Critiquing Myself

Go around the room in a circle

Part 1

Corner, straight on, corner, straight on. The corners show the layout and the straight on shots are symmetrical, so every angle shows the home in a different way.

If it's a square, go here, there, there, there: all the way around the room.

Corner: shows the layoutStraight on: symmetrical, pleasing to look at

In the video

P1 If you could get one lesson from this, it is this one: just go around in a circle. Straight on, corner, straight on, corner. The recap

P2Entry

Show the marble stairs, then push in so the chandelier and the open space show more. On the push in I should have turned the camera slightly more to the right.

Fix: turn slightly more to the right — **Fix** turn slightly more to the right

P3Living room

Corner, straight on, corner, straight on, corner. On a somewhat unique home like this one it is not overshooting, because every angle shows the home in a different way.

P4Dining room

Three shots for the dining area: straight on, a corner and another corner. The room wasn't all that cool, but I still got them.

P5Family room

In the family room I just do a circle again: corner, straight on, the other corner, straight on. It doesn't always work and I skipped some angles, but this house was very symmetrical.

Push in front of the wall

This is something you should really, really take and apply to your future shoots.

Part 2

Don't stand fully in the corner when a wall would hide the room behind it. Push in front of that wall so the living area shows.

Fully in the corner: this wall hides the far wall, maybe even the couch

In front of the wall: the living area shows

Keep: in front of the wall — **Keep** in front of the wall

P6Kitchen

I am not behind this wall, I am pushing in front of it. Fully in the corner, this wall would hide the far wall, maybe even the couch. I want to show the living area as much as I can.

P7Backyard

Sometimes you can't. In this backyard a wall was right behind me, so I could not get all the way into the corner.

Raise the camera on every exterior

Part 3

Raise the camera as high as you possibly can on every front exterior, even at an angle. Here it is roughly 10 feet up.

Tippy toes if you have to.

P8Front exterior

The straight on shot, with the camera raised to roughly 10 feet. The twilight is a virtual twilight.

P9Front exterior

Even at an angle I still raise the camera. You probably get this shot too, just a bit lower. Go as high as you possibly can, tippy toes if you have to.

P10Front exterior

Shot on a 24 mm. On a corner lot it looked better than a wide angle.

Good: 24 mm instead of the wide angle — **Good** 24 mm instead of the wide angle

P11Front exterior

The edge of the other street shows here. You don't need to highlight it, but it shows where the street starts and where it ends.

Keep: the only door shot — **Keep** the only door shot

P12Front door

Kind of trash, but it is the only door shot and the only exterior close up, so I keep it. Five exterior angles in total for this house.

The kitchen: one height, nothing chopped

Part 4

Take note of the cabinet height and stay locked into it all throughout the kitchen. Don't chop windows in half; save them as much as you possibly can.

Cabinet height, locked in all throughout the kitchen

A window chopped in half by the edge of the frame

The whole window saved inside the frame

P13Kitchen

From this corner the island looks long. From further back it gets warped, the island looks tiny and the kitchen sits too far back, so I might delete it. At least nothing is chopped, not even the windows.

Good: the island looks long — **Good** the island looks long

Might delete: the island looks tiny — **Might delete** the island looks tiny

Keep: a sliver of countertop, cabinet height — **Keep** a sliver of countertop, cabinet height

P14Kitchen

A standard angle: a sliver of countertop on the edge and the camera at cabinet height. I wish I could have backed up more, but it was a squeeze.

P15Kitchen

This one was inspired by a teammate's shots. I probably wouldn't have taken it before, and I feel like it worked. Then the same straight on, a bit closer in.

Good: inspired by a teammate — **Good** inspired by a teammate

Close ups: fill the center square

Part 5

Center a close up on the rule of thirds grid so the subject almost fills the center square.

A close up: the subject almost fills the center square

A top down: the courts sit in the center square

Press Grid at the bottom right of this page to draw the same grid on every photo.

Keep: almost fills the center square — **Keep** almost fills the center square

P16Kitchen

Put the grid on this one and the range sits right in the center, almost filling the center square. It just goes a bit beyond.

Keep: focus where the water comes out — **Keep** focus where the water comes out

P17Kitchen

Same thing here, in the center. I like to focus right where the water comes out.

P18Living room

A close up of the fireplace. Nothing fancy, but that is real fire, and that almost never happens.

Keep: 85 mm, angled, with the light — **Keep** 85 mm, angled, with the light

P19Laundry

An electric car charger on an 85 mm, slightly angled so it gets some depth. The light peering in through the window makes it look a lot more artistic.

Chandeliers: look straight up

Part 6

If a home has a nice chandelier, always get a shot from right under it, looking straight up.

