When shooting interiors, we suggest you keep these tips in mind:
Keep the Look Natural
We can not stress enough on the importance of natural light. There's nothing better than having enough natural light in an interior shoot. Open up those windows. Also, turn on the lights. Let the light come in. Light creates an increased perception of space. At the same time, it makes the place look even more inviting.
If there isn't enough natural light, we highly recommend bringing in additional strobe lights or flashes to lighten up the area. Do keep in mind when using artificial light, you ideally want to make sure you bounce or diffuse it, and adjust the light strength to look as natural as possible. Be careful of unwanted reflections and shadows caused as this would be tedious and time-consuming editing out during post-production.
Don’t go Crazy with Angles
Angles work best when you are capturing portraits or events. When shooting interiors, even the slightest hand movements can make interior shots blurry. It is a good idea to mount your camera on a tripod and set the cameras built-in timer. It is always recommended to shoot with the camera at or slightly above mid-room height, especially if you are doing a series of images. This will help create a better perception of the place and will be easier for your viewers to relate to the photos without causing any confusion.
Create a Perspective and Align Lines
Architects are always talking about lines and perspective. So what is it? A perspective is the imaginary or actual lines in any space. When you look closely, you will always find lines in an interior space. Some of these are deliberate, and some are not. Look out for these lines and align the room's horizontal and vertical architectural elements with your camera's compositional grid.
Spend Time Organizing and Rearranging
I can not stress the importance of clearing up the area before the shoot begins. To give the idea of space and light, the less clutter in an area, the better it looks in photographs. A good rule of thumb I always stick by during interior photography shoots is, the "cantaloupe" rule, meaning any objects in the area that are smaller than a melon looks like clutter, especially in photographs. It is your job as an interior photographer in Dubai to advise your clients and help them de-clutter, also make sure that all tabletops, worktops, and tables are all clear. However, instead of making them totally bare, a good idea is to add small flourishes to show homeliness. For example, books, vases, candles of differing heights.
Be Careful With the Mirrors
You'll always find mirrors in an interior designed space. This can get tricky when it comes to photography, sometimes the mirrors can get in the way, and you as the photographer can be seen in some of them. Which kills the charm. Angle the pictures around the camera, so you do not get in the frame. If not it can always be edited out during post-production.
Editing the Pictures
Editing the pictures helps you iron out the imperfections. You can play with the light settings to create your mood. Is it cheerful or gloomy? Grand or homely? Tweak the highlights and the shadows in the images using a suitable software like Photoshop or Lightroom.
With editing, you can also sharpen the images or crop out the unnecessary ones.
We hope that these tips to shooting interiors will help you polish your skills. If you want professional quality interior design pictures for your hotel, restaurant or home, get in touch with our professional photographers in Dubai at The Photography Co.