Authored by Geoff Vaughan in Photography
Published on 11-08-2009
Outdoor and interior photography both involve different techniques, and taking pictures inside also varies according to what you are trying to capture in the picture. If you want to take a picture of an object, or the inside of a home, you will need to follow different steps than if you want to take a picture of a person indoors. Following several tips outlined in this article will help you to take the best possible interior photographs.
The first tip is to not use a flash indoors. You won’t get an equal distribution of light with a flash, and this can create an unnatural look to the photograph, especially if you are taking a picture of objects or architecture in a building. Almost all digital cameras and film are set for outdoor photography, so you will need to make several adjustments in order to adjust the white balance inside, which you don’t typically have to do when you take a picture outside. Most digital cameras have a setting where you can adjust the white balance on the menu screen to any type of lighting. For example, the lighting setting will be different for interior photography with natural, fluorescent, and incandescent lighting indoors. Another way to get better light indoors without a flash is to use a tripod. The tripod will keep the camera steady when you take longer exposures, and lengthening exposure time to at least a half of a second will assist you in capturing a very natural, properly lit interior photograph.
The next tip is to keep the objects as simple as possible and the area clutter free. If you are taking a picture of an actual room, it is usually better to remove anything in the room that can distract from the actual image. Most architecture and interior magazines will also not have any people in the photograph of a room. People and clutter will distract the viewer from looking at the object you want them to focus their attention on, which is the room. Less is more when it comes to interior photography. This is also true when photographing people. Photographs of people look better when people wear very plain clothing, since viewers tend to focus on designs, which can detract from the person in the picture. Interior photographs of people wearing simple, solid colored clothing will turn out better than people wearing wild patterns.
If your goal is to get the room to look bigger, you should use a wide angle lens. Many real estate agents do this to attract people to look at the home by making the rooms appear larger in the photograph than they are in person. Another way to make the room look bigger is to choose a room with proper balance. For the most part, this involves having windows on at least two opposing walls of the room. Not only will this make the room appear bigger, the light will be more evenly distributed, which will result in a more flattering picture of the room. Many professional photographers will actually change all of the light bulbs in a room with brighter, high-flood bulbs to set the mood they want to achieve.
The key interior photography tips involve successful use of lighting. Adjusting your digital camera’s white balance, using a tripod to lengthen exposure time, and bringing in additional lighting and brighter bulbs will help create a better photograph. It is also important to consider the environment by keeping everything as simple as possible. Using these tips will enable you to take better interior photos.
