Stamm Photography Blog

Now that you've gone through and photographed each and every room, it's time to get down to basics in the edit room.  There are many different ways to blend the photos of each room or shot together from the Internet. My preference is one called "Enfuse GUI".  This one allows you to load all the photos at one time into the program, then tell it how many photos you used to make up each shot, such as 3, 5, 7, or 9.  My preference is to use 9 different exposures with a 1 stop difference and an EV value of -7 to -1. After you have loaded all the photos into the program, you just choose how many photos are to be blended from each shot/room, the click the "Enfuse It" button at the top.  From here you just sit back and wait for Enfuse GUI to do its thing.  When it's done, the program will have blended all your photos and deposited them into a separate folder.  All you have to do now is proceed to the next step, unless there has been a mistake in the blen...

Ok, now that you've completely gone through the home and done on the prep work, it's time to begin the job you were hired to do, creating a great set of photos of the home. Where to start?  That's pretty much your own decision.  I've seen colleagues of mine start from the inside and finish with the outside or start from the outside and finish with the inside. I personally started from the front of the house and finished with the backyard.  Just my own preference if being kinda orderly.  No matter which way you start, its up to you, the process should be pretty much the same. What makes the best photos?  This again is your own preference, but I don't recommend using a single shot with flash format.  Most new cameras now have an HDR function and since they only take 2 or 3 different exposures (brackets) I also don't recommend using this either. My personal recommendation is to shoot at least 5 different exposures (brackets) of the same shot.  Sev...

Have you ever been looking through the MLS or online "Homes For Sale" listings and wonder why some of the homes you see listed there look so horrible? Well let's take a look at what is the needed to make your clients, or your home stand out from the crowd. As a photographer, upon arrival at a home for a shoot, the very first thing after unpacking and bringing the equipment you're going to use inside the home, is to do a thorough walk through of the home with the seller or real estate agent if possible.  In some cases, however, neither the real estate agent nor the seller will be available to accompany you on this walk through.  What you are looking for are things which are out of place, things which need to be properly arranged or removed, toilet seats which are up and need to be put down, shower curtains which need to be either closed or straightened, throw rugs which need to be properly arranged or removed, nick knacks which may clutter the shot, bathroom and k...

Now some of you will say, this is not true.  Golf can be a team sport.  Yes you're right as well, but think about this.  Football, Basketball, Soccer, Cricket, Baseball, and even Tennis you have to have an opponent. In golf, you don't always have an opponent, except in tournaments, but even there you are competing against yourself. Again you say, How? Well let's break it down.  In golf, you can play at your own pace, by yourself or with friends.  You're always trying to improve your scores and handicap. Only you can do this, no other can do it for you. When playing a leisurely round of golf, if you hit a bad shot, then this can and sometimes does have an effect on you final score. It also can have an effect on your mental state in the game as well and thus affecting the final score also.  Now let's look at the competition side of golf. Assuming you like to bet with your friends, golf is also a competitive sport, but even in this type of friendl...

So you want to be a Real Estate Photographer.  What does it take? Do I have the expertise? Anyone can enter the field of Real Estate Photography, or take Real Estate Photos.  All it takes is any camera off the shelf, or use of your cell phone or pad.  Right? Absolutely wrong!! In my years as Professional Real Estate Photographer, I have seen all kinds of photos of Real Estate taken.  Some were done expertly, and most were done with a cell phone or pad.  Those taken with the cell phones and pads were absolutely, atrociously horrible, and yet the agents who took them thought these were the best in the world and even convinced their clients they were no better, until, the house sat on the market with little or no activity for over 30 days, when other homes in the neighborhood were selling and closing within 1 to 2 weeks. If a person wishes to enter the lucrative world of Real Estate Photography, they must know a bit about photography, such as the "4 basic c...

Many people have asked me, "Vernon, how do you produce such great photos of houses for sale"? Most of the time I tell them, "It's just a matter of the artform and preparations, and secondly, the equipment you use." Most anyone can shoot real estate photography if they have a basic idea of what they want the photos to show in their "mind's eye" before even starting the shoot. The second aspect is the equipment you use.  Most cameras can be used, provided they have a wide enough lens to do the job and, if the shooter knows how to use lighting, composition, composure and angles, or the "Basic Concepts of Photography", properly in Real Estate Photography.  The artistry basically comes from looking over the entire home before setting up my camera to begin to shoot.  Doing a walk through and getting an idea of how you want to do the shoot is just as important as the shoot itself.  Turning on lights to emulate that perfect lightin...

Most of us aren’t professional photographers, but many of us take our amateur photography seriously. Over time, we come to realize that there’s a lot more to taking pictures than just pointing and shooting! In fact, a photographer who’s serious about his hobby should learn about topics such as lighting, exposure, composition and camera angles, to name a few. Lighting and Exposure Have you ever taken pictures that are so light or so dark that you can hardly make out the subjects? If so, you’re aware of how important the proper lighting and exposure can be in photography. How the lighting of a scene affects the exposure of the film is one of the most basic photography concepts. The more light within the scene, the more the film will be exposed.   Conversely, the less light a scene has, the less the film will be exposed. While overexposed film turns out pictures that are too bright , underexposed film will be too dark, appearing “blacked-out.” Understanding how...