Taking attractive photos of interior spaces can be challenging but it’s a skill that any photographer can develop. Struggling with challenging lighting, dealing with a rapidly changing landscape and unknowing subjects are part of the fun and difficulty of interior photography. Here are five easy tips to help get you started taking interior photos all with just a little bit of photo gear.

Use People

Sure, there are some interiors that are going to look best when empty. However, one of the most intriguing elements of interior photography is capturing how people interact with their environment. This can help you a lot especially when you’re trying to shoot at odd angles or show scale of objects, like having a person stand next to the Lincoln Memorial to show the massive size of the monument. Often times, taking pictures of groups or individuals in your interior can make for a more powerful image than one shot without people.

Assume it Will Have Low Light

One of the primary difficulties of interior photography is dealing with light. Digital cameras especially have trouble in low-light situations, and most interior environments are going to fall into that category. You can help to avoid this problem by using a tripod. The added stability of the tripod will allow you to take photographs at much lower shutter speeds without risking the blur caused by the natural movement of your body as you press the shutter button. Additionally, pack a filter or adjust your white balance to help avoid the nasty hue of fluorescent lights.

Look Around

We spend a lot of time looking around but what are we really noticing? When we’re in a hurry to go from “point a” to “point b” we usually don’t take time to look around. Make sure to examine everything in your entire environment since you can take the extra time to look around as the photographer. In the world of interior photography, there are countless beautiful images of floors, ceilings, obscure wall details, and plenty of other things that the photographer would have never noticed had they kept their eyes on the horizon. Every interior has its beauty but it’s up to you to discover it.

Share a Story

Photographs of walls and ceilings can certainly be pretty, but as a photographer it is your job to tell a story with every shot. You can use graffiti, building decay, signs, construction, people or anything else you can find to help tell the story in your picture. Remember that even in the case of interior photography, there should always be a reason for the photograph. While “it looked pretty” works every now and then, challenge yourself to see through the layers of the world and find the connections we all share, but often miss.

Your Perception Matters

What would be more visually interesting – a photograph of a spiral staircase, or a shot from the top of that staircase showing its long wind to the lower floors of a building? Whenever possible, try and force yourself to come up with new and interesting ways to capture an object. Much like human subjects, architecture can be made to look beautiful, ugly, or anywhere in between simply by finding a different angle or cropping out certain elements.

Interior photography is certainly a challenge, but without the necessity of a willing subject you may find that learning through trial and error is a little more fun. Set aside some time to shoot some of your favorite interiors, and let yourself discover ways to see them that you have never discovered. Just make sure that you have permission from the building owner – there are many interiors that are quite unfriendly to photographers. Most people however are happy to invite photographers to shoot as long as they come with minimal gear so try to shoot as many as possible.

Author Bio: Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Shop online and see our selection of classic double picture frames and simple triple picture frames online or call our picture frames store at 1-800-780-0699.

Category: Arts and Crafts
Keywords: interior photography,home interior photography,interior photography techniques