ORIENTATION

Historically the standard for real estate photography has been landscape image orientation. Most if not all online and print resources have been optimised for this as well. The fact is though that some subjects and scenes look best in a vertical image. 

While I agree that we should be shooting to our clients requirements - when those requirements are a detriment to making the best images that we can, I tend to err on the side of fuck them, (though it may help to explain why vertical is better if you want to keep them as your client).

MOVEMENT

This is a bit of an interesting one. It has to do with how our brains work and how we process visual stimuli and whatever whatever I don't know I'm no science boy - the point is when we look at a photograph, we experience it as outlined in the next paragraph. Thinking about this kind of thing may seam a bit over the top, but I genuinely thinks it's an important tool to have in the back of your mind. It can shape how you construct a composition and will help create pleasing images.

1. Firstly we notice the subject of the image. In the case of the image above, the yellow knot cushion and the chair.
2. Our eye will then move outwardly to establish context of the subject - this happens in a clockwise motion in most cases, or from left to right in the same way we read text on a page. (Just to be pedantic this is for Western cultures, it's the opposite for others who's text is written right to left).
3. We'll then rest back on the subject, but now with knowledge of it's place within the scene, taking in the image as a whole.
4. Lather, rinse, repeat. This process happens in fractions of a second and isn't something we're necessarily conscious about. 

DEPTH OF FIELD

In the architecture photography world I feel that using a shallow depth of field is looked down upon, as if it's a bit gimmicky and cheap - and I tend to agree. However, I think it still has a place in editorial real estate work. The idea of this imagery, as corny as it sounds, is to convey emotion and capture the feeling of the spaces we're photographing. Depth of field is a very powerful tool in this regard. 

The use of a shallow DOF can help to separate elements and build up depth in a scene. By throwing the foreground out of focus in the photograph above, the image invites the viewers eye through the space to the bench top. 

Another way to benefit from a shallow depth of field is to minimise potentially distracting parts of an image such as in the examples below.