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PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE NOTES

CPW / GEN 5

Photographing Interiors for

Accommodation Providers and

Tourism Businesses

Inspiring Images from Wales

and Beyond by Nigel Forster

www.creativephotographywales.com

CPW. GEN 5 GENERAL COURSE NOTES – PHOTOGRAPHING INTERIORS 2

INTRODUCTION

These course notes are aimed at anyone looking to develop their understanding of interior

photography. You may be a photographer wishing to develop it as a specific interest or you may

be a tourism business (an accommodation or activity provider for example) looking to promote

your property in the best possible light! In this respect there may be information included here

which is below or beyond what you need but whatever your priority there’s plenty of information

here to enhance your knowledge of interior photography.

Topics covered in this paper Key Requirements and Considerations

Preparing your property for photography

Composition in interior photography

Getting it wrong – common errors and how to overcome them

The unique challenges of interior photography

How the professionals overcome these challenges

Photographing Details

Not just bricks & mortar - Promoting your ‘Brand’

Essential equipment and software

Photographing interiors is a wide ranging subject with many issues to consider and a number of

photographic challenges to overcome. This paper looks in general at the various aspects you will

need to consider and how to approach your photography. It does not go in depth into photographic

understanding and technique (these are covered in more detail in other papers) but gives the reader

a broad based understanding of the approach which needs to be taken to interior photography to

produce effective results. You will quickly see the limitations of the ‘Point and Shoot’ approach!

COURSE NOTES CPW/GEN 5

Photographing Interiors for

Accommodation Providers and

Tourism Businesses

AN HDR PRODUCED IMAGE – ONE OF THE

IMPORTANT TECHNIQUES IN INDOOR

PHOTOGRAPHY!


KEY REQUIREMENTS AND CONSIDERATIONS

Some basics – what equipment will you need? Images which are good enough for reproduction or web use are difficult to achieve with an

automatic compact camera for reasons which should become clear in this paper. More than nearly

every other photographic subject, control over exposure and other settings and use of RAW (digital

negative format) is vital in most situations. For this reason the following are basic requirements

A DSLR or Bridge Camera with an option for use of manual controls

A zoom or interchangeable lens facility with wide angle option

A tripod

The use of a computer with digital editing software

If you don’t have this equipment and are part of a tourism group that needs professional quality

images think about pooling resources – or of course employing a professional photographer!

How should I promote my property? Good interior photography is vital in promoting your home or premises to customers, whether they

are visiting or looking for accommodation. If just visiting, there may be public and private areas; you

only wish to promote the public areas; if they are staying with you, very often the whole property

inside and out is on show. Your style of photography needs to reflect your offer to customers.

Think of your target clientele. Do you want to be young & lively, quiet & slow paced, traditional or

modern, restrained or bold? The style of photography you use should reflect your market and how

you want to project your property.

Obviously your bedrooms should look quiet, warm and welcoming; your bathrooms clean and stylish

and your exterior in the best possible light. However the approach to your public areas may vary

depend on whether you’re a B&B or a pub. The pictures below show alternative approaches.

TWO VERY DIFFERENT PICTURES ABOVE: BOTH PHOTOGRAPHICALLY ACCEPTABLE BUT CONVEYING

A VERY DIFFERENT IMPRESSION OF YOUR PUBLIC SPACE….QUIET & RELAXED OR BUSY & THRIVING!!

IF YOU INCLUDE PEOPLE THEY NEED TO BE RIGHT FOR YOUR MARKET – THE IMAGE TO THE RIGHT

CLEARLY CONVEYS THE WRONG IMPRESSSION FOR A LIVELY BAR!!


TWO VIEWS OF THE SAME ROOM AT PICTON CASTLE IN PEMBROKESHIRE – ONE A TRADITIONAL

VIEW AND ONE A MORE ‘DYNAMIC’ APPROACH USING A LOW VIEWPOINT. BUT STILL VERY

DIFFERENT FROM ADVERTISING A PUB OR BAR!

What level of photographic knowledge will I need?

The answer to this depends on:

The layout and lighting of your property: properties with small poorly lit rooms (typically old

buildings) require a greater level of knowledge than brightly lit open plan rooms (typically more

recent buildings)

What you want to use the images for: web is perhaps more forgiving than reproduction

The scope and range of images you’re looking for: getting creative with focussing or detail

generally needs a higher level of understanding that straightforward general room shots.

At a basic level, an understanding of the following is required:

Setting the room out and preparing the property for photography

Familiarisation with your camera controls and settings

An understanding of basic composition guidelines

An understanding of basic errors and pitfalls in technique and composition.

At a more advanced level you will need some or all of:

An understanding of manual settings and controls on your camera

Knowledge of exposure and focussing control

Familiarisation with digital camera and processing techniques such as photomerges and HDR

photography

An understanding of the RAW format and digital post processing.


