Wednesday, February 16, 2011

On Assignment : Real Estate Editorial Shoot - davem photography

I finished 2010 being published in RE Magazine. This was my third assignment for RE Magazine and although my images were used for the story, I didn't get the cover. Sometimes the subject featured has an image that she would rather use or likes better.
In this case, Julie had just gotten some photos done two weeks before our shoot and she chose one of those for the cover.  I'll keep working on it and hope to get the next one. I recently shot another assignment, keeping my fingers crossed for the cover. I'll post those images once the magazine has been published.


Typically these kind of assignments require similar shots for each story, but they are always challenging because they are shot on location with different lighting scenarios and room sizes. The outdoor shots have also been done right in the middle of the day and you really need to work with shade, strobes and sun position in order to get the best light. You just have to come prepared for any scenario and deliver each and every time. It's these kind of shoots that helps build your experience and makes you comfortable shooting in any situation.  Here are shots from the magazine.




Always get a head shot for the cover.
This was shot in the middle of the day. I used a 60" umbrella with a 580EXII. I was able to place Julie so the sun was behind her.

You also need to get a shot of the subject at work. Usually it's interacting with someone in the office. The shot is actually set up to look like it was taken at a moment when they were actually going over contracts.
This was a small room. I had my back up against the wall and shot wide with my 17-40mm ƒ/4 with a 60" umbrella & 580EXII just to the left.

Always get a group shot of the office and team members. Since they're all in real estate, it's difficult to get everyone in the same room at the exact same time. So it's important to get this shot as soon as everyone arrives. They're all busy meeting clients and don't have a lot of time to wait around.
This shot was in a waiting area in the office and once again, not a lot of room to move around. I also had to balance the flash with the fluorescent office lighting.

You also want to get some shots that show interests outside of the office and work. If they have a hobby or volunteer at a charity, you need those shots to help the story. Julie loves to play tennis and as someone that shoots sports, I was looking forward to these shots.

Of course these are my favorite. I think these would look great in a tennis magazine. She looks like a pro.

There's always a part of the story that gets into family life and you need to get some family type of shots. Having done quite a few family session prepares you for these kind of shoots as well.



These kind of assignments really push your talents and creativity. These are typically done in one day and you can start out in the morning doing a corporate type of shoot, move onto a sports themed shoot and finish with a family session. I really enjoy these kind of assignments because I get to do a variety of shots for one client and it helps reinforce everything that I've learned the last couple of years.


If you're looking for a portrait photographer in the Atlanta area, visit my portfolio.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hey Dave,

Too bad you didn't make the cover, but you have some great photographs in the set. I'm with you on an all day event. I did a senior portrait session over three different days, and while we covered a ton of ground, the shots in the beginning were nothing like the ones in the end. There's something about getting to KNOW a client, having the patience to see the person as they are, and the skill to make lasting photographs, not just snapshots or headshots.

Always love to see the new stuff.

Travis