The best camera is always the one you know how to use, and even as a professional photographer, I default to my iPhone. Admittedly, I upgrade with each new model to take advantage of the camera and video improvements, which render great photos and video of my multimillion-dollar listings.
The iPhone is rather idiot-proof; if you can hold it level and steady you’d be hard-pressed not to capture good-looking footage with little technical knowledge and creative talent. That’s all the more reason to stay away from thinking you need a professional 35mm camera with lots of lenses. Here’s how I use my iPhone to take premium video and photos.
What to use
When using my iPhone to capture a listing, I mount it on my gimbal. I use the DJI 0M 5 Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer, one of many options. The gimbal helps to shoot level photos and not shake the camera when I push the shutter button. For video, just slowly move it around the room and it creates a more fluid video capture without giving the viewer motion sickness.
I utilize my iPhone because of the HDR (high dynamic range) feature, which in essence, helps to blend and balance the really bright light with the dark shadows. This is needed with interiors as you’ll have bright windows and dark shadowed areas within any scene.
What to shoot
Before I shoot anything, I make a plan of what I want to show in both photos and in the video. This way, you don’t end up with unnecessary footage to deal with when editing, and you can speed up your workflow so you can get your listing on the MLS.
One of the many great things about using the iPhone is that you can immediately see what you have shot. If you don’t like it, erase it, and shoot it again, so you don’t get confused about which clips are your best to use in the forthcoming edit.
Editing tools to use
Once I finish with my shoot, I use the free tools in the Apple software, Photos, to edit my photos and iMovie for my video edits. Working within the Apple ecosystem between the iPhone to capture and these two programs keeps everything simple and intuitive.
Lastly, I like to upload and utilize YouTube as my video platform. It is the most search engine-friendly so your video is likely to be found and viewed outside of just marketing it within your listing promotions.
Latham Jenkins is a residential luxury real estate broker in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Connect with him on Instagram or Twitter.
