Interior photography is a separate area of ​​photography, the primary task of which is to depict the interior space of premises in the most advantageous perspective. Often the photographer needs not only to show the room in terms of composition and perspective, but also to pay attention to details: to focus on the texture of walls and furniture, it is beneficial to emphasize the lines. In this article, you can learn some tips on how to start photographing the interior of the premises.
Features of interior photography
Each photographic theme has both certain attractive sides and negative ones. Take advantage of interior photography - you have to shoot stationary objects, which means you do not need to be on your guard and catch every moment. Give yourself time to take a closer look at the room and find the best angle for your photo. Experiment with unexpected heights and non-obvious shooting positions. Also try all possible light sources - only daylight from the window, only artificial (most often - not), a combination of daylight and any of the fixtures. For each of the options, take a few frames and evaluate the result.
The importance of a tripod
Do not forget about the tripod. In order to further insure yourself against blurry photos, it is best not to neglect the support and fixation for the camera. In addition to a tripod, a camera remote control (wireless is best) can come in handy - after all, even a slight touch of the camera when pressed can cause unnecessary vibration, which will result in reduced sharpness and increased noise. It is excusable in sports photography (and perhaps only to amateurs), but not for professional interior photography.
Camera settings
For camera settings, experts advise setting a large depth of field (focal length f 6.3 and above) to give volume to the room in the final image. It is also recommended to lower the ISO (photosensitivity) to minimize noise and use a slow shutter speed to literally "paint" with light. Capture large areas of space than you want to show - during the processing of interior photos you can crop unnecessary areas, but if necessary they will give you the opportunity to align the photo.
Space organization
At the moment, you are “your own director,” the main character on the set. Decide or agree with the customer what exactly you want to see in the final photo, and in accordance with this, organize the interior. Trust your flair for the photographer. See an extra color spot? Feel free to clean. On the contrary, I want the bathroom photo to look more interesting - add a towel of a contrasting color hanging on the hook. The fact that you need to remove all visual (and real) garbage, as well as sloppy objects scattered, in theory, do not even need to be reminded. Some connoisseurs of interior photography also recommend avoiding overlapping - so that some pieces of furniture do not cover others, because this interferes with the clarity of perception of the picture.
And vice versa - if no one has yet settled in the apartment to be rented, you will need to “revive” it. This will help various small details that are selected depending on what kind of story you want to create. It can be a fruit bowl for the kitchen, toys in the children's room and, in the end, even a cat. Do not be afraid to include people in your pictures - unless, of course, this is agreed with the customer.
Perfect light
The task of interior photography is to show the room in natural light. It’s rare when you have to shoot an interior in which there are no windows. It is best to wait until the room is lit as much as possible, otherwise the photo may have many dark areas. It is also good to shoot in soft diffused light, which happens in the early morning or at sunset. To create the effect of sunlight falling through the window, some photographers recommend even lighting the interior with a spotlight from the street.
If there are really no windows in the room, or you have to shoot at night, then you should use all possible light sources - turn on the "upper" light, all the lights and bulbs. Sometimes you have to use a flash, but this should not be noticeable in the photo, otherwise the space will not attract, but tear away with artificial light.
Drops of light
The opposite situation also happens - the light from the windows or from another source is too bright, as a result of which the photo is obtained with sharp changes in lighting. In this case, you will most likely have to take several photos with different exposure options: in one case, you will need to expose the frame in those areas that appear dark, in the other - in those that appear bright, and when processing, combine the photos taken in " Photoshop. " It is also recommended that you close the light source for one of the photo options, and ideally, acquire studio equipment for additional lighting that will allow you to align the light throughout the frame. By the way, if you have a lot of additional equipment, then it is more convenient to start shooting from the farthest room, so that you gradually pull up the devices along with you to the exit.
Foreshortening
Most often, you have to shoot a room from a corner using a wide-angle lens. For interior photography, such a lens is best suited to maximize the coverage of space at a limited distance. Experts recommend using a 16-24 mm lens for wide-format shooting, as well as tilt-shift lenses for leveling out the perspective. However, if you rent an interior, for example, in order to sell an apartment, then buyers may be quite surprised by the real size of the room after viewing such photos.
Try not to "fill the horizon." Sometimes the falling lines give the photo an artistic meaning, but now you have a different task. However, if both you and the customer find it interesting to take a photo at an angle of 45 degrees, then go for it.
An interesting tip is to shoot from a small height, approximately from the level of the navel - this does not distort the size and proportions of the room and objects in it so much. If you take a photo of the room, straightening at full height, the furniture in the photo may look too small and disproportionate. Shooting from a low point allows the viewer to feel part of everything that happens in the picture. Shooting from the top point can be used as a visual technique in small rooms to specifically create the effect of distortion of space in the final photograph - then the viewer will feel as if he were watching from above.
Play with space
In order to visually increase the space, you can build a composition in the photograph relative to the mirror. Often this is how bathrooms are created. But at the same time, be careful that the flash from the camera does not create glare in the reflection - you can use a polarizing filter for this.
Another option for enlarging a small room is shooting from a doorway. Be prepared for the fact that you have to literally squeeze yourself into the wall to capture as much space as possible in your lens. Some photographers go further and simply close the camera against the wall, take pictures almost at random (of course, after calculating the desired angle). There is also the idea of ​​fixing the camera to the ceiling.
One option is to come to terms with the fact that everything does not fit in one frame anyway, and make several general plans from different angles, and then switch to individual details and use subject and macro photography. Focus on photos - pay attention to unusual details or non-standard angles. If the window opens a beautiful view - be sure to demonstrate it. This will once again emphasize the advantageous advantages of this room over other options.
Retouching interior photos
Retouching interior photography is no different from processing any other kind of photograph. Unless you have to pay special attention to the geometry of the image - align the photo so that the vertical lines (walls, cabinets, doorways) are strictly vertical, as they are usually perceived by the human eye. Find out in advance from the client whether there will be inscriptions on the picture - this can make adjustments to the processing and cropping.
Then check the white balance, exposure, the balance of light and shadow, contrast - if necessary, all these values ​​can be “tightened”. The same applies to color - if absolutely identical color reproduction is required, then it will be important to adjust the lighting temperature and the brightness of the tones. In modern editors, you can also use the noise reduction tool and remove unwanted details by simply cutting them out.
Useful Tips
How to become an interior photographer? As for mastering any profession, in order to learn how to beautifully remove interiors, it will take months and years of practice. Some photo schools offer interior photography courses - this will help you to learn basic skills and make friends with like-minded people in a short time, but it will not make you a truly professional photographer.
Most often it is recommended to start with what is at hand - simply try to photograph your apartment or friends' houses. Gradually you will beat your hand on this. Do not forget to browse magazines with a selection of beautiful interiors or publications on the Internet. At the same time, do not just contemplate the aesthetics of photography, but ask yourself questions: why do you like this photo, what specifically attracts you to it? How is it made, from what angle, what was the lighting like? Thus, you determine what a successful interior photograph is exactly in your understanding.