Go ahead, scroll through the gallery of any Havenly designer’s smartphone and you’ll start to see a trend. Morning light illuminating a rustic kitchen scene, an office snapshot capturing perfectly balanced style and productivity, a dog (we love dogs) framed by a tufted couch, a dog framed by a suede couch, a dog enjoying the clean Scandinavian warmth of a modern bedroom.
No, dogs aren’t the trend. Still not seeing it? We’ll spell it out for you: we’re suckers for over-sharing photos of our favorite spaces. If we walk into a space that strikes us, we snap it, tweak it, share it.
And yes, we know our way around an DSLR, but we don’t necessarily carry one in our hip pocket. Besides, we always have our phones, which these days are bona fide design-capturing tools, especially when the goal is to share on the internet. We really can’t say it enough: use your camera phones wisely and you’ll be rewarded greatly – and often!
Based on our experience of compulsively capturing interior design with our phones, we’ve prepared some essential guidelines to keep in mind the next time you’ve got your finger primed to snap a photo.
Let The Sun Shine
If you remember one thing from this article – and we hope you do – remember this: use natural light. Think about it. When we compare a shot of a room lit by lamps and a room lit by natural light, the difference is clear. One looks artificial, and the other looks beautiful.
So when you’re photographing interiors, remember to turn off all your lights, draw back the curtains, and let the sun do its thing. You’ll be pleased to notice that shadows fall naturally and colors appear clear fresh.
Shot In The Dark
One caveat to our guidance above, because there’s always a caveat. Sometimes, you have to capture something with artificial lighting. When it comes to shots like a dinner party lit by candles and accent lighting, we’ll make an exception. If you’ve gotta shoot in the dark, dive into your camera phone’s advanced settings and make sure that:
- The ISO is set high
- Your f-stop is low (as low as you can go)
- The shutter speed is high
Keep that hand steady (or better yet, use a tripod), and remember, no flash!
Evaluate And Shoot Straight
It might be tempting to shoot from the corner of the room. It might even feel necessary in tight quarters. Whether it’s a stylistic choice or an effort to capture every single element in the room, try to dismiss those oddly-angled temptations.
Try to think of your room’s architecture and furniture as natural brush strokes. From the correct angle, the lines of these strokes will form a grid that’s satisfying to the eye and takes guessing out of the equation. You might need to move furniture out of the way or take your photo through a doorway to get in the right position, but it’s worth the effort. With your room’s natural lines working in harmony, your photo will possess a feeling of natural ease. Starting to sound shareable, right?
Friend Or Focal Point?
Photographing spaces with people (or pets) in them can be really fun, and we love including our friends and family in the shots we share. Our favorite photos come from moments when the camera seems to be an invisible and silent observer. The unobtrusive nature of a camera phone is great at capturing these moments.
But to tell the truth, these effortless-looking shots are often highly set-up, even though you’re setting it up to look un-set-up. Following us? You see, when people are looking at the camera in a natural, effortless way, and not necessarily “smiling for the camera,” it’s easier to imagine that the camera was never there. That you’re just observing a gorgeous space and a gorgeous face, captured in time. Try to forget the camera is there, smile naturally, and enjoy the moment!
For That, There’s An App
So by now you’ve followed one or two of these basic guidelines and you’ve got your shot. Maybe you’ve even thrown in a personal touch with, dare we say, an angled shot! Have no shame, we’re advocates of letting your creative flag fly.
Now is not the time to skimp on effort. Think of it this way: if you’re going to put that much effort into the room itself, why not spend a few moments on the final details of your photo? One of our favorite apps for mobile photo editing is Snapseed. With a couple finger taps, you can accomplish advanced photo editing effects like lightening, saturating, or exposing certain areas before putting filters on to get a nice finished feel.
Once you’ve run out of rooms to capture, team up with a Havenly designer to develop a brand new, share-worthy room.