A little competition for you all...

[Gunter]

We have been having a little discussion in "show us what you shot" as to what altitude is the best, best time of day to take pics, best angle etc.

So I wanted to see if anyone was interested in helping with my next job. I will describe my brief here, show you the details and then you have to give me a position and altitude that you think is the best vantage point for an aerial snap.

I will be going on Saturday, so be quick and let me know what you think. Just one point per person max. 5 positions total because otherwise it will take the whole day to do!

EG: Position 1 at 20m, looking towards number 4, or position 2.5 at 50m looking due South. (I'll take 2.5 as half way between 2 and 3!!)


Brief: Set of sample photos for a large Estate Agent in the UK. Must be impressive and show what is possible from a drone!

Link to the estate agents website HERE showing the property

Link to Google maps HERE

Location map below:

View attachment 4259


Please let me know what you think, I will try my best to simulate what you have suggested.

Gunter.

 

[jforkner]

Gunter,

I've done AP for a few real estate agents and found that an oblique shot from a slightly elevated position (maybe 10 - 15 meters) shows off a house the best. Similarly, to capture the whole property you need to get high enough that the whole lot is in the frame. Again, I think an oblique angle works best.

I'd suggest a series of images from different altitudes and different perspectives. I'm guessing the main house is adjacent to your number 1 with some other buildings just below (South?) of that. If that's the case, I'd suggest just above (North?) of your number 1 to get an oblique angle on the main house. You should be able to get some of the other buildings in that shot. I'd concentrate on capturing the front to the house and/or buildings vs. the backside. If my guess at orientation is correct, I'd concentrate on positions 1, 2 & 8, and leave the others alone. Also plan your timing to ensure you're not shooting into the sun.

Here's a couple of shots from some of my work to try and demonstrate what I'm trying to suggest---my house and a development nearby for which I was hired to take progress pictures.


Jack

View attachment 4260View attachment 4261

 

[jes1111]

Tricky - the front of the house faces north, so it's never going to get any sun on it. To the west is the M3 motorway and some hell-hole called "Basingstoke" , so shooting in that direction will be tricky and a sunset shot won't be available. "Spring Wood" and the countryside to the east and south will definitely make the best backdrop. The garden is rather bare ("a blank canvas" as the agent will call it). So I'll go for Position 1 (towards 5/6) - but from further back towards ****ens Lane, zoomed out as long as your gimbal will cope with (100mm-ish), just high enough to put the trees (that are between the house and ****ens Lane) in the foreground with the front of the house showing. Ideally, a portrait shot - but I've found agents don't usually like those. Late (very late) afternoon, so you get some low, oblique light from the right to add some warmth and modelling.

Jeremy

EDIT: ROFLMAO - the forum software thinks that "D-I-C-K-E-N-S" is an offensive word! Possibly right!

 

[mbsteed]

The points the others raise are all useful. To some extent the nature of the shoot depends on the purpose. In your case you want to show off the estate, so you want that to fill the frame as best you can. I would go for position 1 & 3 and try to get the lot on an angle. That would add interest (rather a direct frontal shot) and give the building and the lot a more three dimensional perspective and the lot which is less significant would be in the background. You don't have to get all that high - I would say 25 - 50 M (75 - 150 ft.) would probably do but hard to know until you get there and get things framed in the view finder. That is hard to gauge without knowing dimensions of the estate.

 

[DennyR]

A lot depends on the lens angle of view, you should try to keep the sun behind you but slightly offset. As the cheapest part of the exercise is the digital image storage you can shoot your *** off. and take as many variations on the theme as you can get. I would take probably a 100 or so shots and then select the best ones. Shoot in the morning and in the afternoon when the sun moves around. If the images are going to be web based or only 10x8 prints you can do quite a lot of cropping. Position 6 for example would be better as a portrait style. If the weather is overcast only shoot the shots that will look towards the sun i.e. from the north. Come back to do the rest. Getting in close with a wide angle will increase the relative size of the foreground and the distortions, a narrower angle will do the opposite. On a 35 mm full frame camera I would use 35-50 focal lengths. Good luck.

