10 Essentials for Photographing Interior Spaces

Whether you’re a realtor getting a new listing ready for the market or a fellow creator out there with a camera, property photography is about more than just "showing the rooms." It’s about creating a sense of place. Here’s what we’ve found to be the absolute essentials for a successful shoot.

1. The Walkthrough Audit

Before you even think about pulling the camera out of the bag, walk the entire property. This isn't just a casual stroll; you’re looking for how the natural light interacts with the layout and identifying the "hero" shots that will sell the home. Take a moment to see where the light is harsh and where it’s soft, and plan your route to follow the sun. You’re looking for the angles that explain the flow of the house to someone who’s only seeing it on a screen, like making sure the connection between the kitchen and the living area, for instance, is clear and inviting.

2. Vertical Integrity

If there is one thing that separates a snapshot from a professional architectural image, it’s vertical lines. In property photography, leaning walls or tilted door frames make a space feel unstable and amateur. We make sure the camera is perfectly level, using a geared tripod head when possible. Keeping those vertical lines straight ensures the architecture looks sturdy and intentional, which is vital for high-end listings on Zillow or Airbnb where first impressions are everything.

3. Decluttering the Narrative

We like to say we aren't just cleaning; we're editing the space itself. A stray remote on a coffee table, a stack of mail, or a nest of power cords under a desk creates visual noise that distracts the viewer. We take the time to clear those surfaces so the eye goes exactly where we want it: to the custom stonework, the hardwood finish, or the view out the bay window. Sometimes, we’ll even rearrange a room for a better visual flow, because the way the camera sees the space is not always the way our eye sees it. Ultimately, it’s about removing the "lived-in" clutter so a buyer can imagine their own life in the space. 

4. Managing the View (Window Pulls)

Occasionally, rarely, like maybe twice, you will encounter a space that is lit perfectly by the available natural light, so that you only have to take one exposure. We gotta love these lucky rooms, but they are rare indeed. Therefore, in the production process, it’s of utmost importance to master the "window pull." Usually, if the room looks bright, the windows are blown out white; if the windows look good, the room is a cave. We use a technical layering process–blending multiple exposures–to ensure the interior feels warm and cozy while the garden or the city skyline outside stays perfectly visible. It’s a bit of digital wizardry that gives the final image that polished, magazine-quality look. There are a few ways to do this: the bracketed HDR technique, or the additive light technique. We prefer the additive light technique, but more on that in the next section!

5. Lighting for Depth and Texture

Flat lighting is the enemy of a good photo. While it’s tempting to turn on every light in the house, overhead yellow can often muddy the colors. We prefer to use a mix of soft natural light and strategically placed strobes to create highlights and shadows. This adds dimension to kitchen cabinetry and shows off the texture of the materials. We want the viewer to feel like they can reach out and touch the granite countertops. A quick note: if a photographer is shooting with only available light, it’s highly recommended to turn all interior lights off so that the yellow tungsten tone can be avoided, saving hours of color correction in post-production. If shooting with additive light, then lights can be turned on, since the power and color balance of the strobes will overpower the tungsten tones, and the details of recessed and lamp lighting can still shine through. The use of strobes does add time while on-site, so timeframe vs budget is something to be considered if opting for this technique.

6. The Human Touch (Staging)

While we want things clean, a house shouldn't feel like a cold museum. Adding a subtle human element can make a world of difference. A fresh bowl of lemons on a kitchen island, a neatly draped throw on a leather chair, or a pair of slippers by a bathtub helps tell a story. Or maybe even a cat curled up on the sofa if that’s what will add a bit of personality! This lifestyle-driven approach helps a prospective buyer connect emotionally with the property, turning a house into a home in their mind. And don’t forget to karate chop those pillows!

7. Finding the Right Camera Height

Camera height changes the feel of a room more than most realize. If you shoot too high, you’re looking down on the furniture and making anything close to the camera lens stretch in ways that can feel a little unnatural. If you shoot too low, you often times loose dimensionality of a space, especially if there is low furniture like coffee tables or bench seating. We generally find the sweet spot to be around chest height for most rooms, though we’ll adjust as needed, like for kitchens in order to show off the range or the countertops, or for bathrooms capture the vanity or an awesome shower head. It’s all about maintaining a natural perspective while fitting in the frame the aspects of the space which will sell it.

8. Wide Angles without the "Funhouse" Effect

You want to show the whole room, but you don't want the edges to look like they’re melting. Using a high-quality wide-angle lens is essential, but the real trick is knowing when to pull back and when to push in. We always avoid ultra-wide "fisheye" looks that distort the size of the room. Our goal is an honest, expansive view that feels spacious but realistic, so there are no disappointments when the client actually walks through the door.

9. Precision Post-Processing

The shoot is really only half the battle. Once we’re back at our desks, every image goes through a rigorous quality control and editing process. We balance color temperatures, making sure the blue light from the windows and the yellow light from the lamps play nice together, and touch up the fine details. We treat a real estate listing with the same level of care we’d give a fashion editorial, because every property deserves to look its best.

10. A Reliable Delivery Workflow

In the fast-paced world of real estate, a great photo doesn't do much good if it’s sitting on a hard drive. We’ve honed a delivery system that gets our clients their images quickly, fully processed, and optimized for MLS. We provide high-resolution files for print and web-ready versions for social media and listing sites, ensuring the client has everything they need to hit the publish button with confidence.

Think you’re ready to make the move into Metarch quality? Whether you’re in need of photography services or if you’d like to just learn more about the process, we’re always here to assist, so don’t hesitate to contact us today!