10 Interior Photography Tips From The Professionals
By Tom McCallum
With the rise in interior design websites and blogs, the need for excellent interior photography and expert 3D renderings of inside spaces is at an all time high. Alongside eye-catching initial designs, architecture firms, real estate agents, restaurants, cafes and hotels must get their interior photography right or risk being lost in the crowd. To help you keep up with the trend, here are our top 10 interior photography tips …
1. Go and stand in the corner
But don’t face the wall. Squashing yourself as tightly into the corner as you can go will give you the widest perspective of the interior before you, allowing you to capture more of what makes it special. Try all of the corners of every space to see what the perspective from each of them is like. Some interior design photographers press their camera against the wall to get as wide an angle as possible.
2. It’ll be alright with good light
Interior photography lighting is so important that it’s almost a specialism in itself. You need to balance the lighting so there are no overly dark shadows or overly bright highlights. Use the light that is available to you in the room – lamps, overhead lighting, fireplaces, and natural light from windows. Play around with different combinations of lights to try to achieve the best for every space. As a general rule, you are looking for soft lighting, so try shooting with natural light from the windows during the photography ‘golden hours’ – early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
3. Organise the space prior to the shoot
Don’t just start shooting the interior at random – think about the image you want to capture before taking the photographs. Add features to a room to create a certain atmosphere, if you think the scene on its own is dull. Some carefully placed cushions or a stack of newspapers can give your interior photography some much needed character. Walk around the space and get a feel for it before implementing the interior photography tips in this article.
4. Equip yourself for success
When photographing interiors, a wide angle is a good starting point. You should purchase a purpose built wide angle lens for the best results. A 16mm to 24mm lens will allow you to get a great perspective from the corners of the space. Always take a standard lens along too for the close ups of details you might want to capture to support the wide angles. Depending on the space, you may even want to take a macro lens to capture fine details, for example in a five star hotel or a quirky retreat.
5. Straighten yourself out
Ensure that all the vertical lines in your interior image are going straight up and down and not converging at the top and bottom. Use a tripod with a spirit level to ensure the lines of the features – bookcases, doors, windows, tables, etc. – are all parallel within the frame. If the lens is tilted slightly up or down the lines will be going diagonally, providing an unwanted distraction to the viewer and detracting from the impact of the interior. The interior will appear to be falling away or tipping towards the viewer.
Read The full Article On Israeli Lens Magazine Issue#8 Architectural Photography
