Congratulations Paul-Dan Dragoman, March 2025 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Kitchen".Paul-Dan Dragoman - Entry 1036 Kristine Kohl - Entry 1037 Peter Wingfield - Entry 1044
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Properly composing your images is one of the most important components of taking strong photos. Especially with real estate
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In most cases, it involves shooting with objects in the foreground occupying the edges of the frame, with the subject at the center. Keeping in mind that framing is about redirecting the attention to the subject, you can use the following framing techniques depending on what you are photographing.
Even if you frame your shot through the branches, windows, or doorways, the viewer might still wonder which target subject is if it looks soft and out of focus. In most cases, failing to focus on the main subject means the focus will be on another element in the foreground or background.
For instance, if you are shooting a flower in the backyard through the window, missing to focus on the flower might mean focusing on the window frames, especially when using the camera's autofocus mechanism. Since most viewers identify the main subject through its sharpness in the frame, this can make viewers miss the flower.
It's, therefore, advisable to switch your camera from autofocus to manual focus so you can precisely focus on the element you want to feature. However, you can use the autofocus option when shooting portraits, as most cameras detect human faces and automatically focus.
There are chances of the viewers' attention being drawn to other details in your frame when using a deeper depth of field. For instance, if you shoot a bird through the branches and the entire frame is in focus, the viewer might focus on the leaves instead of the bird.
The best way to prevent this is to use a shallower depth of field and blur the frame. Usually, this will make the background and the foreground soft and less detailed, drawing the point of focus on the subject. Usually, you can blur the frame by opening the lens's aperture wider.
Note that the blurring effect will depend on the maximum wide aperture of the lens and whether you are using a full-frame or crop-factor camera. For the best results, use a full-frame camera with an aperture of around f/2.8.
Since blurring the frame depends on the quality of the camera, you might be using a low-end camera system that can't produce a pleasing bokeh effect. However, using reflections, you can still blur some details in the frame to emphasize the subject.
For instance, if you are shooting real estate interior photos of a kitchen cabinet, you can avoid capturing details of the kitchen appliances by shooting through the window. Try shooting from different angles until you find the best reflections to blur the details of the elements near the subject.
However, you should avoid shooting directly in front of the window as you might end up capturing the camera's reflection.
Depending on the subject you are capturing, you might need to use a deeper depth of field to add context. Typically, this helps to provide extra details that might be necessary or related to the subject.
For instance, capturing real estate exterior photos might want to frame the shot with a lawn in the foreground. Although the lawn is not the main subject, it helps provide some context for the environment in which the building is located.
Unlike when shooting with a shallow depth of field, you will need to use a narrower aperture to get a deeper depth of field and have everything in focus. However, note that using a deeper depth of field when framing a shot with multiple subjects can make the viewer miss the subject.
Since you will be blocking parts of the photo using elements in the scene, the photo might look more aesthetically pleasing if there is a balance between the elements on the right and left-hand side of the subject.
For instance, if you are shooting a car in the parking lot through the window, the photo will look poorly composed if ⅔ of one side of the photo is the window's frame and the remaining ⅓ of the photo is the car.
Instead, you can capture a balanced shot with the window's frame blocking around ⅓ of the right-hand side and ⅓ of the left-hand side, and the car at the center. The same applies if you frame the shot using tunnels or shooting between people's heads.
In most cases, this depends on the objects you use to frame the shot. For instance, you might not capture the entire length of the walls blocking the scene when capturing through the doorway.
On the other hand, if you are shooting between people's heads, the photo might be more pleasing if you capture their entire heads.
It's advisable to add some room depending on the subject you are shooting. Typically, this extra space helps to show more about the subject. For instance, if you are capturing a pavement of a real estate property through the gate, you can consider capturing a small section of the flowers or lawn beside the pavement.
Typically, you will be emphasizing the pavement while revealing the environment around the pavement. In most cases, this makes the viewer interested in seeing photos of this area not fully featured in the image.
Since framing involves blocking some areas of the photo to draw the viewer's attention to the main subject, it's a great
Yes, you can use shadows to frame your shots. Simply illuminate the area you want to capture, and then let the shadows hide the details of the elements you don't want. However, it's advisable to use soft shadows to make the photo look natural and realistic.
Yes, you can take a closeup instead of framing the shot. However, you will need to be physically closer to the subject or use a zoom lens to take a closeup. Also, a closeup might not add context and depth to your photo like a frame.
A great tip in real estate photography is knowing how to frame a shot will help you emphasize the subject without a zoom lens or being physically closer to the subject. You can do this by using a physical object to block a part of the scene or blur the foreground and background.
