My 10 simple tips for photographing interiors

One of the things I often get asked is how to take beautiful, bright photos inside the home. In this blog post I’m going to be sharing all my tips for photographing interiors and creating harmonious, balanced compositions.

But first a little caveat: I don’t actually know a huge amount about photography. I’m certainly no expert. I’ve learnt everything I know with the help of a good eye and a bit of trial and error. I have a vague notion of how shutter speed and aperture works, but I don’t really know what all the settings on my camera actually mean. I didn’t read the manual or watch a tutorial. I’ve just taken my time to have a play around with my camera and get creative, seeing what works and what doesn’t, until I can shoot in manual and adjust the settings intuitively.

So these tips are less about how to use a camera, and more to do with setting up a beautiful composition and creating images that are naturally pleasing to the eye. Learn how to shoot in natural light, how to apply the Golden ratio and why you don’t need to edit your photos as much as you think you do.

Always shoot in bright natural light
First things first when it comes to photographing interiors, turn off any ceiling lights and lamps – they can give a yellow glow to a space and cast harsh shadows over furniture and objects. You want to capture a space in its best light and make sure the tones are true to life – natural light is far more flattering and closer to how you would see the space in reality (during the day). The light from a lamp might appear beautiful in real life, but capture it through the camera and it suddenly looks like it’s casting an ugly glare. Natural light will make for a far cleaner shot, without any funny shadows that can distract from the focus of the image.

If you’re struggling with daylight, move blinds and curtains to one side and open the windows to let in as much light as you can. If you’re shooting a still life or a small vignette, move it to the lightest spot in the room, ideally next to a window, to make the most of the best light. You can also learn how to shoot on manual, so that you can adjust the ISO (the camera’s sensitivity to light) and aperture (the opening inside the lens) and create much brighter images even in dingy light conditions. 

The weather needs to be just so…
But still, trying to find the right lighting conditions is a little bit like Goldilocks finding the perfect bowl of porridge. You want a little bit of sun, but not too much, and a few clouds but not completely overcast. Funnily enough, a wedding photographer dreams of a slightly cloudy day, so people aren’t squinting and shadows aren’t cast across people’s faces. Similarly with photographing interiors, a camera can struggle to capture bright sunshine indoors – certain areas of the image might appear like they’re blown out and some shadows might become very dark. Shapes might start to look blurry and colours might not be true to form. A cloudy day helps diffuse the bright sunshine so shadows appear softer and more even. 

‘Shoot from the hip’
If you’re shooting a whole room or a wider angle, lower your camera so that the viewfinder is at waist height (the belly button is a good marker). It may seem like the camera is positioned too low, but it creates a much more natural composition that mimics what you would see at eye level. It creates a sense that you could step right into that image, rather than feeling like the camera was a bit drunk – either at the top of the ceiling looking down at a funny angle or on the floor looking up. You might have to kneel on the floor or crouch down to get the same effect, so that you can still see into the viewfinder and know what it is you’re shooting. I always find myself getting into funny angles to take photos and always wonder why my back aches afterwards!

Straighten up your lines
Imagine there’s a grid over your picture – whether you’re shooting a corner of a room at an angle or a piece of furniture straight on, you want to make sure everything is lined up neatly. That means shelves appear level, walls appear straight and artworks on the wall appear secure not wonky. Otherwise your subject can start to become distorted and items can appear a little off to the eye, giving an almost vertigo feeling for the viewer. Some cameras will have handy guide lines in the viewfinder or on the view screen. My camera (an Olympus pen) has two little bars which flash green when the camera is at a straight angle – it’s such a helpful tool to make sure I’m shooting straight.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on kit (although it does sometime help)
If you’re photographing interiors for your blog or Instagram, you don’t necessarily need a super duper professional camera. Camera phones are so good now that you can take beautiful pictures and not be able to tell what it was shot on.

On Instagram I use a mix of iPhone shots and those taken with my Olympus Pen E-PL7. Sometimes the iPhone is better at capturing bright rays of light, sharp details from far away or quick, candid moments.

