Interior Photography Tip 2 – Create the Mood

This is part two of my ‘Interior Photography Tips’ series of articles.

Creating the ambience in a home interior doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might think. There are some simple & effective techniques which can help transform a cold, sterile-looking room into a warmer, more appealing scene in a matter of minutes. Conveying the right feeling or mood is an especially important element for those who are using their interior photographs to sell something, whether it be real estate, accommodation or even furniture. People often buy based on emotion, so create an image that conveys a feeling rather than simply documents a subject.

Make the place look cosy & inviting - If there is a fireplace, its worth the few minutes it takes to light it up (or photoshop it in, we’ll get to that in a future article). Turn lamps on to add warmth, place lit candles in the bathroom, & put a throw on the bed or couch.

Give it some life! Have a few attractive books on the coffee table, & a bowl of fruit, a pot of tea & some mugs in the kitchen. Buy some fresh flowers & an indoor plant or two. Dress it up & make it look like a real home. But don’t go overboard – still you need to keep it uncluttered & free of unnecessary items that might distract (eg. personal photos, trinkets etc).

True, home styling is an art in itself, but by adding a few simple key elements like the ones just mentioned, it will make a huge difference to the photographs.

We added several elements to bedroom above such as flowers, books, a towel on the outdoor chair & the throw on the bed. The styling team even decided to leave the mobile phone & keys on the bedside table to make this holiday rental propety look more realistic!

This kitchen was prepared by the home owner who did a good job of adding some flowers, fruit & ornaments which compimented the modern decor nicely. If I am commissioned by a client on a tight schedule or budget that doesn’t allow much time for prep, I’ll discuss some ideas beforehand with them on how they can prepare & dress the property.

This living room was enhanced by the lit fireplace, magazines & candles on the coffee table & the use of lamps & spotlights to boost the ambient lighting & add warmth.

Keep an eye out for the next article in this series which will be published in a few days time. Also, you can view some more examples of my architectural images in my stock photo archive. The previous article in this series was “Interior Photography Tip 1- How To Light Up Your Interiors“

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 16th, 2010 at 4:22 pm. It is filed under Tips & Techniques and tagged with ambience, interior, lighting, mood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.