PREPARING YOUR INTERIOR FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

The best photography in the world will not rescue a poorly prepared property. This is not intended

to be a paper on interior design but some basic preparation and an understanding of what will

‘work’ photographically is essential.

The key factors are:

Organisation & furnishing of your room

The use of lighting

Soft Furnishings, ornamentation and flowers

Your ‘Branding’ (we deal with this later)

Good decoration and state of repair.

Organisation & Furnishing of your room

Rooms should be as clutter free and as tidy as possible. Photographs tend to work best with the

minimum of ornamentation and should be ‘depersonalised’. No-one wants pictures of your

family and pets on the wall or the kid’s toys in the corner!

Try not to fill space with excess furniture – only put in what is needed and will be there when

your guest enters the room.

Try to be consistent in style & period of furniture. Generally contemporary & simple is in vogue –

old fashioned & ornate is not. However, if your building is from a certain period and you wish to

be true to this it can work if done carefully.

Make sure that the important features are shown: a bedroom shot will need to show the bed; a

breakfast room will need to show the breakfast table! The bed must be perfectly made and

breakfast should be on the table.

Don’t be tempted to cover the walls with pictures – rooms can photograph perfectly effectively

without them. If you do have pictures / mirrors, few and large is always better then ‘many &

small’.

SIMPLE OR CLUTTERED: THE ROOM TO THE LEFT IS NEAT AND SIMPLE WITH MINIMAL AND

CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE: THE ONE TO THE RIGHT LOOKS CLUTTERED AND CRAMPED WITH

POOR AND INCONSISTENT QUALITY OF FURNISHINGS AND LIGHTING


TRADITIONAL: THIS HOTEL OWNER HAS GONE FOR A ‘PERIOD’ APPROACH. HIGH QUALITY ANTIQUE

FURNITURE HAS BEEN USED WHICH WORKS WELL IN THE EXAMPLE ON THE LEFT. HOWEVER THERE

IS AN INCONSISTENCY OF APPROACH ON THE RIGHT EXAMPLE – AND THE 4 POSTER IS NOT TO

EVERYONE’S TASTE!

CONTEMPORARY: THE BATHROOM TO THE LEFT IS STYLISH, CONTEMPORARY AND APPEALING. THE

BEDROOM TO THE RIGHT SHOWS AN INTIMATE BED SPACE AND PLENTY OF ROOM FOR OTHER

RELAXATION; THE CHAIR DESIGN HOWEVER DOES NOT MATCH THE REST OF THE ROOM


The Use of Lighting As we will see later in this paper, one of the main problems with interior photography is low and

uneven lighting. While much of this is within the control of the photographer, unless you are looking

for a particular ‘mood’ or effect, it’s usually best to supplement natural light with interior lighting.

You will notice that most of the examples I have used here have some element of artificial light. This

will have the effect of balancing the light levels of light and dark areas. In a modern building with

large windows this will be less of an issue than with more traditional buildings. Many bathrooms and

bar areas or old pubs or hotels will of course be very dark without artificial light.

Some general principles regarding lighting:

Using artificial lighting is not without its problems in photography: ‘Hot Spots’ around the light

source can burn out and artificial light creates an Orange or other colour shift in the image which

will need to be corrected in Photoshop. Covering bare bulbs with stylish shades can help.

In general you will need both low level and high level lighting: low level lighting adds far more

intimacy and warmth than ceiling mounted lights although these are often needed to boost

overall illumination levels.

Halogen bulbs give a more natural light colour than tungsten & others. Avoid fluorescent at all

costs - it photographs green and is very hard to correct!!!

There will generally be a difference between the quality and variety of light sources in a public

area of a hotel or bar, and that available in private rooms. Your bedrooms are the single most

important space – table or wall lamps by the bed(s) are a virtual must.

OVERHEAD LIGHTING

MAKES A SIGNIFICANT

DIFFERENCE TO THE

OVERALL LIGHT LEVELS.

HOWEVER THE PAPER

GLOBE IS NOT THE BEST

CHOICE

POOR LIGHTING: MORE

INADEQUATELY LIT

INTERIORS: THE SECOND

HAS SOME ADDITIONAL

LIGHT BUT IT’S

INSUFFICIENT

LIGHT ON OR OFF?

SWITCHING THE LIGHT ON

HAS WARMED UP THE

ROOM COLOUR. HOWEVER

IT HAS ALSO ADDED A

DISTRACTING BRIGHT SPOT

IN THE IMAGE


For additional mood, try putting some good quality candles in the picture – perhaps on a

mantelpiece if there is one.

