There is no single reason for interior photography. Perhaps you want to showcase a decor for your Etsy shop. Display furniture inside a home to advertise your furniture business. Exhibit a newly designed room by an interior designer friend. Or provide images of your home for selling. Here are some quick tips to help you photograph interiors like a pro:
• Use a tripod
A tripod with a spirit level helps keep things straight. And in the interior photography world, straight walls and lines make a great difference. Additionally, using a tripod allows you to better compose your shot and concentrate on the elements. Some houses may require long exposures because a high ISO will introduce too much noise in the image.
• Compose your Shot
Clean and organize the room prior the photo shoot. Don’t be afraid to move things around. Eliminate distracting and unnecessary items. Add appropriate touches that boost the overall appeal.
• Choose your Lens
Wide lens is more commonly used for interior photography. It makes the room look great. Stand in a corner using this lens to get the widest perspective. But you don’t have to show everything. Let the mind fill in the gaps. You can always take more shots in a different angle. On the other hand, normal lens is used to detail shots which require a closer crop.
• Use natural light
It’s better to use natural light then augment it with artificial lights or reflectors. So if possible, shoot during the brightest parts of the day. You can opt to turn off all artificial lights inside the room to avoid white balance issues. However, if you need to showcase the lighting fixtures, or if the lights don’t have a huge effect on the overall lighting, then it’s ok to use them.
• Choose an Angle
Most of the shots are taken from waist level or mid-room height. In this way, you can keep the camera aimed out to keep the walls and lines straight. Feel free to go out of the norm and try other angles. Shoot at a high angle to add a sense of grandeur. Just be sure to have your plans in mind. Don’t go too crazy and wander off from the purpose of the photos.
• Select your aperture
Depending on your purpose, you can either shoot with a low aperture value to get that nice display of depth. But if your goal is to show off the whole room, then keep the whole room in focus with a higher aperture value.
• Post production
It’s very rare for an image to come out exactly as you want it to look. Get the composition correct first time around and keep post-production to a minimum – contrast, highlights, shadows, cropping, and color.