That said, you don’t get the same depth of field with a phone. If you’re really into your photography and want to take photographing interiors seriously, it’s best to invest in a decent camera. The Olympus Pen cameras are great because they’re light and compact (easy to travel with) but still have the capabilities of an SLR. You can change the lenses depending on what you’re shooting, whether it’s a wider angle or a close-up. I tend to use the 25mm lens for full room shots and the 45mm lens for details.

Use a tripod
If you don’t trust yourself to get a straight, steady shot, spend a little money on a decent tripod. They don’t cost much but they make the world of difference to help balance the camera and frame your shot. Photos will appear sharper and clearer as there’s less movement from the hands. It also makes styling easier as you can have your shot all set up and then go in and make tweaks without worrying where you were standing or if you’ll be able to get the same shot. You can also use a tripod for self portraits – rather than roping in my husband and getting frustrated with one another, I can connect my camera to my phone and use it as a remote control, hiding it behind my back when the shutter clicks.  

Make sure each object is clearly defined
You can set up one scene and it will appear completely different from different angles. If you’re shooting the same scene from various directions, each shot will require some tweaking when it comes to styling. You want to make sure that each object is seen and easily defined. You don’t want some items hiding behind things or becoming obscured – it creates a confusing shot because the viewer doesn’t know what they’re supposed to be looking at. You want a vase to look like a vase, a book to look like a book.

I usually take one tester photo then use it as a reference on screen while I’m tweaking and moving things around until everything looks right and natural to the eye. Sometimes it can take a bit of trial and error! I like to make sure objects are either overlapping slightly or there’s a comfortable space between them, rather than just touching. The negative space helps to more clearly define the objects’ shape. 

Find your focal point 
A photo needs to tell a story and have a purpose. What are you attempting to show? What are you trying to draw the viewer’s attention to? Make sure that whatever you’re trying to capture is the centre of the show. I learnt that in America’s Top Model would you believe! If you’re selling a watch, you want to see that watch clearly on the wrist, not hidden behind your leg… When photographing interiors, that might mean taking away any distracting objects in the background to give a clean backdrop, tidying up any unsightly wires and moving the washing out the way – you want to inspire and show the best version of that space. I still like to make sure that a scene looks slightly lived in – as if someone just walked out of the shot. That means ‘undoing’ the styling a little, ruffling up a blanket, fluffing up a cushion or opening a magazine – I like to create the feeling that the viewer could just step into that scene and enjoy that moment.

Use the Golden ratio as a guide
The proportions of the Golden ratio have long been used by artists, architects and photographers, from Da Vinci to Le Corbusier, to create balanced compositions. It is based on a ratio of 1 to 1.618; a ratio that can be found in some patterns in nature, such as the spirals of seashells and leaf formations. In photography, the thinking is that it creates a more natural, harmonious shot that appeals to the human eye.

Using the Golden ratio can first appear a little complicated and it takes some getting used to – it helps to have a picture of the Golden spiral to hand for reference (see below). Position your focal point in the tight curl of the Golden spiral and fit the rest of the composition to follow the curve. You can also use a more simplified version by dividing your composition into thirds and positioning most of the detail within a third of the area of the composition.

Having a central focal point bang in the middle of the shot would be a bit obvious to the eye, rather you want to excite the viewer with something that feels a little more dynamic and intriguing. It helps to have some negative space, whether it’s blank wall space above a sofa or a section of tablecloth next to a flaylay, as it helps draw attention to the main point of interest. 

Just a little bit of post-processing
Once you’ve got all these points down and start to feel more comfortable photographing interiors, your images really won’t need much editing because you’ll have already done all the hard work. I don’t like to over edit my images – they tend to only need a few adjustments. If I’m shooting for Instagram, I’ll use Snapseed to adjust the brightness, desaturate slightly and use the sharpen tool to make things look crisp and clear. If I’m editing photos for the blog, I’ll use Photoshop to do a similar job, occasionally touching up scuff marks on walls or using the clone tool to edit out wires. Long gone are the days of filters… I believe simple and natural is best – you don’t want things to look too forced or contrived.  

Most of all have fun with it and find out what works best for you. Experiment until it feels natural. I love days when I’m shooting, when I can get absorbed into a composition and all the little details; it becomes such a mindful moment where thoughts and worries can’t intrude.

Do you enjoy photographing interiors? Have you got any tips of your own?