If you don't have a staff photographer in your area, here are some specifications your freelance photographer may need. While your photographer will most likely be a trained professional, please refer this page to him/her so he/she has a good idea about the formats we most prefer. Although the below information is very technical in nature, it can be very helpful to ensure the quality of the photographs we receive. In the below descriptions, "client" refers to YOU, the agent. Thank you!

- We prefer 120 roll film. However, 35mm and 4x5 formats are acceptable. Let us know if you want your images cropped.

- You should use minimal cropping to fit format windows. Remember camera formats such as 35mm & 6x6 are not proportional to our window formats. If there is something in the frame that you do not want to appear, change the camera position or make other adjustments.
Bracketing of Exposures - IMPORTANT!! - In order to ensure that you have the correct exposure, bracket your shot several times. Submit 5 exposures in 1/2 stop increments so you have a full stop overexposed, the correct exposure and a full stop underexposed. Let us determine the correct exposure for printing. We understand the limitations of bracketing with 4x5, so start with a polaroid to find correct exposure and then bracket 1/2 stop up and 1/2 stop down if possible.

- Do not use available light. All interiors should be strobed with at least four heads located throughout the room to evenly light the space. If you do not properly light a room, your results will be unpredictable.

- Film records a scene differently than our eyes see it. Make sure you understand how to achieve natural looking results. Transparency materials may be harder to work with but they yield much better color and sharpness than can be achieved with print materials.

- A wide angle lens is used about 90% of the time. Normal & telephoto lenses tend to flatten out the subject and make it look two dimensional although the selection of lenses will be determined accordingly by you.

- Soft or double images due to camera shake are unacceptable. Please make sure your camera is firmly mounted on a stable tripod.
Transparency Viewing Conditions (5000K lightsource) - Viewing conditions will greatly alter your perception of a transparency. You & your client must view transparencies with a standard 5000K viewing box to get an accurate representation of what the transparency and color look like when printed. Do not hold transparency towards outside windows, fluorescent lights, light bulbs, etc. This will actually alter image color & saturation.

- The Iris Group, Inc. does not provide lab services. However, we realize that sometimes the client wishes to use existing photography or may have a rendering of the property. Listed below are the requirements needed to produce a quality image from a rendering, duplicate transparencies or negatives. It is imperative to have the client review and approve the film from the lab; understand that we are going to use the transparency as our original guide to match color, NOT THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK.

- For rendering transparencies, a 4x5 transparency is needed and must be shot with a color bar. Make sure client understands we will match color as close as possible to the transparency, not the rendering.
Duplicate transparencies - when submitting a duplicate transparency, you must indicate positioning by providing:

• A print from the same transparency
• A written description indicating proper positioning
• Client needs to have a clear understanding that we will match color to the duplicate and not the original.

- We do not accept negatives. However, in the event that your client wants to use that image, have your lab make a transparency directly from the negative. It is very important to check the accuracy of color. As a proof, have a print made from the negative and compare the two (print & transparency). Once again, client must remember that we will be matching color from the transparency, not the negative.

- Not recommended. However, if a print is all that is available, submit no larger than 8x10.

- Ideally, for optimum results and a high quality brochure, you should send us professionally taken shots as transparencies. If digital is your only option, please see our Digital Specifications instructions.