Real Estate Photography - Twilights Real vs Virtual

Twilight photos, what is best? Well that’s subjective and depends on the goal. If you are strictly talking about quality, a well done real twilight is always better than a virtual twilight. Now if you are talking about time spent then the likely answer is going to be a virtual one. The big reason for that is because most real estate photographers who offer virtual twilights just outsource the images to a third party and then the photographer just upcharges that cost to the realtor. So lets say a virtual twilight costs $7 per photo then the photographer will list that as a service to purchase on their website for $13. Now is that going to make you a lot of extra money? No. It does however allow you to offer something additional to your clients at a cheaper price versus paying to have the real thing done which is much more expensive and time consuming but also looks better.

A real twilight photo or set of photos requires a higher level of skill to do well and it means you have a very narrow window to create those images as the sun sets or rises. This does inherently mean that you are limited in the number of images you can capture this way as well. For example I personally offer real twilight photos as a set of 2-4 images. Anything more than that and you are now falling into the nighttime. This is also why I notate on my own website that twilight photos may also include photos at night not just during sunset or sunrise.

Now virtual twilights as I have mentioned are pretty straightforward, you pick the images (usually daytime exteriors) that your client wants virtual twilights for and you send them off to an editor and the next day you now have your images to forward on to your client and that’s it.

Real twilights on the other hand do get a bit more complicated but we are going to go over that in a bit more detail here. So right off the bat let's briefly talk about equipment. A tripod is a must because as you start to lose natural light you are going to start decreasing your shutter speed on your camera and those longer exposures require a steady platform to come out sharp. You are also going to be taking multiple photos, some bracketed shots and shot artificially lit shots so those all need to line up correctly in post so a tripod is also required for that. Now when it comes to lighting you’re likely going to be using speed lights/strobes or hot lights. I prefer hot lights personally because it gives me a bit more movement and control over the spill of the light. The goal is to enhance the lighting that is already there and do it in a way that makes it feel real and natural. The best way to make sure of that is to light your scene towards the camera not from the camera. You want the lighting to be coming from the home not from the camera. As a general rule of thumb it’s a good idea to already know what angles you are going to shoot for the twilights so when you get out there you aren’t racing against the clock to try and figure it out. I would arrive at least 30 minutes before sunset and shoot all the way through sunset into the night. Be mindful that your setting will change as the natural light fades so make sure you are checking your shots.

While shooting real twilight photos does require a lot more effort, when you put it all together in post and create a beautiful image, in my opinion it’s absolutely worth the extra work.

Personally I always prefer the real thing, I am not a fan of virtual twilights myself I just don't think they look good and I am not a photographer who wants to offer any and all services just for the sake of being able to stack up a few extra dollars on a shoot. I personally am very quality driven, it’s why I only offer to shoot real twilights because it puts me in a position to produce images that not only I am really proud of but  that my clients also love.

I know there are many differing opinions on this and many other topics and at the end of the day you as the photographer and business owner have to decide what route is best for you when you decide what products and services you are willing to offer.

That is going to wrap up this one so thank you to everyone who listened to my podcast or read it on my blog. I appreciate you thank you and stick around. We've got my content coming your way. Take care.