Doctor Photo's Property Photography Blog

What's the best kit to help you achieve stunning property photos

I'm the first to admit that photography scares a lot of people. For some reason it scares estate agents more than most.

But the first thing you need to know is that to take a great property photo you don't have to be an old, sandal-wearing, pipe-smoking fat bloke with a beard. Really, anyone can take a great interior photo with the right equipment, a positive mental attitude, maybe a little training and definitely the right kit.

So, what does the right equipment' look like

Well, normally it doesn't come in pink, neither does it have a tiny in-built flash; and it won't fit in your handbag, not even if you're a lady. And the other bad news is that to kit yourself out from scratch with brand new kit, you're going to be north of a thousand pounds lighter in your pocket area. However, it should last you a year or three, and you'll be better equipped to do your job professionally - you are in the property marketing business, remember This is one of the most important tools you have at your disposal. You will also LOOK more professional than the guy who whips his pink snapper out of his trouser pocket in his client's kitchen and is gone in less than 30 seconds.

Kit Suggestions

The best equipment for the job would be an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. A few good alternatives would be the entry-level Canon 1100D with 18-55mm lens - costing around £250 inc. VAT, currently.

The 1100D is being replaced by the Canon 1200D - an 18MP camera at around £300

However, if you have £500+ burning a hole in your pocket then take a look at the 700D. This has a flip-out screen which enables very accurate manual focussing and means that you won't need a right-angle viewfinder (see the bottom of the page for what one of those is).

With an SLR you can fit different lenses to your camera. Maybe, you want to zoom right in to a house on the other side of a green. Or you could use a very wide angle (short focal length) lens that'll help you photograph an elevation from behind a hedge. The very-wide-angle will also enable you to take decent bathroom photos - really important if your client has just spent a fortune on a major refit. Very-wide-angle lenses are your best option for 95% of interior shots.

Another important SLR advantage over compact cameras is that you can fit a bounce-head flashgun into the camera's hot shoe (many compacts don't have these), which correctly used will enable you to light your interiors much more attractively than you'd be able to do with flash built into the camera.

If buying new, the wide-angle lens I'd suggest you fit to your SLR would be a Sigma 10-20mm zoom lens - currently just under £350 inc VAT. There are two versions of this, confusingly, get the cheaper one.

Other pieces of essential kit for property photography include:

A bounce-head flashgun

You don't have to buy Canon's own all-singing/all-dancing Speedlite at £300 or thereabouts.

CANON SPEEDLITE 600EX-RT FLASHGUN

An alternative to the own-make flash guns would be a Yongnuo. You can buy the Yongnuo Speedlight 560 on Amazon for less than £50 for the Manual version - which is all you need!

Yognuo also make off-camera triggers. These enable you to set the flash off away from your camera and to create better light. Expect to pay between £25 and £40 depending on how many receivers you're buying in your kit.

YONGNUO FLASH AROUND £50

YONGNUO TRIGGER PACK - AROUND £30 - GET THE CORRECT MODEL FOR YOUR CAMERA

A GOOD STURDY TRIPOD

If you want to work fast then take a good look at the Manfrotto 458B at around £280 inc VAT. You can vary its height (something you need to do for each shot) really quickly. Fit onto this a Manfrotto Joystick Head for around £100 and you'll have a platform for your camera that's steadier than a butler's hand carrying his master's finest port. All that said, you can of course buy much cheaper tripods with fiddly knobs but make sure yours is sturdy and won't collapse or wobble when you use it.

Cable release

When you're using long exposures and the camera's on a tripod, it's best not to touch the camera, or you might jog it. Cable releases are cheap - don't buy Canon unless you're wealthy.

Angle viewfinder

A small gadget that fits onto your camera's viewfinder. Since most of your interiors should be shot at about waist height, you'll save your knees from total destruction from getting down to the viewfinder. However, Canon's own kit is expensive at around £170 - so again there are third-party versions of these that are available - I just Googled right angle viewfinder' and found one for £37.

CANON'S ANGLE FINDER - SAVE YOUR KNEES AND BACK

There's sensible other stuff you should also get, such as skylight filters to protect the lens front glass, a big enough bag to protect your camera, lenses, flash etc. and a lens pen, which has a neat little brush for getting rid of dust - around £9.

Now that I've spent your money, you'll want to know what the camera's knobs and dials do. I'll tell you next time.

John Durrant was a partner in an award-winning agency in Woking. He's been featured on the BBC and in the Sunday Telegraph. John wrote the 12,000-word Guidance on Property Photography for the RICS and today he photographs some of the finest homes in Surrey and West Sussex. Additionally his Doctor Photo business edits/optimises thousands of estate agents' own photos each month and he travels the UK teaching photography workshops to estate agents.

See: https://www.doctor-photo.co.uk/