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Interior Home Photos - Doing It Yourself

By Rachel Lewis

With the age of digital cameras, it has never been easier to photograph your own home building projects. Whether it's for advertising, competitions, or your own portfolio to show prospective clients, there's always a need for great pictures. Just because it's digital however, doesn't mean you can snap away expecting your results to be brilliant or even acceptable for these purposes. Here are a few techniques that can be followed to achieve decent results with even the most basic camera.
 
Time of day is crucial when photographing home interiors. Try to avoid shooting at times when bright sunlight will be streaming through windows. This creates a harsh, high contrast situation, which is difficult to control without professional lighting. Contrary to popular belief, the best weather for shooting interiors is on an overcast day. In these conditions the light is softer and your room will be more evenly illuminated and therefore easier to photograph.
 
Most camera models will allow a manual exposure override. If the image appears too dark, you can lighten it by adjusting the exposure compensation control. Consult your camera instructions on how to use this feature as it is an effective way to get pleasing results.
 
Photographing interiors at twilight is another method of dealing with difficult lighting situations. Providing you shoot in the small timeframe between sunset and darkness, this is a perfect time for photographing your interiors. Make sure there is still a bit of light in the sky so the windows aren't pitch black. Shooting at this time also gives a prestigious feel due to the warm glow of the interior lights contrasting with the twilight sky.
 
To ensure the best quality image is achieved, use a tripod to support the camera. This way, your results will be sharper and you'll be able to easily refine your composition. Also remember to keep the camera straight, both vertically and horizontally. When the camera is level, it will avoid lines converging and the perspective will be accurate.
 
A common goal when composing a shot is to make the room look as spacious as possible. If your camera doesn't have a wide angle lens, position yourself as far back as possible to maximize what's included in the frame. Be aware of how much ceiling and floor is included in the frame. If in doubt, stick to the common 'rule of thirds', meaning that if you break up the frame into three sections, there should be an equal amount of floor and ceiling. To alter this proportion, raise or lower the camera's height but remember the golden rule of keeping it level.
 
Always turn all the lights on, including lamps, as well as any lights in adjacent rooms that will be visible in the frame. If you're still finding your results are looking too dark, a simple halogen builders light that you may already own could be used. Position the light behind you so that it's not in the frame and ensure it's not too overpowering. Keep an eye on any unwanted reflections in windows, mirrors, ovens and picture frames.
 
If the house is furnished, there will always be a need for basic styling. Make everything look as good as possible by straightening couches, rugs, bedspreads, lampshades and remove any household junk or objects that may be distracting for example, stacks of newspapers and remote controls. Adding props such as flowers or fresh fruit can also brighten things up. Also remember to keep furnishings even; for example if there are two lamps on either side of a bed, and if only one works, keep them both off. Finally, ensure blinds are opened evenly for consistency.
 
Most digital cameras come with basic image manipulation software. Once you've downloaded your images onto the computer, you should be able to use this software to easily enhance them. Common adjustments include lightening and darkening, adding color saturation, cropping and resizing for web or email format as well as correcting color balance. While this is a solution to 'repairing' images, it's always important to start with the best composed and exposed image possible.
 
When marketing your building projects, it is extremely important that the photography is of a high standard so that it best represents the high quality building work that you provide. Remember that you're trying to make your building work look as good as it possibly can. In some situations, it can be ideal to hire a professional photographer to get the job done. The added expense guarantees excellent results without the stress of having to think about it yourself. That said, perfectly acceptable images can still be achieved by following these simple guidelines.
 
                                                                                                  

Rachel Lewis is a freelance architectural photographer based in Melbourne, Australia.