[acarpov]

Hello all
I'm trying to start out part time business and would like to hear some of your advice on what equipment I will need to use, especially lenses and tripods. I have one fisheye lense (zenitar)

Which do you think are the best to start out with.
I have pentax K-7

I really appreciate your advice
Thanks

[Ex Finn.]

Pentax DA 12-24 is a pretty good lens for a wide angle.
Add to it with Manfrotto studio tripod with the head of your choice.

[Ex Finn.]

If you are just shooting lots, then the DA 12-24 might be all you need.

[RioRico]

How will your pictures be consumed? Do you have a target audience? Do you have a business plan? Have you ever worked or consulted with anyone doing this photography? Before you think about buying equipment, you should have an idea of what you'll be doing and how you'll be paid for it. Have you studied photography?

I ask these questions because the world is competitive. I have read that in USA, the average fast-food manager has a higher income than the average photographer. I think it's a good idea to know a business before throwing money into it. Good luck!

[tibbitts]

It's important to know something about your business model, because the kind of equipment and software you'll use will depend somewhat on your target consumer.

Paul

[acarpov]

Thank guys

I understand all those questions and they are important. This will be my part time/weekend job. I have a primary job.
I did find out about the rates for that kind of photorgaphy and i talked to couple of people who do that. The worst part know is that real estate agencies do take pictures themselves nowadays, but not all of them use professional equipment.

I just wanted to know about specific gear for pentax that is an absolute must have for me initially. I have all necessary software at this point.

[mikemike]

Want to start residential/commercial/land photorgaphy business

I did find out about the rates for that kind of photorgaphy and i talked to couple of people who do that.

Protip #1

"Photorgaghy" is not a word and no one will find your business if you spell "photography" that way on your website.

p-h-o-t-o-g-r-a-p-h-y

Thats how it is spelled regardless of how it is pronounced in brooklyn.

[acarpov]

Mike

That's a real "pro" tip
I see there are a lot of pros in New Orleans
Thanks

[deadwolfbones]

Good luck.

I work for an international luxury real estate magazine and most of our affiliate realtors have to be painstakingly talked into hiring a pro to take acceptable photos of their properties.

[Mike Cash]

Mike

That's a real "pro" tip
I see there are a lot of pros in New Orleans
Thanks

I doubt he would have mentioned it if you had only spelled it that way once. As you've done it twice in this thread one could easily imagine you doing it elsewhere. He did you a favor by pointing it out.

You might also want to consider just why it is that some agencies do their own photos and do it with less than professional gear. Not all photo uses require top-end gear or top-end results. How good do the photos have to be when the end use is a greatly downsized image printed in a cheap/free real estate magazine or on newsprint? What extra added value are they going to get by hiring someone to do it with professional gear over sending one of their employees out with a point and shoot? For the most part the photos only have to be bare minimum "good enough" and the addition of better gear, technique, or artistry would have to result in higher sales value in order to recoup the outlay of expenses....which in all but a few exceptional cases isn't likely to happen, so the agency employee with the point and shoot is chosen to snap the photos.

I drive by a place which does a booming business buying and selling used cars and they have a nice area set up outside for taking photos of their cars to place in used car magazines. They have a P&S on a tripod, always in the same spot. Those of us with a passion for photography might wonder why they don't try to use better equipment and get better photos. But the photos get printed on cheap paper at maybe 1"x1" or 2"x2" at the most and nobody is going to buy or not buy a particular car based on the quality of the photo or the gear used to take it. Same goes for real estate.

[Ira]

It's a very tough business.

I know that high-end properties hire super pros to show for-sale properties when they're still furnished, but this is not easy work.

If you just want to shoot any old house for sale at any old but acceptable photo quality, are you sure that this is going to keep your interest? That's very tedious stuff.

You live in Brooklyn, my home town (Canarsie!), and there are tons of photo opportunities in NYC that might better hold your interest.

Just a thought.

[jatrax]

You might also want to consider just why it is that some agencies do their own photos and do it with less than professional gear.

Another thing to remember is that in many cases they do not want good photographs. If it is too detailed the potential buyer will find the flaws and never call for an appointment to see the property. Better to have a slightly blurry, dark picture that potential clients can assume the best about.

[Ira]

Protip #1

"Photorgaghy" is not a word and no one will find your business if you spell "photography" that way on your website.

Can you handle a little embarrassment?

He didn't write "Photorgaghy," he wrote "Photorgaphy."

Spelling doesn't count, unless you're in Politics & Religion, where all bets are off to humiliate the person you're debating with. And for all we know, he's dyslexic, which isn't a crime.

[mikemike]

I doubt he would have mentioned it if you had only spelled it that way once. As you've done it twice in this thread one could easily imagine you doing it elsewhere. He did you a favor by pointing it out.

Thats my feeling. I would rather find out from some jerk on the internet instead of finding out after I registered my URL, filed my business paperwork with the Secretary of State, printed business cards, etc. Only to find out that I can't spell photography from my first potential customer and after I've spent sever hundred dollars on marketing materials that now need to be thrown away.

[tibbitts]

Thank guys

I understand all those questions and they are important. This will be my part time/weekend job. I have a primary job.
I did find out about the rates for that kind of photorgaphy and i talked to couple of people who do that. The worst part know is that real estate agencies do take pictures themselves nowadays, but not all of them use professional equipment.

I just wanted to know about specific gear for pentax that is an absolute must have for me initially. I have all necessary software at this point.

I don't have any knowledge of this kind of photography, but I'm guessing you don't need professional camera equipment, or at least that it's very low on the list of priorities. You need the ability to light the (interior) subjects, use hdr realistically (can be with software, not in-camera), and then quickly produce the format required, such as panoramas for web display. For the very occasional high-end application you might need to create huge display prints, and that's where photo quality might matter. Also probably being able to take exterior photographs from an elevated position is important, so you have to figure out a way to do that. Basically something between satellite views and ground-level views.

Paul