This is an article by guest author Julien Leveau where he brings you a series of professional tips for photographing interior architecture.
Capturing the inner beauty of a villa or property is not an easy thing. It requires a lot of skills and a good material to take advantage of architectural design. Playing with lines and curves, or managing lighting, are essential elements when taking a good photograph. As a professional architecture photographer, I am going to share my secrets so that you too get impeccable images.
- The team
- during the session
- Settings
- Edition
1. The team. Primary issue in interior architecture
Obviously the camera you use is important when taking pictures of interiors, but to achieve a great photo, the most important thing is the goal.
the material i use
For the interiors, I use several focal points depending on the space that the interior offers me and the effect that I want to obtain. Next, I share with you what I carry in my briefcase every time I capture interiors.
Camera
I am a Nikon hobbyist and use the D800, D810 and D850. I usually carry two of them just in case, but usually one will be enough. It is important to take several batteries and charger if it is a long session. To document a village, I spend an average of 8 to 10 hours, which allows me to document the sunset.
Objectives
As I already mentioned, the optics are the elements that will allow you to have THE PHOTO. In interior architecture, these are the ones I use:
1. The super wide angle, a 14-24mm Nikon. I use this lens between 14 and 19mm when spaces are very small (bathrooms or yacht rooms, for example). I recommend you limit its use in interior photography because it has several defects. The first flaw is that distorts the lines, which prevents me from readjusting them in editing. The second defect of the super wide angle is that it gives the impression that the space is bigger of what it really is. If the session is for the sale or rental of real estate, it can lead to the disappointment of a potential client when they visit the property and realize that the space is smaller than what they saw in the photos. That’s why, in most of the shots, I use the 24mm.
Image taken with a 17mm Image taken with a 24mm
2. The 24mm wide angle. I am a lucky owner of a Tilt Shift 24mm Prime lens and it is simply wonderful. Not because of its price (which costs almost 2,000 euros) but because of the possibilities offered by this lens. If you are not familiar with decentralized optics, I invite you to consult this complete article on their use. Basically, it allows you to focus on the desired area while keeping your perspectives straight. certainly a must and the one I use the most for interior photography.
Image without Tilt Shift changing position Image without Tilt Shift without changing position Image taken with Tilt Shift lens
3. Larger focal points. In addition to the lenses mentioned above, I use a 50mm and an 85mm (I don’t have larger focal lengths) for detail shots. My 50mm has a maximum aperture of f/1.2 and it gives me a lot of depth of field, very nice for room detail shots.
photographing the details
Tripod
I have a tripod equipped with a ball head. This accessory is essential to always have my lines straight and for long exposure shots. It is also at the time of making composite photographs (a topic that I will address later).
Flash
For artificial light use, I use a tripod-mounted remote flash. In case you can bring an assistant (or a second person) to the session, a light reflector can be the solution. These elements will help you to highlight the motifs in shadow or to adjust the differences in lighting between the interior and the exterior.
2. Tips during the session
The first step when I arrive at a farm is to take a tour. The objective is to visualize the spaces and determine how the light is going to move throughout the day in order to plan the shots according to schedules. For example, the terrace can be in the shade in the morning, but offer a magnificent sunset at nightfall.
Photograph taken during the day Same image taken at sunset
Once I have my session planned, I start working according to it and following the guidelines that I recommend below:
- Stand in front of the scene. Take your photos in front of your subject. Many interior photographers make the mistake of standing in a corner to show everything, don’t do it! (again unless it’s the intended target or the space is too tight for a head-on shot). A photograph does not have to show everything, on the contrary, sometimes it is preferable to suggest existence and let the viewer’s imagination do his job (don’t you think?).
- Suitable height. In order to keep the wall lines fairly straight, and to give the viewer the impression that they are visiting the property, it is necessary to use the correct tripod height. Adjust it between 1.5 and 1.6m in height to be level with the elements and obtain a neutral angle. You don’t want to take photos from below or above because it would enlarge or diminish the elements (unless that is the objective you are looking for). It is also a way of maintaining continuity between the different photographs.
- Use of light. I always try to limit the use of artificial light and optimize the natural light that comes through the windows. However, it is not always ideal or possible. In these cases, I use my flash to compensate for the lack of light in certain places in the space. I also take multiple shots using different exposures to get the low, mid, and high lights well exposed. In editing, I put together a composition of all those shots using Photoshop masks and I have my photograph finished. Do you remember when I told you about the need for a tripod to make compositions? Well this is the example.
3. Settings for shooting interior architecture
The settings I use in interior architecture will depend on each shot, but those are the general rules I apply:
- ISO. Always at 100 to save great image quality and avoid noise. I compensate for the lack of light with longer exposures.
- Opening. If I’m taking details or want to create a blur, I use large apertures (f/1.2 to f/2.8). For most shots I use an aperture between f/3.5 – 5.6.
- Exposition. Indoors there is almost no movement so long exposures can be used without problem (hence the importance of the tripod).
- Format. RAW, obviously, if you are not convinced, I invite you to review this article.
4. After the session. Editing in Photoshop
When I get to the office after a session, the first thing I do after downloading them to my Mac is select the ones I’m going to use in Lightroom. Once this process is finished, I transfer the files to Photoshop to combine my shots. Here is a small tutorial that explains this process very well:
And there you have it, the complete guide to taking professional-quality interior photos. I hope this is of some use to you and that you have learned something from my experience.
This is an article by Julien Leveau, a professional architectural and wedding photographer. You can follow his work at Julien Leveau and at Arcenciel Studio.
If you also want to participate as a guest author, click here.
If you liked the article, please thank Julien for his advice by sharing the article on your favorite social network so that others can enjoy his fantastic work and the advice he offers. Thank you and see you soon.