Interior design and real estates.

Tips on new possibilities for young photographers

Article bySabrina Barbante

Have you ever consulted an interior design magazine or a home magazine before renting, buying or furnishing a home? Well, nowadays more and more people do.

This happens both  because these on-line or paper reviews are more and more reliable and professional, not just focused on design and esthetic issues, and because in such a peculiar period in real estates business, the suggestions of the specialists become of special importance.

A problem for several (mainly on-line) magazines is the lack of professional pictures and most of all, of effective and emotional pictures of the spaces they propose, and of houses and furniture to promote.

While the ‘low cost’ furniture multinationals often have a lot of expert photographers able to show the very best of their products, the little sellers, artisans and local paper and on line magazines promoting them do not have enough good quality pictures to show off their very valuable estates.

This can be a new area of intervention for local photographers, that can propose themselves to small firms of furnishing, real estates magazines and agencies.

What does a photographer need?

The kind of images needed for this kind of promotions can be quite difficult to shoot. In fact, they must be clear, detailed, ‘technically demonstrative’ of all the main characteristics of the product, but also emotionally valuable. And since they are but pictures of objects, without people, animals and living emotions, it can be quite difficult to give a cozy homely idea.

Then different kind of pictures are needed: both images of details and environmental pics.

So, how can a photographer do it all in just one day (a few hours, to tell the truth) and without huge charges?

The 3L rule: Lens, Light, Lift!

For good shots of details, since you won’t be portraiting a ‘living’ object (an insect that tends to fly away if you get closer), a simple 18-55 lens could be fine.
Setting the aperture on the 12, or at least from 10 and up, you can have good results on the depth of field and sharpness of details.

It is a bit more difficult to work properly on environmental pics.
You can’t use a wide-angle lens, because it would alter the shapes of the furniture, that will not be shown at their best.  
If you want to give a good overall view of the living areas, a picture from above could be a very good solution.
The evolution of photographic tools and the technical research, brought to the slight widespread of tools  like the Magic Pole. It is a pole made of glass fiber, incredibly light! It is so easy to use and transport that it doesn’t exceed much  the weight and space of a wide angle and allows you to take pictures from a height of 5 meters (or even less, because it is adjustable).
Showing a closed area from 5 meters, you’ll be able to show easily the light of the space, and to give an overlook on the possible composition of the furniture and/or the right colors to be matched with it.

Moreover, since the photo framing is done by a higher  level than the level of eventual windows, you will have less problems with the light and the possibility not to use filters in order to adjust it.

Another tip: if you have a 100mm lens to set on the camera on the pole, you can also make good pics of the details from a high perspective.

If you have the tool of imagination and creativity, there is a huge amount of ideas you can have with this pole.