If you’re about the refurbish your property, think about spotlights rather than a single bright

overhead light – they generally photograph better and create a much more even light. Globe

lanterns in particular create a rather unpleasant bright blob in the image AND BARE SINGLE

BULBS DO NOT WORK!

Wall lights or table lamps? Table lamps can be moved (often very useful in photography!).

BALANCED LIGHTING: WITH BOTH THESE EXAMPLES, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL LIGHT HAVE

COMBINED TO PRODUCE A NATURAL EVENLY LIT EFFECT. THE WALL COLOUR HAS AFFTECED THE

OVERALL COLOUR BALANCE LOOK AT THE SUBTLE SPOT LIGHTING

WALL LIGHTS OR TABLE LIGHTS BUT NOT BOTH!! THE SECOND IMAGE LOOKS CONFUSED WITH THE

SECOND SET OF LIGHTS A DISTRACTION. IN BOTH THE NATURAL LIGHT PROVIDES A PERFECT

BALANCE


Soft Furnishings, Ornamentation and Flowers The best of rooms can look bleak without additional wall and soft furnishings, perhaps some

ornamentation (but minimal & simple in my experience) and maybe a carefully placed bunch of

flowers. Soft furnishings from bed coverings to curtains should look immaculate – unmade or untidy

beds are not acceptable – but it happens!!

SOFT FURNISHINGS AND ORNAMENTATION CAN WORK – OR MAY NOT!!!!

Soft furnishings should be coordinated and in keeping with the style and colouring of the room.

Flowers or other ornamentation should be restrained and simple if used at all – flowers can look

contrived!

ADDING APPEAL: THE TWIN ROOM TOP RIGHT

HAS AN APPEALING WARMTH; THAT TO THE

RIGHT LESS SO DUE TO THE WALL COLOURING

(THE TABLE LAMPS HELP LIFT THE MOOD!).

WHILE NO BUNCH OF FLOWERS CAN SAVE THE

LACK OF APPEAL TO THE ROOM ON THE RIGHT!

ONE OR TWO LARGE PICTIRES OR MIRRORS ARE

ALWAYS BETTER THAN A COLLECTION OF SMALL

ONES.


Good Decoration, State of Repair and Clean rooms!! It may be stating the obvious but before photography takes place the property has to be as perfect

as possible. Poor decoration, broken features / objects and dirty floors / walls will not promote your

property well!

ALL THESE IMAGES DEMONSTRATE POOR PREPARATION: A DIRTY FLOOR. BROKEN TILES AND DIRTY

WALLS ALL REQUIRED MANIPULATION IN PHOTOSHOP – THIS SHOULD NOT BE NECESSARY AND THE

CUSTOMER WILL NOT BE HAPPY SEENG THE REALITY!!

Simple, very light neutral coloured matt surfaces are best. You don’t want dark surfaces that reflect

little light and make the room look gloomy; satin or soft sheen paint can give off unwanted

reflections, reflected light off deep colours will create a colour cast over everything and wallpaper

will make a room look fussy with poor colour rendition. If you have access to imaging software such

as photoshop you can improve things with colour casts but it will be difficult without.

YOUR CHOICE OF DECORATION: LIGHT, NEUTRAL COLOURS TEND TO PHOTOGRAPH WELL, WHILE

DEEPER COLOURS (PARTICULARLY YELLOWS) LESS SO AS THEY TEND TO INCREASE THE CAMERA’S

YELLOW DISTORTAION OF ARTICIAL LIGHT


What to look out for when photographing your rooms

There are some basic things to watch out for when organising and photographing your rooms. There

are also pitfalls it’s easy to miss but equally easy to avoid. Remember that the camera misses

nothing – things not particularly obvious to the eye will be very noticeable on the picture you take!

Things to look for in particular are:

Unwanted items and clutter: Is there too much furniture, furniture out of place or unwanted

items such as litter bins prominent in the picture? Always make sure the room is tidy!!

Do you want doors open in the picture? If the door is open is the view beyond appealing or

would you sooner shut it out! Generally closed is best unless you have a specific reason for

keeping doors open such as a feeling of space or an enticing view beyond.

The TV: if there is a TV in the room, do you switch it on or off. If it’s on the screen should not be

distracting and should have appropriate subject matter.

Soft Furnishings: Make sure these are neat and colour co-ordinated. Try the curtains open or

closed if (as you usually are) photographing in daylight.

Windows: Do you want windows in your picture? They create light contrast but make the room

look much brighter if photographed with the right technique.

UNWANTED ITEMS AND CLUTTER: THE LEFT HAND IMAGE HAS A MIX OF FURNITURE AND A

RUBBISH BIN IN THE CENTRE AND THE OPEN DOOR IS OBTRUSIVE IN THE SECOND IMAGE. YOU

MIGHT ALSO FIND THE TV SCREEN INTRUSIVE

DOOR OPEN OR CLOSED: AN OPEN DOOR MAY LEAD THE EYE TO ANOTHER ROOM BUT DO YOU

REALLY WANT A PICTURE OF THE TOILET IN YOUR BEDROOM IMAGE?


