09
I am definitely not a professional photographer, but there are a few things I’ve learned about shooting interiors since I started blogging. It’s a little different than photographing people, but in a way I think interiors are easier…you can take your sweet time setting up the shot and don’t have to rush to try to capture a certain look or moment before it’s gone. But interiors can be hard too! So I wanted to share my top 10 tips for photographing interiors. Feel free to chime in with your own tips. Like I said, I’m not a professional…I’m definitely still learning too!
1. Shoot in natural light. This is the number one tip I have for you (whether you’re shooting interiors or people, really). Turn off the lights and open up the windows. Try to plan your photoshoot for a time when there’s a lot of natural light coming in.
2. Use a tripod. This has made such a difference for me, especially in situations where there wasn’t much natural light available. Using a tripod means you don’t have to try to hold your hands steady, so you can keep your ISO low (around 200), and still get a photo that’s nice and crisp.
3. Use the 2 second delay when you’re using a tripod. If you’ve already been using a tripod but notice that your photos still come out blurry sometimes, try setting your camera to a 2 second delay. That way, the camera isn’t shaking from you pressing the button and is totally still by the time it takes the photo.
4. Line up the edges. Take some time to line up any straight edges with the edges of the photo (as best as you can). Yes, you can straighten the photo up later by cropping it, but it’s so much easier if you’ve already squared up the lines when you take the photo.
5. Don’t be afraid to hide the not-so-pretty stuff. The human eye will edit out things like cords, outlets, recycling bins, etc. The camera will not! So don’t be afraid to move a piece of furniture a little bit over to hide an outlet, or tuck a lamp cord away for the shot. I’ve heard people complain that this makes house tours less genuine, but I don’t understand why. When you’re shooting your home, you want it to look it’s best! If you were getting your engagement photos taken and you had a zit, you would probably cover that thing up, am I right? So don’t be afraid to cover up the blemishes you notice as you’re setting up your photo.
6. Do a little bit of styling. Similarly, don’t feel silly about styling the room, even if it’s not necessarily how it normally looks. Think of this like getting dressed up for those engagement photos. You want your house to look extra pretty! Buy some fresh flowers, put a bowl of lemons on the dining table, put away all the shoes at the front door except your favorite pairs, etc.
7. Take both full room shots and detail shots. Take some photos of the room in it’s entirety, then get up close and personal with some of your favorite details. Having a variety of shots is much more interesting than a bunch that are shot from the same distance away. After all, people are naturally curious. When I see a room that looks really interesting and beautiful, I like to see some detailed close-ups than give more information about the elements that make up that room. Likewise, if I see a detail shot that I really love, I always want to see the full room that it lives in, to get some context!
8. Move things if necessary to get the shot you want. Speaking of taking full room shots, this is one of the biggest challenges in a small space (ahem, my house). I often end up backed all the way up to the opposite wall to get a photo--and when I took photos of our bedroom, I was actually in our hallway, shooting through the door. If you find that you need to get further back but there are things blocking your way (or blocking the shot), move them!! It can seem like too much effort to move a chair or a side table just so you can get a shot that’s a little further back…but I think it’s worth it. A little bit of extra room can make a big difference.
9. Review your photos as you go, and adjust what you don’t like. I hardly ever get it exactly right on my first shot. Try your best to get everything styled and lined up, then take the photo. Now, before you go on your merry way, pause and look at the photo. Is there anything you don’t quite like about it? Is it too over-exposed? Is there a rotten banana in the background? Take the time to fix whatever it is that you don’t like…then take another shot. Don’t move on til you have the photo you want.
10. Simple angles are usually the best. Interiors are pretty straightforward, and people don’t usually look at house tours to see some avant-garde photography--they want to see the room itself. I personally hate fish-eyed photos where the edges look distorted. I also hate when people try to shoot things from “interesting” angles that are too distracting. It’s fine to try some photos from a different point of view--from directly above, from an angle, etc. But if you try to get too artsy, either with the angle or with some crazy filter, I can almost guarantee it won’t turn out as well as if you just kept it simple.
I hope this post was helpful! Feel free to leave a comment with any questions your have. I’ll do my best to answer them. And if you have your own tips (or if you disagree with mine), I’d love to hear about that too!
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The eye of the artist. Great tips!
Thank you, Debbie!
I'm curious what kind of camera you use, I'm looking for a good one to use in interiors.
Hi Halli! I have a Canon 60D, but if you can afford it, a full frame camera (like the Canon 5D Mark series) would be better. One of the challenges with interiors is backing up far enough to get a full room shot, and a full frame camera will be able to capture more of the room to begin with. But full frame cameras are expensive :/ I also use a 35mm lens now, which has helped a lot (before I was using a 50mm lens, which is a lot more "zoomed in"). Hope that helps!
I love your tip of using a tri-pod! When I took photos of renaes house I had a hard time with the graininess. But I also took the photos on a rainy day. Not a great idea! It's hard to find the perfect window of time for photography.
Yes, it really is. So much easier in the summer, at least!
Very good tips! Thanks for this great post!
x Francesca of primpandpaper.com
These are such simple helpful tips! Thank you!!
So glad you found them helpful!
Hey are using Wordpress for your site platform? I'm new to the blog world but I'm trying
to get started and create my own. Do you need any html coding expertise to make
your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
Just stopped by from Rambling Renovators. Thanks for sharing these tips! I'm always trying to improve my blog photos
My husband still laughs about the pictures I took of our first home when we were selling it. At one point I moved the fridge to get a better view. Right with you, sistah!
Niiiice. You gotta do what you gotta do!
Visiting from Rambling Renovators. I've only been blogging for a year so I am always looking to improve my photography. Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
K.
Great tips! I particularly like the one about 2s delay when using a tripod...can't believe I haven't thought about it earlier! :))