Photography Tip—How To Capture the Essence of an Interior Space, Part 1

For many photographers, especially beginners, an interior environment is nothing more than the space in which photos are taken of family members, friends, pets, holidays, parties, etc. These photographers are so focused on the subjects of their pictures that they don’t view the room itself, as a worthy object for their pictures. Some of the reasons to shoot interiors, as interiors, are to record their design and furnishings, especially after having been recently refurbished, to produce images to help sell a residential or commercial property, to document a property for insurance purposes and simply to preserve the memory of a former residence or even a childhood bedroom.

Typically, there are professional photographers who specialize in shooting interiors, as a subset of architectural photography. This two-part PhotographyTalk.com article explores many of the pros’ techniques, which are easy to use and will result in excellent pictures of the interior spaces in your life.

As noted in the PhotographyTalk.com article, Photography Tip—How To Take Memorable Father’s Day Pictures, Part 1, there are three important questions you should always ask yourself before the start of any photography project or assignment. These also apply to interior architectural photography.
“What is the subject of my photograph?”
“How can I attract attention to the subject?”
“How can simplify the picture and eliminate any distractions?”

The subject of an interior photo is, of course, the interior, not just a person or object in the space. Every interior will have one or more interesting views (and some that aren’t so interesting), so you will need to “scout” the space with your camera to discover the best angles and framing. Just like the pros, you’re looking for the essence of the interior space: What distinguishes it from others? It could be the windows and window dressings, a fireplace, a cozy arrangement of chairs, etc. You’ll find the PhotographyTalk.com article, Digital Photography—How To Compose Photos Instead of Just Framing Them, a big help.

Typically, you can’t capture an entire room in a single photo, although there are ways to use photo-editing software to combine various photos to create a 360-degree view of the interior for online viewing. Those techniques are not the purpose of this article, however.

To show as much of the interior as possible, use a wide-angle lens, either a fixed focal length or a zoom lens with wide-angle capabilities. Although most compact cameras with built-in lenses will shoot at a wide angle, an SLR camera is preferred, since you can change the lens to a 28mm, 24mm or even wider. Remember, when shooting interiors, the best angles are often low, especially if there are ceiling design elements you want included in your pictures. Another option is to shoot from the different steps (heights) of a ladder placed in one or more corners of the room.

Lighting is also a primary element of good interior photography. Most of those tips will be found in Part 2. For beginners, the two most important points to remember is try to avoid windows that are very bright. That bright area will distract from what you want to show of the interior and could make choosing exposure settings more difficult. When there is a brightly lit window or many windows in the room, consider shooting at the end of the day at dusk. The level of light coming from outside will be more equal to the light in the room.

Read Part 2 of this PhotographyTalk.com article for more tips to shoot good interior photos.

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