TV ON OR OFF? A PERSONAL CHOICE BUT DN’T LET IT DOMINATE THE PICTURE!

THE TV PICTURE: IF THE TV IS ON THE IMAGE NEEDS TO BE RESTFUL AND VISUALLY IN KEEPING

WITH THE IMPRESSION YOU WISH TO CONVEY – DO NOT HAVE PEOPLE ON THE SCREEN

RUFFLED BEDCLOTHES OR SOFT FURNISHINGS: THEY SHOULD BE AS NEAT AS POSSIBLE

CURTAINS OPEN OR CLOSED? YOUR CHOICE BUT IT’LL CHANGE THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE ROOM


COMPOSITION IN PHOTOGRAPHING INTERIORS

There are a number of general ‘rules’ of composition that apply in photography. Those most

useful in photographing interiors are:

The use of lead in lines.

Use of foreground, middle and distance.

The ‘rule’ of thirds

Shooting form different viewpoints / heights

Image orientation

Remember that these are not mutually exclusive; they are used in many combinations and after a

while their use is less a conscious decision and more instinct and ‘what looks right’! Also composition

is not only about how you frame the picture, but also about how you use aperture to control depth

of field, how you focus to lead the viewer’s attention and who you expose to use light and shade and

shape the image.

Lead in lines / use of diagonals

Pictures made up of a series of horizontal planes / features can be restful to the eye but equally

often dull. Add diagonal features and the effect is much more dynamic. Think how you can use

natural and man-made lines to draw the eye into the picture. Think about what you can use: flooring

patterns, table and furniture edges, handrails for example.

Try to avoid lines running vertically or across the picture – these rarely work unless a very

deliberate part of the composition & can have the effect of slicing the picture in two. More often

than not lead in lines will run from the bottom corners into the picture.

If there is a main subject think how you can use these lines to draw the eye towards the subject

(as in the staircase balustrade example below).

Symmetry often works well with lead in lines – the example second to right below is a good

example where the tiled floor pattern has been used to create this effect.

USING LEAD IN LINES: ALL THESE PICTURES USE LINES OF FURNISHING FEATURES OR BUILDING

LINES TO DRAW THE VIEWERS EYE INTO THE SCENE


Use of foreground, middle to distance

Like lead in lines, layers from foreground to distance can move the eye through the picture. This

avoids empty space and the lack of a ‘base’ to the image.

There is no set amount of ‘layers’; maybe there’s a simple but strong foreground feature leading

the eye to a landscape beyond, or a series of features taking you through the image.

If your main subject is in the background, do not let the foreground dominate; try to let the

foreground draw the eye towards the subject.

A simple rule of thumb is ‘foreground interest, midground subject matter, background clear’.

Think about what separates or ‘distinguishes’ the layers; is it the subject, shape or form, colour

or tone? How do these features make the image work? Usually, simple is best.

Think about how you can use the foreground item / feature to tell a story or ‘brand’ your

property as in the ‘Talybont Saga’ and Horatio Nelson’ images below.

If you want to sell images, people in the foreground overlooking a great (or familiar) view are

popular with buyers promoting tourism.

EXAMPLES OF USE OF FOREGROUND INTEREST: NOTE THE USE OF ‘PROPS’ TO PLACE THE IMAGE

IN CONTEXT


Framing

Frames are features that enclose and draw the eye towards the main subject. You can use a range of

architectural features to achieve this effect. Arches, doorways and windows are obvious features

you may wish to use for framing in photographing interiors.

Frames don’t have to be at the top of the picture. A feature at the side or base can work.

A frame within a frame can be effective as it concentrates attention on the subject and hints at

the wider context of the subjects setting.

EXAMPLES OF FRAMING IN INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY. NOTE THE USE OF AN UNUSUAL VIEWPOINT

9THE SPIRAL STAIRS) TO FRAME A GROUP OF PEOPLE


Shooting From Different Viewpoints / Heights

Many of the most interesting images are from high, low or original viewpoints. Think about varying

your position: getting close to the ground, getting high up or simply being original with your choice

of position to take photographs from. Experiment to see the different effects that you can achieve.

Don’t just choose one viewpoint in each room. Take a variety of pictures from different

viewpoints. One or two will always work out better than the others.

Shoot from a low viewpoint with a wide angle lens to get an alternative view.

Shoot from a high viewpoint to the scene below where you’ll get a different perspective.

Some rooms have awkward shapes and proportions. Use viewpoints that accentuate space

rather than seem to reduce it.

ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINTS AT PICTON CASTLE: HIGH AND LOW VIEWPOINTS

4 VIEWPOINTS OF THE SAME ROOM. THE TOP TWO HAVE THE COUCH ON THE MIDDLE OF THE

FRAME AND THEY DOMINATE THE IMAGE. THE LOWER TWO ARE MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL AS THEY

USE FEATURES TO FRAME THE ROOM AND OPEN UP SPACE


SHOOTING FROM DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS / HEIGHTS: BEING ORIGINAL WITH YOUR VIEWPOINT

CAN MAKE A GREAT DIFFERENCE TO THE IMPACT OF YOUR PICTURE

LOW VIEWPOINTS WORK WELL: TRY LOOKING ACROSS A BED RATHER THAN TOWARDS IT BUT

MAKE SURE THE BED COVERINGS ARE IMMACULATELY UNRUFFLED!

You’ll notice that most of these pictures have been taken using a wide angle lens: while you’ll

generally use a wide angle lens or wide setting on your zoom with interiors, where you’re looking for

high and low viewpoints, this is the lens what will often give the most interesting results. Note the

strong use of diagonals in many of these images.


Image Orientation – Landscape (Horizontal) and Portrait (Vertical) Format.

You may have noticed that many of the examples I have shown here have been taken with the

camera held vertically – known as ‘Portrait Format’. Very often the shape of interiors and the image

you want is better captured in this format.

Most camera formats produce rectangular pictures, allowing the photographer to hold the

camera to produce horizontal or vertical results; think about what format will best suit your

composition and the effect you want to achieve.

Horizontal (Landscape Format) images tend to emphasise the relationship between subject

elements on the left and right of the frame, while vertical (portrait format) pictures tend to more

strongly relate foreground and background elements.

If you are looking to use images for publicity purposes, don’t forget the benefits of ‘empty space’

that a title or other written material can go into. This can mean taking both landscape and

portrait format. Also, since most printed publications are vertical in format, pictures are more

likely to be used full-size if they are vertically framed.

SOME EXAMPLES OF EFFECTIVE USE OF PORTRAIT FORMAT – TIGHT SPACES SUCH AS BATHROOMS

CAN OFTEN BE BEST SHOT VERTICALLY OTHERWISE THEY CAN LOOK A LITTLE ‘CHOPPED OFF’ TOP

AND BOTTOM. NOTICE THAT ON THE CENTRE IMAGE THE FOCUS IS JUST ON ‘FOOD AND BUILIDNG ‘

AND NOTHING ELSE DISTRACTS THE EYE

HORIZONTAL

FORMAT TAKES IN A

WIDER VIEW –

VERTICAL FORMAT

FORMS A STRONGER

RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN

FOREGROUND AND

BACKGROUND


THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES OF INTERIORS

You’ve learnt more about your camera, prepared your property for photography, learnt how to

compose your pictures, learnt a little about branding…………….but your images still aren’t looking

right! Interior photography has some very unique challenges. Possibly more than any other

photographic subject, interiors are dependent on reality having the right equipment and having

some knowledge of more advanced techniques – a point and shoot camera set on auto will rarely

produce effective results

These challenges are mainly to do with the Quality of Light, in terms of LOW and UNEVEN light

levels and of Small and Awkwardly Shaped Rooms as explained below.

Low light levels:

Interiors are dark compared to the outside. Using a digital camera set on auto will automatically

make the flash go off; you won’t get a natural look with even light. Use it on manual and your

shutter speed will be slow which will cause what is known as camera shake. Added to this, one of the

features of photography is that you will usually want all your image in focus from subjects near to

the camera, to those far away.

The camera exposure is a balance of APERTURE (the size of the hole which lets light in) and SHUTTER

SPEED) the length of time the shutter is open. If you use a large aperture (a large hole in the lens) to

let light in more quickly, the less of the image will be in focus. Conversely, using a SMALL APERTURE

(a small hole in the lens) means using a longer shutter speed but more of the image will be in focus.

Therefore a TRIPOD is ESSENTIAL for interior photography.

THIS IMAGE IS BLURRED DUE TO CAMERA

SHAKE AS A LONGER SHUTTER SPEED

WAS USED THAN COULD BE HAND HELD.

THE USE OF A TRIPOD WOULD HAVE KEPT

THE CAMERA STILL


UNDERSTANDING DEPTH OF FIELD: SEE IN THE FIRST IMAGE EVERYTHING IS ON FOCUS BUT IN THE

SECOND THE APPLES ARE IN FOCUS BUT THE BACKGROUND IS BLURRED – THIS IS KNOWN AS THE

USE OF ‘DEPTH OF FIELD’. THE FIRST PICTURE NEEDED A SMALL APERTURE AND LONG SHUTTER

SPEED AND THE SECOND A LAGRE APERTURE AND SHORT SHUTTER SPEED. A TRIPOD IS ESSENTIAL

Uneven light levels.

