Interview with Bruno Baziq
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 8:44AM 
Bruno Baziq is a professional wedding, portrait, and real estate photographer located in southern Sweden. More information can be found on his website @ http://www.bostadsfotografen.se/
Tell us about yourself:
I am 31 years old and I live in southern Sweden with my wife and two cats:) I have been a photographer since 1996. The start was street photography, then it developed into nature photography and in 2003 I began shooting portraits and weddings. I am a destination wedding photographer, which means that I photograph weddings all over the world.
How did you find yourself in real estate photography?
Taking photos of real estate was not my first choice - I was looking for some extra money and read on a forum that the company I now work for was looking for partners. That’s how it began.
How large/small is your business - how many people do you employ?
It is quite small - I am my own boss. In some cases, I need more help from other photographers/administrators so I employ them as necessary. I am surrounded by very talented people.
What does your marketing look like/how do you market yourself?
As regards the real estate portion of my business so I do very little marketing. I have customers, mostly real estate agents that give me assignments. It can be about 400-600 missions per year. On the other hand, I spend large sums of money to be seen. when it comes to wedding photography.
Tell us about your workflow from shoot to post:
I always shoot with natural light. Some days, I am guided by the light outside, but with HDR technique, I do not think about it so much. I take 4-11 different exposures with one step each, and merge together in Photoshop CS5. The finished files are then opened with Lightroom 3 and where I mostly use the exposure brush and color channels. Furthermore, I export the pictures in original size jpg and upload images to the real estate agent.
How has that evolved over time?
The digital technology gets better and better and we come up with new solutions for our photographic technology. In the beginning I took only one exposure with a long shutter time in a darkened room and after the shoot I had to retouch the photos, but now using the new features in Photoshop with HDR technique, I can reduce my time at the computer and shoot more. What also has changed is the customers' wishes of the pictures I take. Customers are more involved in my photography and have their own opinions. They have become more aware of what a good photograph can make the final price of the property. I think this is really fun.
Where do you see it going?
I see a positive trend in real estate photography. I do not think we can stay in one place but we must develop new technologies and new ways of shooting. I believe that the impact of 3D in the cinema world will affect also the way we photograph. I think in the future we will be photographing and retouching in 3D for the benefit of the buyers of a property. It remains to see how things develop over the coming years.
Photo Walkthroughs
This photo was taken by 13 different exposures in which most part is taken with two-step over-exposure. After that I put them together in Photoshop and imported into Lightroom 3. Here I took a little discoloration that occurs with HDR and increased the brightness of the walls with exposure brush. I shoot very conscious of the end result so my pictures are actually almost finished when I put them together in photoshop.
This image is of my early works. It has a bit too much sunlight coming in, but we live and learn. The image was taken with three different exposures. An underexposed, one overexposed and one with normal exposure. Then put it together in Photomatix and retouched in Photoshop. Once in photoshop I used Levels to increase the brightness and contrast and then adjustment layer for hue and saturation to get the most natural color as possible. As a conclusion, I took a bit usharp mask and saved it.
This image is one of my two minutes images. I like to call those that it takes less than 2 minutes to shoot, and retouch it. The picture here was taken with five different exposures and Merged in Photoshop. I took two heavy underexposed images, one normal exposure, one with a +1 of exposure and last shot with +3 steps of overexposure. In Lightroom, so I fell down on the yellow channel of the color panel and exported the file.
What else do you photograph? Any personal work, weddings, portraits, events, etc?
I photograph musicians, children, and weddings in addition to real estate photography. Unfortunately I do not have time to update my website as often as newer pictures end up on Facebook.
What advice would you give somebody getting started in real estate photography?
Step one is to be updated with the latest technology. If you feel unsure ask a real estate photographer for advice. Be prepared to work very long days. In some cases, 7 days a week over a long period. Make sure to be surrounded with positive people who can give you new ideas and new approaches in your business. Do not give up, at first it may be difficult to get enough assignments to make a living from it but think positive. Your creativity is your biggest and best friend. Get yourself a mentor who can guide you. The most important advice I can give you is: do not sell yourself cheap - you are worth more than you think.
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