sanitise your hands before and after every property.
These steps are to ensure the safety of our customers and yourself.
Thank you for understanding!
Pre-production.
Please ensure that you have all your equipment fully charged, cleaned and prepared for the coming shoots.
Please make sure that your camera is set up to shoot RAW images. You must shoot RAW images or you will not be able to complete the order to the standards that we require.
During shooting.
Make sure your camera is:
Focused correctly on the scene.
Set to an aperture of f7.1 or higher.
Property exposed, allowing the view outside the window to be fairly visible.
Take the time to look at the scene within each room before shooting. Assess the room to see what can be changed or moved to create a cleaner look, this will save you a lot of time in post-production.
Please make sure you have a remote flashgun, or use a hot shoe adapter to allow you to use the flashgun remotely. This avoids any shadows that the doorframe or any near objects can cause and also allows you to have vastly more control over how the scene is lit.
Kitchen photos
Typically for a kitchen photo, you are looking to have the tripod fully extended to avoid seeing the underside of the cabinets and to also show off the countertops. These factors can change depending on how clean the kitchen is and the style of the kitchen, so use your keen photographer’s eye to create the best shot!
Standard photos
For photos that aren’t in a bathroom or kitchen, such as the living room or an unfurnished room, you will most likely want to pick a tripod height that is between the kitchen and bedroom/bathroom heights. However, this one will vary between properties and between rooms.
Bathroom + Bedroom photos
To show all the contents of a bathroom or WC you will typically have to get your camera very low.
The flooring and walls in bathrooms are more important to a viewer than the ceiling. They are normally textured in a way that is eyecatching too.
These points are also true for bedroom shots. Getting low means you can keep the whole bed in the frame, allowing you to compose your shot so that the bed is creating nice leading lines back to the bedside tables and walls of the room.
The bedroom shot is one of the most important shots inside the property!
Outside photos
The height of the camera when taking photos of the outside of the property can vary dramatically depending on what you deem to be the focus of the shot.
As an example, if the fences in the back garden are low you may look to lower the camera to avoid seeing into the neighbour’s garden. Being able to see into the next garden is not attractive to a potential buyer either.
Within all scenes, the points mentioned above can vary. Please use your photographic knowledge to determine what you would think would create the best shot. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
We want to promote your creativity and give you the freedom to use your knowledge.
To allow you to do this - If you are looking to experiment with a different type of shot, the safest way to do this would be to get both the standard image and then the image in the style you are looking to try out.
Post-production.
You will need to purchase Adobe Lightroom to be able to edit the photos.
Please go to Adobe to start your subscription. If you have any issues with this please contact management@virtualspectrumstudios.com.
Before you begin any editing, please download and install the preset pack attached below.
This preset pack follows the style we are looking for and it will also help to streamline your editing process.
If you wish to change the style of the photo to something you think looks better please use the preset pack as a base to start with.