Take the shots that the client asks for and then do your own ideas. Estate agents are often dirt bags who want stuff for nothing, they will often say you did not do exactly what I asked for. What he is really thinking is can I get a reduction in price or stall on the payment, so don't give him that option. Don't give him everything at once, wait to see what he says first. Chances are that he will say I wish you had done so and so then you can say like this and show him that angle. You have to think on your feet in this game. You may be able to get a little more money if you produce something special as an extra. For example, a high level shot of the surrounding area showing access routes. While you are in that location take a few other houses and see if you can make a direct sale. The art of selling is a vital part of speculative shooting. there are a lot of do's and don'ts.

 

[plingboot]

just my twopenneth if i were shooting fwiw…

I'd shoot between 2 and 3 above and between the row of trees and that single tree. I'd be trying to get the front and side of the main central building in shot with a view off behind to show the extent of the walled area.

I'd do a similar thing between 1 and 2 trying a both behind and in front of the small group of buildings - but that would depend on what the client wants in shot, but again i'd be attempting to show and idea of the walled area too.

I'd probably also look at a shot from 2, but attempting to get a symmetrical (straight down the middle) shot.

I'd shoot between 3 and 4 but closer to 4. My thinking is to avoid having the cottages in shot (unless of clourse the client wants them in shot in which case i'd shoot from 8 looking across and between 2 and 3.

If it were me i'd stick the bird in the air down at 5 just to see what it looks like, but if time and money is tight i'd give that a miss, as i'd be looking to give an impression of the extent of this area in the earlier shots.

As far as altitude goes, i'd be using a live view feed and looking to get a good composition and that would dictate how high or low i was.

I'd also be looking to shoot lots and lots of images - maybe having the camera set to shoot a frame every 1 or 2 seconds.

 

[Gunter]

Wow, thanks to everyone who replied. Lots of ideas there.

I have spoken to the client and I can only visit on Sunday, fingers crossed the weather is okay.

What I will do is a lot of oblique shots, from different altitudes. I can't take too long, so maybe 3 or 4 locations.



On a different note, I have just got the go-ahead to do a full aerial survey of the Brands Hatch race track before they kit it out for the Olympics... Well chuffed!

Gunter.

 

[jes1111]

So... what happened?

 

[Gunter]

So... what happened?

I didn't get to do it last weekend the owner was away and wanted to be there for the shoot.

Trouble is, with the weather we have been having recently, I don't know when the sun will show its face again!

Gunter.

 

[jes1111]

It was 34ºC here today. You're in the wrong place, mate!

 

[Gunter]

It was 34ºC here today. You're in the wrong place, mate!

I know, we haven't see the sun here for so long. It gets a bit depressing!

I got out to Basingstoke yesterday, but as usual, it was overcast, hence the photos are really dull. I have promised to go back on a sunny day - July then!


This one was an oblique shot from the one corner. The left had to be cropped off slightly because of some containers next to the garage.

This was an oblique from the same side, other corner. I couldn't move any more to the right, because of the neighbours property.

A view from the bottom of the garden. Too many trees to get an oblique from the bottom of the garden, but I think this works okay.

 

[Kilby]

Those look great, Gunter. I'm sure they will be very happy!

 

[Gunter]

Those look great, Gunter. I'm sure they will be very happy!

Thanks! It was odd framing the shots, I thought my gimbal had packed up because everything was skew...but then I realised that it was because the land is on a slope!

He is very happy, and I have already had an enquiry from his friend who is selling a farm.

Gunter.

 

[jhardway]

I would go about 15 meters, around pousition 1, just slightly back, more left of the number not by much. if not that I would then go with two if you did that as a panoramic of 2 to 3 shots. You photos look good already but I think you fields are secondary and if you could see them in your photo its a plus.

Cheers Gunter, best of luck with it

Jack

 

[Biggerhammer]

Very nice shots! That should make the real estate agent's job easy.

If you haven't already done so, you should make a portfolio of such shots so that you can show it to other RE agents.