Stand right under it and look straight up.

P20Entry

A 12 mm for the far one, then a 20 or 24 for the close up.

Keep: 12 mm, the far one — **Keep** 12 mm, the far one

Keep: 20 or 24 mm, the close up — **Keep** 20 or 24 mm, the close up

P21Upstairs hallway

Head on, then the close up: the best angle I could possibly get. I wish the chandelier was a bit smaller.

Keep: as good as I could get it — **Keep** as good as I could get it

Shoot a big primary bathroom like a kitchen

Part 7

When the primary bathroom is big, with double sinks, the shower and the tub, treat it like a kitchen: every angle different.

Little micro moves: shoot, push in a bit, then a little to the side

Every angle different: corner, straight on, corner, all the way around

In the video

P22 Every angle different, not little micro moves: here and here, then the same in reverse, so you go around the circle. Corner shots and straight on, that is always the fundamental. Primary bathroom

P23Primary bathroom

I shot eight here: an angle, another angle, a straight on, the other angle, then the close ups and the shower.

Another angle: I don't really like it, got it anyway — **Another angle** I don't really like it, got it anyway

Close up: the tub — **Close up** the tub

Close up: the sink — **Close up** the sink

The drone: the same circle from the air

Part 8

Go around the home with the drone too: straight, corner, straight, corner, then the close up top down.

Straight onCornerThen the close up top down

In the video

P24 Line up your subject in the rule of thirds center square. The recap

P25Drone

Two wide angles of the park nearby. I would normally say choose one, but I like them both, so I kept them both.

Keep: a little more foresty — **Keep** a little more foresty

Keep: the soccer field cleaner — **Keep** the soccer field cleaner

P26Drone

The house is actually over here, but this one focuses on the park. Then a straight on of the park.

P27Drone

Top downs of the basketball courts and the soccer field. The courts sit right in the center square. For one soccer field shot I flew way too high to try the same rule: don't do that.

Keep: the courts in the center square — **Keep** the courts in the center square

Keep: the soccer field — **Keep** the soccer field

Too high: don't do it — **Too high** don't do it

P28Drone

The rest are under 400 feet: a wide angle, then the school with the park behind it and the house over here.

Keep: 2.5 times zoom, corner lot — **Keep** 2.5 times zoom, corner lot

P29Drone

A 2.5 times zoom of the home on its corner lot.

P30Drone

The close up top down, then a regular 1x zoom. I tried the wide angle and liked the 1x a bit more.

Keep: a regular 1x zoom — **Keep** a regular 1x zoom

P31Drone

One of my favorites.

Keep the better one

Part 9

Two shots of the same small space: keep the better one and delete the other.

P32Pantry

Two shots of the pantry. This one is meh and I like the other one more, so I would delete it.

Keep: I like this one more — **Keep** I like this one more

P33Closets

A plain closet shot I wouldn't get. A wardrobe like this one I would.

Skip: a plain closet — **Skip** a plain closet

Keep anyway: almost a trash shot — **Keep anyway** almost a trash shot

P34Half bath

The toilet: almost a trash shot, but I get it regardless.

P35Attic

I hopped into the attic for fun. You know how to do this.

Two versions when the client asks

Part 10

When the client asks for two versions, deliver both so they can pick and choose. You don't have to do this unless they ask.

The client asks for two versions

One with

One without

We give them both so they can pick and choose

You don't have to do this unless they ask.

P36Entry

For this client we edited the lights from green to white and gave them both, so they can pick and choose.

The original: green lights — **The original** green lights

The edit: white lights — **The edit** white lights

P37Living room

Same thing here: they asked for one with the Buddha painting and one without.

P38Primary bedroom

One with the door closed, one with the door open. The closet half open was what they preferred; I recommended no.

Their pick: the closet half open — **Their pick** the closet half open

P39Bedroom

One with the closet door open, one with it closed. You don't have to do this; the agents asked for it.

P40Garage

They asked for the garage closed and open. I would have just done one with it closed.

P41Virtual staging

Virtual staging. The bedroom on the tile is a tough one: in real life that bed would be sliding everywhere. The outdoor kitchen turned out pretty cool.

Tough: the bed would slide on this tile — **Tough** the bed would slide on this tile

Before your next shoot

Go around the room in a circle.
Push in front of the wall.
Raise the camera on every exterior.
The kitchen: one height, nothing chopped.
Close ups: fill the center square.
Chandeliers: look straight up.
Shoot a big primary bathroom like a kitchen.
The drone: the same circle from the air.
Keep the better one.
Two versions when the client asks.

Hope this helped