This is an even bigger problem than low light levels as it can’t just be overcome with the use of a

tripod. Typically many interiors have dark unlit areas in shadow. The most obvious problem is taking

photographs with the camera pointing outside through a door or window – the outside is much

brighter.

IMPOSSIBLE LIGHT CONTRAST: 2 SETS OF

PICTURES – ONE EXPOSED FOR THE OUTSIDE

AND ONE FOR THE INSIDE. THE NAKED EYE

CAN EASILY SEE THE BRIGHT AND DARK

AREAS AT THE SAME TIME BUT THE CAMERA

CAN’T - IT CAN’T HANDLE THE CONTRAST –

SO THE PHOTOGRAPHER IS DISAPPOINTED

WITH THE RESULTS BUT DOESN’T KNOW

WHY!


The small size of rooms:

Interiors aren’t like the landscape – rooms and spaces are often small and difficult to photograph.

Very often you’ll need to use the widest angle of view possible; either through the use of a wide

angle lens or the use of the widest possible setting on your camera zoom. The key objective is to give

the impression that the room is larger than it actually is – although there is a cottage in Robin Hoods

Bay in North Yorkshire that market’s itself on its tiny size!

NONE OF THE ABOVE IMAGES SHOW THE ROOMS SUFFICIENTLY IN CONTEXT. ALL WERE TAKEN

WITH A WIDE ANGLE LENS WHICH SHOWS THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM WITH A STANDARD LENS!

BALANCING LIGHT: WITH

THESE EXAMPLES SEE THE

DIFFERENCE PUTTING THE

MIDDLE LIGHT ON – POOR

INTERIOR LIGHTING

CREATES GLOOMY AREAS

THE IMAGE TO THE LEFT SHOWS BOTH

INSUFFICIENT AND GLOOMY LIGHTING,

INSUFFICIENT ‘WARMTH IN TERMS OF

COLOUR AND USE OF SOFT FURNISHINGS

AND A LACK OF CONTEXT. IT GIVES A POOR

IMPRESSION OF THE ROOM


BATHOORMS ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT TO PHOTOGRAPH: THE SECOND IMAGE IS A PHOTOMERGE

AND THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT FOCUSSES ON DETAIL – OFTEN A SOLUTION TO A DIFFICULT SPACE

The awkward shape of rooms

Many rooms are not evenly proportioned: they may be long and thin, a right angle or have odd

proportions (typical with en-suite bathrooms which have been built into corners of rooms)

AWKWARD ROOMS: THIS WAS AN AWKWARD SHAPED ROOM WITH THE BED DOMINATING. THE

MOST SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLE WAS THE ONE WITH THE BOOK ON THE FOREGROUND – THE CONTEXT

IS THAT LORD NELSON STAYED THERE ONCE!! THE IMAGE BOTTOM LEFT USES THE BED TO FRAME

THE ROOM INSTEAD OF THE CAMERA FACIING THE BED – IT WORKS BETTER.

Digital Photography has ways of dealing with these problems. More of that later in the

next section…..


HOW THE PROFESSIONALS DEAL WITH THE DIFFICULTIES OF

PHOTOGRAPHING INTERIORS

Contrast and Lighting Extremes

There are a number of ways of dealing with this:

Balancing lighting. We have already seen how balancing interior lighting with outside light can

produce far more even lighting. A mix of low level light and ceiling light can reduce dark areas and

shadows. Ceiling lights can cause problems with large bright spots on the image though; you may

wish to crop this out or turn the ceiling light off.

WAYS OF DEALING WITH A BRIGHT CEILING LIGHT: EITHER SWITCH IT OFF OR CROP THE IMAGE

Using RAW – not JPEG: RAW is effectively a ‘Digital Negative’ file format. It is an unprocessed and

uncompressed file in which no image detail has been lost in the camera. The problem with a JPEG is

that it is a compromise – the camera has decided the ‘best’ solution and deleted over half the

available information – this information is vital in image processing, particularly in controlling

extremes of contrast. For the reasons already described, the use of RAW in photographing interiors

is probably more important than in other photographic subjects and is actually essential in

producing high quality images for reproduction and web use.

For example if a JPEG has overexposed areas, the detail will be bleached out; if RAW is used, much of

this is recoverable due to the amount of embedded information. This is difficult to illustrate with a

small low resolution image but Nigel illustrates this in all his courses.

Please note that to use and process RAW you will need access to digital imaging software such as

photoshop or your camera’s own software. For anyone not familiar with using RAW Nigel is happy

to provide more information.


