How to Guide: Preparing for your Interior Design Photography Session
This post is for all those interior designers out there that are getting their first project professionally photographed.
If you’re new to hiring a professional photographer, you’ll feel pretty happy once you see the finished images. iPhone photos are lovely, but high resolution editorial imagery will move your business forward and put your work and talent in front of future clients.
If you’re feeling a little lost in terms of the best way to prepare for our upcoming session, have no fear.
Being prepared for your upcoming shoot couldn’t be simpler. If you follow my suggestions below, you will have done most of all you need to make our collaboration successful.
Have a question or concern about your upcoming session?
Make sure the space is freshly cleaned, especially cabinet fronts, windows, floors, and reflective surfaces.
If you want to showcase the view through the windows, make sure the glass is clean, and make sure any kitchen appliances and counters are clean as well. The general rule is if you can see dust with your eyes, it will definitely be captured by the camera.
Style before I arrive.
Interior photography takes time. The goal is having the space styled and ready to be photographed as soon as I arrive.
If the room is barely complete, we will lose valuable shooting time and end up rushing through the house in the end. Time truly flies when we are making styling changes, so give yourself plenty of time to complete this part before our session begins. Most stylists I work with and my clients often style each space the day before our session.
We’ll definitely move items if necessary, and make micro adjustments while reviewing each shot, but having the majority of the work done before your photographer walks through the door is a game changer.
Have your before pictures ready.
Is there an angle you particularly love? Do you want to show those amazing before and after photos on Instagram? If so, have those images and angles ready to show me on your phone or iPad, and we’ll make sure to get what you need so you can show off what you made appear.
Dress comfortably yet stylish.
When I first started building an interior photography portfolio, I didn’t move much furniture around. That was a mistake, now I will move anything necessary to make the photos shine. I always take a before photo with my iPhone so I can ensure I put items back where I found them.
I also love photographing YOU in their projects, so I always like to let clients know that’s an option when we work together, so feel free to dress up a little for me so we can capture some brand photos in your finished space.
Bring more styling items than you’ll think you need, just in case
I can tell you the most important things to have on hand are stacks of books, throw blankets, pillows, accessories like little metal boxes, candles, vases, busts shelf art, and literally bundles of greenery and flowers. You can never have too many flowers. What looks great to the human eye in a room may not translate well to camera, and those extra accessories and flowers are going to be able to fill your spaces really nicely.
I offer my clients the option to rent a neutral decor box with their photography package, it includes 20 items ranging from popular decor books, vases, sculptural decorative objects, framed nature prints, dried florals, cutting boards, trays, and a faux plant or two thrown in for good measure.
Stacy Markow is a former sommelier turned Interiors & Commercial Architecture Photographer servicing design clients across the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.
For more information on Stacy’s services, or to see more of her beautiful work, you can visit her website at www.stacymarkow.com
