If you have taken your own photos for a listing then you are sure to be familiar with the biggest issue photographers have to deal with: unbalanced lighting.

Unless the shoot takes place at dusk, the outside light from the sun, even on a cloudy day, is much brighter than the interior of a house. The problem with taking a photo in this environment is you either get "Blown-Out" windows, or the interior is much too dark. Ideally there is a balance between the outside and inside so you can see the room and see what's outside the windows.

There are two approaches for getting a balanced photo.
  1) Use an HDR (High Dynamic Range) technique for blending multiple images (exposures) into one usable image.
  2) Add additional light to the interior to balance with the exterior brightness.

HDR or exposure blending can be very useful and I employ the technique when necessary, but only under certain conditions. I tend to use exposure blending in bathrooms because the mirrors generally limit the use of additional lighting. The other key factor is the dynamic range of bathrooms is fairly consistent and works well with exposure blending.

For the majority of rooms when there is a window visible, exposure blending doesn't work as well because the dynamic range (brightness outside vs darkness inside) is much larger than in a bathroom. When this happens the windows don't get enough clarity for my taste.

Using a true HDR processor produces better results over exposure blending, but the windows are still not as crisp as they should be.

HDR techniques when done incorrectly can also produce walls that look dull and gray, or have brightness differences across their surfaces.

That's where adding additional light to balance with the exterior is extremely useful. By adding additional lighting I also have complete control over the brightness of the windows. If the view out the windows is less than desirable, I can make the windows slightly brighter. If the view is stunning, I can ensure that it is clearly visible. The colors in the room also remain closer to reality because the entire room is being illuminated from the flash units, which have a known and consistent color temperature.

Because my lights are small and battery powered I can move quickly and efficiently though a house. The majority of my jobs are only one hour in length for a home up to 3000 square feet. Larger homes may require 1.5 hours.

The final benefit to using lighting is a fast turnaround time. The majority of my images are all a single exposure and only require minor adjustments during post-processing. HDR techniques are time consuming and labor intensive in post-processing and would certainly delay my delivery times. My images are delivered by start of business the following day.