Capturing Details in Real Estate Photography

As a real estate photographer, I know that a home’s details are what truly make it stand out. While wide shots showcase a property’s flow and openness, it’s the intricate touches, the craftsmanship, textures, and finishes that create emotional connections for buyers. Recently, I was tasked with photographing a kitchen featuring custom tile work that deserved special attention. The challenge - capturing those details in a tight, awkward space while maintaining sharpness, consistency, and professional quality. That’s where the Platypod eXtreme came in. 

A Small Tool with Big Impact

I paired my Sony A7RV with the Platypod eXtreme, and the difference was immediate. Kitchens can be one of the trickiest spaces to photograph. Between counters, appliances, and limited angles, a traditional tripod often feels like more of a hindrance than a help. The Platypod eXtreme’s flat, stable base allowed me to position my camera exactly where I needed it, right on the countertop, without compromising the design of the space or risking an unstable setup.

This flexibility let me shoot very close to the backsplash tile, highlighting the depth, veining, and reflective qualities that a standard wide-angle room shot simply cannot deliver. The Platypod’s slim footprint also meant I didn’t have to rearrange or risk damaging the surfaces I was photographing.

Bracketing for Perfection

Custom tile often incorporates varying tones, gloss levels, and textures. Under kitchen lighting, this can be a nightmare to capture in a single frame. Highlights may blow out while shadows lose all detail. That’s why I bracketed my images using the Sony A7RV. By blending exposures, I could maintain crisp details in both the lightest marble veins and the subtle shadows between grout lines.

The Platypod eXtreme kept my setup rock-solid for the multiple exposures I needed, ensuring perfect alignment when I blended the files in post-processing. Without this stability, bracketing would have introduced ghosting or blur - two things that simply aren’t acceptable when clients expect magazine-quality results. 

Why This Matters for Real Estate

In real estate photography, it’s easy to focus solely on wide, expansive images that show “the big picture.” But details are just as important and sometimes more so. A prospective buyer flipping through a listing may not fall in love with the square footage or the paint color. Instead, they connect with the craftsmanship: the choice of tile, the texture of a countertop, or the way natural light dances across a backsplash.

Using tools like the Platypod eXtreme allows real estate photographers to highlight those details with precision. For me, it has become an essential piece of gear especially in kitchens, bathrooms, and custom builds where close-up storytelling shots set a listing apart. 

Final Thoughts

The Platypod eXtreme may be small, but it empowers big creativity. Paired with the Sony A7RV’s resolution and bracketing capabilities, it let me capture the artistry of this custom tile in a way that honored both the design and the space. For real estate photographers, the lesson is clear: don’t overlook the details, and don’t underestimate the tools that help you tell their story.

Thanks to Charlene Sligting for writing this blog post! Check out more of her work here.