How to Take Photos of Your Home

Our resident photographer, Martin, documents the ins-and-outs of taking pictures of your home so you can take photos like a pro!

Taking pictures of your space can be challenging at times. The goal is to get the best quality image, but where to start?

Should you use your phone or do you need to buy a camera? How do you know if you have the right lightings? Or the best angles?

Well rest assured, we’ll do our best to answer your questions!

First question people ask is what camera to use. Thanks to present day technology, your phone has a high chance of being all you need! Newer generations of smartphones have 2 or more lenses. One of them may be an ultra wide angle lens, perfect for the job! Even if you don’t have that lens, most phones have the panoramic photo option, which essentially stitches multiple images together, giving you a seamless “wide” photo.

Of course, you may use a DSLR camera, where you have the ability to change the lens physically. This is where you’d start looking at a large variety of wide angle lenses. Anything from 10mm - 18mm should do the trick! If you’re not sure about investing in a particular lens, we recommend you search reviews on youtube! There you can find thorough information, including photo examples to give you an idea of what your images will look like.

Getting your space ready for photos can be a fun process. At this point, you can call yourself your own interior designer. First you’ll want to tidy and make your space presentable. This includes removing any distracting elements that are in your shot. Next step is the fun part - decorating. You may already have something set up in your room, but maybe you need to add a little something to make things *pop*! You can place a cute bouquet of flowers on the table, or a few plants, big and small, to liven up the energy. Play with your chosen colours as well. That is absolutely a great way to add some character to the room.

Once you’re ready to start shooting, you’ll want to assess your lighting situation. Does your room have windows to let in some natural light? Or will you have to rely on some artificial lighting? Either way, it’s a good idea to prep your space for proper exposure so it is not too dark, or not too bright. Using lighting from a floor lamp, desk lamps, or led lights can enhance your space in a complimentary way. After all, they are part of the room’s overall look and theme.

To get the best picture, figure out what your most ideal angles are and where you should take the picture from. Right off the bat, go to the corner of your space and observe what it looks like from there. Corners are usually a perfect point of view to capture the entire space. Perhaps you’ll want to include another image from the opposite side, to have all angles accounted for!

Lastly, if you think your image needs a little more pop, you can experiment with your editing. Easy changes can be adjusting your exposure for a brighter image. Let’s say you need a small colour boost, then bump up your saturation. Contrast adjustments also can give you more solid dark tones and brighten up your highlights. Maybe your images need to be a tad clearer, then you can play with your sharpness and your clarity adjustments. These steps are a little trickier and may take some tweaking to get the right mood for your photos.

Now that should cover all the basics for your shoot! Remember this is mostly trial and error. You’ll constantly be moving objects and furniture around, or trying different angles and positions to get the right picture that represents your vision. Interior decoration and photographing should be a fun and exciting experience. It gives you a chance to get creative and experiment with what you see in your head! After all, it is your space and you decide what your final look will be!