Using Fill-in Flash: Using flash can be effective in balancing light levels. Note I have used ‘Fill-In

Flash – it is not the main light source: it is simply used to supplement natural light to fill in dark areas

and shadows. It is also ‘Bounced’ rather than direct – this avoids flat results.

FILL IN FLASH HAS SUCCESSFULLY FILLED IN THE SHADOWS AND LIT UP THE BACKGROUND IN THIS

SHOT TAKEN AT A WEDDING

FLASH OR NO FLASH? THE FIRST IMAGE JUST USED AVAILABLE LIGHT, THE SECOND WITH ADDED

FLASH. WHILE EVENING OUT THE LIGHTING IT HAS DIMINISHED THE CHARACTER OF THE ROOM

GETTING FLASH WRONG:

NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN FILL IN FLASH

AND ALLOWING THE MAIN

FLASH TO DONIMATE. IN

THIS EXAMPLE THE

‘OVERDONE’ FLASH

ILLUMINATES THE

FOREGROUND AND CASTS

STRONG SHADOWS BEHIND

THE ARCH FEATURE,

DESTROYING THE IMAGE


HDR (High Dynamic Range) Photography: This process was specifically created to deal with

interior photography, its extremes of contrast and the limited ability of digital technology to cope

with it. It involves taking a series of identical pictures at different exposures, from those exposed for

the darkest parts of the image to those exposed for the brightest. A series of 5 images is typical (One

f:stop or twice the brightness) apart. An example is shown below:

AN EXAMPLE OF AN HDR PRODUCED IMAGE. THE BLENDED VERSION IS SHOWN ON THE BOTTOM

RIGHT – YOU WILL SEE THAT THE IMAGE HAS CORRECTLY EXPOSED THE BRIGHTEST AREAS AND THE

DARKEST AREAS. THE EFFECT CAN HOWEVER LOOK A LITTLE UNNATURAL AND NEEDS TO BE

PROCESSED WITH CARE

What you will need to produce HDR images:

A tripod – you will be using slow shutter speeds and each image needs to be identically

composed apart from the different exposures.

HDR Processing Software – the most popular is PhotoMatix Pro (cost about £70)

http://www.hdrsoft.com. Don’t use the photoshop version – it doesn’t work!!

An understanding of how to set your camera controls to take a series of images at different

exposures.

http://www.hdrsoft.com/


Taking in a wide angle of view

As mentioned before one of the major problems with interior photography is restricted space and

angle of view – bathrooms can be a particular problem where it’s often simply impossible to get the

perfect viewpoint to show the room off.

.

CREATING A PANORAMIC PHOTOMERGE: THE ABOVE VIEW OF A KITCHEN IS A COMPOSITE OF 4

SEPARATE IMAGES STITCHED IN PHOTOSHOP. NIGEL CAN TEACH YOU HOW TO DO THIS!!

USING AN

ULTRA-WIDE

ANGLE LENS.

THESE IMAGES

COULD NOT BE

TAKEN WITH A

STANDARD LENS

– THESE WERE

TAKEN AT

10MM


Correcting colour casts and warming up your images

A simple increase in the colour temperature of the image can add warmth and appeal to your

interior. This can easily be done with imaging software. An example is shown below – the most

accurate example is actually the coolest one but it’s not necessarily the most appealing so you may

prefer to adjust the colour temperature.

3 EXAMPLES OF HOW COLOUR TEMPERATURE CAN BE ADJUSTED. THIS IS A BASIC FUNCTION IN ALL

IMAGING SOFTWARE. THE ORIGINAL IMAGE 9UNADJUSTED) IS SHOWN WITH THE RED BORDER

CORRECTING COLOUR CASTS: IN THIS EXAMPLE THE FIRST IMAGE HAD AN UNPLEASANT GREEN

TINGE DUE TO THE COLOUR OF THE WALLS AND THE MIXED LIGHTING. THE COLOUR WAS

CORRECTED IN PHOTOSHOP


Using black & white

Converting images to Black & White is simple and effective in photoshop. It can add atmosphere and

character to images. However do not use the in-camera option – it will not give you control over the

results and will only give you a processed JPEG.

A SIMPLE B&W CONVERSION

USING THE B&W OPTION IN HDR SOFTWARE

PHOTOGRAPHING AN EXTERIOR IN COLOUR AND BLACK & WHITE


BRANDING YOUR PROPERTY AND PHOTOGRAPHING DETAILS

Your promotional material will not only want to show your rooms and overall views of your

property. You can add significant interest and help to ‘Brand’ your property by looking at details,

features and what makes your hotel, B&B or activity centre unique. The ‘Branding’ choices are

numerous and can for example be based on:

Your location – what is special about your locality and how can you link it to your photography

Your architectural style – is there something unique about your property you wish to highlight.

