And there are numerous stitching programs available if that's the path you prefer.

I've found the most important aspect is having a program that creates your Web site easily and quickly. Time management is critical in this business and you need spend time shooting to make this a volume business, not coding Web pages. I use a Virtual Tour Machine from SiteWerkz, written by Scott Slinkard who is based in Cape Girardeau, MO and owns HouseviewOnline.com (at http://www.HouseviewOnline.com).

The Virtual Tour Machine is a one-off semi-custom Web site tailored to your market and brand -- if you have an existing brand. It does everything from billing and flyers, to automatically creating listing pages for every agent and even updating property prices so you'll always show the current property price. It's a Web site that I own and control. It's $5,000 to have one setup and a small monthly fee there after.

David: Are there any special cameras you'd recommend?

Kelly: Yes, this changes seemingly daily as new cameras are introduced. I tell people that at the minimum you'd need some kind of a prosumer camera where you'll have full control over both shutter and aperture settings. I recommend at least 6 megapixel even though I personally still shoot with my Nikon 4500. But my subcontractor photographer started shooting this spring with the Fuji S9000; she seems to like it. I think I got my first digital camera in 2000 when we started, a 1.2 megapixel Sony Mavica from eBay

David: Is taking pictures in empty, unlit homes a problem?

Kelly: Funny you should ask, because sometimes property is vacant and rooms will have no overhead lights and all the table lamps are gone, because, well, the tables are gone. It's a vacant empty house. I've shot houses where the power was turned off.

David: Is there any special gear that would help?

Kelly: This is when you need to carry what I call a "Big Flash". Something that will reach out and light up a large room or give a really good bounce light off of a dark ceiling. There are a zillion choices in this area but I know Quantum makes a Q-Flash that others have said great things about. I use a laughably-old hot shoe mounted Vivitar 2500 flash. I think the guide number is about 80 feet at 100ASA and it does the job about 70% of the times I need it.

Of course you need a sturdy pan and tilt tripod. One that can easily travel and collapse quick.

Kelly gave us a ton of information in our interview. This week, we've covered shooting 360 degree photographs. Next week, we'll continue with Kelly's interview and discuss how to make money as a photographer, particularly with real estate photography.

Becky Wolfe is a freelance photographer and writer in British Columbia. You can see more of her photography at http://www.beckywolfe.com.