A Guide to Interior & Architectural Photography

Whether you've designed a custom residence, completed a hospitality project or a commercial development, professional photography is often the first impression prospective clients, editors, and future collaborators will have of your work. Successful images will communicate design intent, craftsmanship, style, and ultimately help generate new business.

In order to help clients get started, I often suggest following this one-line strategy:

“Start with the Press Release, and work your way backwards from there.”‍ ‍

Are you planning to be featured in Architectural Digest? publish a book? run a social media or marketing campaign? all of the above? Every decision (#of images, camera angles, aspect ratios, lighting) starts with one question:

“Where will these photographs ultimately live?”

Below are some more specific questions and answers that often come up when planning for an interior or architectural shoot with my clients.

How many finished photos do I need?

I recommend that clients create a list of what makes their project special to them and what aspects of the final product need to shine in the final presentation. That list becomes very valuable during a location scout, as it directs everyone to focus on the elements of the project that truly matter.

The number of resulting photos can vary widely by project, but 10-12 finished photos is a reasonable output for a full day shoot, so I often use that as a place to start.

Do I need vertical or horizontal photos?

Again, where will your finished photos be presented? A magazine cover? Award submissions? Website banner? LinkedIn? Instagram?

Knowing all of the final use cases will help the photographer visualize, frame and crop accordingly.

The architecture, interior design, and furniture arrangement may also dictate the aspect ratio of a particular photo, but with a little planning, a single photo might work well in multiple aspect ratios, allowing for a variety of uses.

How do I ensure good lighting in my interior or exterior spaces?

Talking through camera angles and lighting during a location scout or pre-shoot meeting is essential.  If you start with explaining to the photographer what you like about different rooms, perspectives and design elements, they should be able to help develop a clear plan for camera angles and lighting.

The best architectural photographers highlight and complement what is already present by understanding how natural light changes throughout the day and supplementing it when necessary. A room that looks ordinary at noon may look extraordinary thirty minutes before sunset.

Also, it may seem counterintuitive, but leaving interior lights off often works very well for many situations.

How should I style the space ahead of time?

It may sound cheesy, but everything about a photo should ideally tell some kind of larger story.  Is your project a home for a family, an artist, a rockstar? Getting a clear picture for the actual use of the space will help make styling choices, of which there are many (removing clutter, flowers, books, towels, kitchen accessories, artwork, etc).

What is the process for scheduling a shoot?

The first thing I usually recommend is to get a few dates from the property owner where you and the photographer can have full control over the space.  There should be no gardeners or construction workers on site, no members of the family working from home. This might be a tough ask, but the more control you have on shoot day, the more you’ll be able to focus on creative decisions.

Once you have several dates, keep a careful eye on weather.  Depending on the project and creative direction, you may want a misty overcast day, or a clear, bright, sunny day.  Use weather apps to help get a clear idea of the temperature, cloud coverage, chance of precipitation, humidity through the entire day.  Weather can change quickly, but generally locking down a shoot 2 to 3 days in advance provides enough security.

what is the single thing that makes or breaks a shoot?

Pre-Production!!!! (i.e. all of the work that happens before shoot day). I recommend planning 3-5x more than you think you need to. There are always going to be unexpected challenges, but the more you prepare the more you can stay focused on thinking creatively, rather than worrying about flowers showing up on time or praying that clouds will pass:)

FOR MORE INFO ON THE ABOVE, AND HOW IT APPLIES TO YOUR UPCOMING SHOOT…