Your offering – do you specialise in your local food and drink.

Your heritage – is there a historical link to your property and / or location you wish to highlight

Your facilities – do you have a spa, wonderful view, garden or something really special?

Architectural Features Your property will have many interesting features which can say far more about its character than an

overall view. These may be picture windows, stained glass, cornices, floor patterns, lighting features,

feature fireplaces, fixtures and fittings.

EXAMPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES AND FITTINGS: YOU MAY WANT TO USE. THE STAINED

GLASS IS FROM A TOILET DOOR! IF YOU HAVE A TRADITIONAL FIREPLAE MAKE SURE IT’S LIT.


Ornamentation and displays As we have seen above, the way your property is furnished is vital in how it is promoted. As well as

the general furnishings, you may have ornamentation or displays you wish to use to give an insight

into the building. Shelf displays, flowers, candles, local information material, prominent paintings

and more can be used to great effect.

USE ‘THE FINISHING TOUCHES’ TO HELP TO BRAND YOUR PROPERTY: THINK ABOUT HOW THE

ORNAMENTATION AND DISPLAY FEATURES FITS WITH THE STYLE YOU WISH TO PROMOTE (FOR

EXAMPLE IS IT TRADITIONAL OR CONTEMPORARY?). BE CREATIVE WITH YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND

CHOICE OF LENSES / FOCAL LENGTHS.


Food, Drink and Complementary items The quality of your food and drink offering and the additional things you offer to your customers can

be used to add to your ‘branding’. This includes tea & coffee making facilities, bathroom extras /

toiletries, chocolates and biscuits and anything else you may offer. Note the frequent use of an out

of focus background to draw the eye to the main subject. To do this requires an understanding of

aperture control.

USE FOOD, DRINK AND COMPLEMENTARY ITEMS IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY: NOTE THE USE OF

‘PRODUCT PLACEMENT’ IN MANY OF THESE IMAGES – IF YOU USE A LOCAL SUPPLIER TRY TO GET A

SPONSORSHIP OR WEBLINK ARRANGEMENT WITH THEM.


Heritage and History Does your property have any important historical references or connections? Try placing a reference

to this in the foreground. If you house paintings or other artworks include them in your

photography.

Your exterior and immediate surroundings

Your location is your biggest selling point. This includes the immediate surroundings of your building

and the wider landscape and environment.

MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE THE BEST VIEW: THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE SAME PROPERTY. THE

FRONT IS A BLAND SUBURBAN EXTERIOR WHILE THE BACK GARDEN OFFERS VIEWS OF THE BRECON

BEACONS (ALTHOUGH SUMMER WOULD HAVE MADE THE PATIO LOOK A LITTLE LESS COLD!!)

USE WHAT YOU HAVE: THE 2 IMAGES ABOVE USE A TREE IN FLOWER AND A SINGLE POPPY TO

CONSIDERABLY ENHANCE THE FRONT OF THE PROPERTY.


The Wider Environment Think of a collection of images that tell a story of your local environment. My own village, Talybont

on Usk, has a varied geographical and cultural local landscape that can described through

photographic images.

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC STORY: MOUNTAINS, RESERVIORS, SHEEP, DAFFODILS, CANALS AND

WATERWAYS, LOCAL HERITAGE – ALL OF THESE TELL A STORY OF YOUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT


RECOMMENDED EXERCISES IN PHOTOGRAPHING INTERIORS

Morning Session

1. Preparing your Interior: Look around the room and list 5 things you would change in the

room before starting photography.

2. The Use of Lighting: Study the room and see if there are

Any dark or unlit areas that might create a problem with photography.

Any bright or overlit areas that might create a problem with photography

Suggest ways in which these could be overcome and take a picture based on the

result.

3. Soft Furnishings, Ornamentation and Flowers: What additional features (if any) would

you include in the room?

4. Composition: Compose an image of the room using each of the following

The use of lead in lines.

Use of foreground, middle and distance.

The ‘rule’ of thirds

Shooting form different viewpoints / heights

Image orientation

Compose an image of the room using 3 of the above in the same picture.

Use a wide angle to get an overall shot of the room

Use a telephoto to zoom in on a specific feature.

5. Using different focal lengths:

Use a wide angle to get an overall shot of the room

Use a telephoto to zoom in on a specific feature.

Afternoon Session

1. Branding your property: Take 5 images which you think help to identify a ‘brand’ within

the property.

2. Exterior and surroundings: Find the best viewpoint of the outside of the property to

front and rear


CONTACT NIGEL FORSTER

NIGEL IS AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER

OF THE BIPP

Telephone: (0044) 1874 676402 / (0044) 7815 089835

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.creativephotographywales.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.creativephotographywales.com/

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