5 Best Real Estate Twilight Photography Tips [Camera Setting + Editing]

Twilight photography can truly elevate real estate listings, giving properties a warm, inviting, and visually captivating look. The soft, golden light during the "magic hour" creates an atmosphere that brings out a home's best features, making it more appealing to potential buyers. Whether you're an experienced photographer or just getting started, mastering twilight photography can give your listings a competitive edge.

In this article, we’ll share some of the best twilight photography tips to help you capture stunning images that will grab the attention of prospective buyers and make your properties stand out.

So, what exactly is twilight photography? It’s the art of capturing the unique light that happens during the twilight period—just before sunrise and after sunset. This special time of day offers a beautiful, soft light that can create dramatic, eye-catching images. Twilight is especially valuable in real estate photography, as it infuses the property with warmth and vibrancy, all while emphasizing architectural details and outdoor lighting features.

The magic of twilight photography lies in capturing both the artificial light from the house and the natural light of the sky, blending them for images that feel rich and full of depth. For real estate listings, these photos help present the home in its best light, making it look even more inviting and appealing to potential buyers.

Professional tips for real estate exterior photography

Here are few things you need to take care of during twilight real estate photography.

Setting up the real estate property:

1. The best time to take the twilight pictures is 15 minutes after the sunset.
2. If there are any window coverings or solar screens, you can remove them. Also, make sure to open the blinds.
3. Turn on the interior, exterior, and landscape lighting during the photoshoot.
4. If some areas seem too much brighter, you can turn off the lighting in that area.

Managing the camera setup:

5. Using a tripod and cable release is better. It will eliminate vibration and help you take longer exposures.
6. Coming to filters, you can use that of a graduated neutral density.
7. Try extending your tripod as high as possible to take better shots of the property.

Adjusting the camera settings:

8. Take raw images so that you can later manage the white balance and exposure during post-processing.
9. To gain full control over your exposures, set your device settings to manual.
10. Use Aperture Priority to keep your aperture fixed.
11. Try to adjust the lenses somewhere between f/2.8- f/4. It will give you the sharpest shots.
12. Set the ISO between 100- 320 to get better colors and minimum noise.

Method of shooting & scheduling:

13. For twilight photoshoots, you can employ two methods. One is the straight-out-of-camera (SOOC) method and the second is light-painting.
14. Lock the composition beforehand so that everything is ready at the time of the shoot.
15. You can google and check the sunset timings of the particular city or state you are about to photoshoot. Also, check the direction of the sun.
16. While taking pictures, make sure the exterior lighting matches the intensity of the interior lighting.
17. To make your images look more appealing, you can hose down the cement areas or driveway to give it a damp appearance. Otherwise, you can also make it look wet in Photoshop.

Carrying out twilight real estate photography editing:

18. Use manual blending to select the layers you want to blend.
19. Create three exposures. In the first one, you must see the interior lighting through windows. In the second exposure, the white sky should be visible. In the third exposure, you must be able to see a well-lit exterior of the property.
20. Place the brightest exposure at the top layer in Photoshop while the darkest at the bottom.
21. Use a layer mask to get the best exposures and fix the blown-out highlights.
22. In the case of orange-looking windows, you can de-saturate them by adjusting the white balance.

Conclusion

Real estate twilight photography is an art that requires the perfect balance of timing, equipment, and technique. By using the right tools, mastering your exposure settings, and paying attention to composition, you can create stunning twilight images that showcase the beauty of a property and attract potential buyers.

With these twilight photography tips, you’ll be able to take your real estate photography to the next level, capturing the magic of twilight and making your listings shine in a competitive market. If you're looking for professional help, real estate photo editing companies can assist in enhancing your twilight shots with high-quality editing. Real estate photo editing services ensure your images look polished and refined, while twilight photo editing services can help bring out the best in your twilight shots, making them even more captivating for potential buyers.