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MattLauder — HDR Tutorial Real Estate Photo

Published: 2009-06-30 21:28:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 10196; Favourites: 65; Downloads: 759
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Description This type of shooting is quite out of my comfort zone as I am a landscape shooter but I was asked to shoot some location images for a company and they asked if I would do also do the internals as well and I agreed.

So after searching the net for a workflow on how to do HDR internal shots like ones you see in the magazines I came up with very little or the tutorials still had that strong tone mapped look to them. Even DA has little to help those who are looking for the same on real estate shots so I decided to put up a few shots and my full workflow. (as I have been told DA is all about sharing)

This workflow of shooting and post production is definitely a work in progress and there is a lot of room for improvement but for those interested I hope this gives you a good starting point. I had two hours to shoot 6 units so I was pushed for time.

The images were on my 5D Mk II and are three image blends in Photomatix and then developed in CS3. + and - 2 EV. I needed more than three shots to pull in more highlights. Wish the Canon would do + and - 3 stops like the Nikon's.

My clients were happy with the results and I got paid for my work. These images will be selling million dollar units and also printed in magazines.

All feedback welcome and any one who is happy or willing to expand on what I have posted would be great.

Landscape tutorial website: [link]

Main site: [link]
The Blog: [link]

All images are © Matt Lauder Photography, All Rights Reserved. You may not use, replicate, manipulate, redistribute, or modify this image without my written consent.
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Comments: 18

MichaelLaird [2009-07-02 12:51:19 +0000 UTC]

Great work Matt. I from reading through the comments I think you may being too critical of yourself here. Those are excellent captures of the space.

I don't think anyone looking at these will say, some of the highlights are...

If you want to address the highlights. Don't try to fix the highlight issues with the camera. Time of day, curtains or such would be better solutions.

As a tip for getting a wider range quickly from a canon. I set my AEB for +/- 2EV with the center point being -2EV from the metered setting. Fire those off, then move the center quickly up to -1EV and fire three more.

This gets six exposures for you running from +1EV to -4EV. I've not run into too many scenes that extend beyond that range.

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MattLauder In reply to MichaelLaird [2009-07-02 18:48:32 +0000 UTC]

Thanks Mike. I still found Photomatix to give a bit of a fuzzy image hence the corrections in PS to clean it up. That shooting workflow you indicated is great. Thats what I love about photography. It's all simple adjustments that you have to think of or be told that make such a difference. Cheers.

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switch-sgfx [2009-07-01 19:21:05 +0000 UTC]

This info could come in handy! Thanks for sharing Matt. ^^ Nice natural HDR on those, the way it should be methinks.

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MattLauder In reply to switch-sgfx [2009-07-01 20:45:19 +0000 UTC]

Thanks. Yea you want the benefit of HDR with out the trademark look of Tone Mapping.

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Lansur [2009-07-01 11:10:56 +0000 UTC]

good work, but everything is kinda obvious (and anyway dependent on a certain shot), but i think there would be many people for whom this will be useful

strangely you still have blanked out highlights, maybe shooting in manual mode with couple more iterations would be better?

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MattLauder In reply to Lansur [2009-07-01 20:44:39 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for the comment. I guess anything is obvious to those who already know how to do it and this tutorial is for them.
Yea I still have a few highlight issues in some shots. It was all new to me next time I will do things a lot different. As you said more images.

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Lansur In reply to MattLauder [2009-07-02 04:33:45 +0000 UTC]

totally agreeable

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PlayBoots [2009-07-01 07:01:14 +0000 UTC]

Great work Matt, I do real estate photography as a part time job, and you did this really good.

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MattLauder In reply to PlayBoots [2009-07-01 20:47:33 +0000 UTC]

Thanks... do you have any tips or improvements on the workflow ?

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PlayBoots In reply to MattLauder [2009-07-02 06:37:51 +0000 UTC]

nope, this is totally ok.

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O-Gosh [2009-07-01 02:58:03 +0000 UTC]

Thank you Matt. It is great that you share your skills with us I appreciate it a lot

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roxysweetie7 [2009-07-01 01:19:40 +0000 UTC]

Thanks so much! I love real estate and interior design and this will be a great help for taking pictures of some products! Now to only translate this into GIMP...

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MattLauder In reply to roxysweetie7 [2009-07-01 02:17:18 +0000 UTC]

Your Welcome. The Photoshop is pretty basic but essential I found in cleaning up and sharpening the HDR. So I don't think it will be hard to do the PS side of things in GIMP.

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mazmoore [2009-07-01 00:11:48 +0000 UTC]

Great 'sharing' work Matt ... I'm actually fixing up my place to sell - unfortunately it doesn't look quite a swish as this place - b4 reading the blurb I thought this might have been your place and I was going to say you ARE doing very well from photography

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MattLauder In reply to mazmoore [2009-07-01 00:55:00 +0000 UTC]

You never know my place might be better than this

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mazmoore In reply to MattLauder [2009-07-01 01:03:49 +0000 UTC]

hmmmmm if it is

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too-much4you [2009-06-30 22:24:57 +0000 UTC]

great tutorial, with great results! Thank you man.

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JamesHackland [2009-06-30 21:50:33 +0000 UTC]

The results look amazing for HDR it looks as though they were created from just one image. Thanks for the tutorial.

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