It would be too easy to make a comparison of good and bad real estate photography or the need for using a pro for your listings but that topic and samples are all over the web. Let's look at the current styles of real estate photographers.
There seem to be 3 general styles...Those who are using HDR software to balance the interior with the exterior, those who have some off camera lighting to light the interior and then a mix of off camera lighting and some advanced photoshop and lightroom skills to blend the multiple exposures. Let's face it, all 3 get the job done (case in point, the samples below). However, maybe it's just me but the right way (and of course the one I use), is the first one...properly light the interior using multiple off camera lighting for one or two exposures, take a separate exposure just for the exterior and then carefully blend those different shots in photoshop for a perfectly balanced room.
So why not use the other styles...here are some of the issues and dead give aways
"The Other Guy I" sample: while the room is lit pretty well, the great view/pool is really lost because it's blown out.... it just doesn't draw your attention to the fact that the view is really an important aspect to enjoying this room
"The Other Guy II" sample: while I see this more and more with even some top realtors, it drives me crazy. While HDR can balance the interior and exterior (highlights and shadows) ok, it's VERY rarely, if ever, done right. The most important piece is that the image to me looks 'dirty', particularly the whites...whites aren't really white anymore, they look more brown or gray. There also tends to be more 'noise'/grain in the image adding to that 'dirty effect and finally, ghosting (notice the movement of the fan in that last image).
Since I wasn't thinking about my blog when I shot these, I just used what I had shot on this job. I probably should have taken some really poor shots to show more of an extreme. Although, my guess is that if you look at a lot of real estate photography, you know what I mean.
