Interiors photography has a pretty simple rule of thumb that’s worth sticking to. Make everything look as big as possible, and get up close and show interesting details.
Recently I was asked back to a new development in Shudehill in Manchester, North Central, to shoot the entrance of the building, the hallway and lifts, and get a couple of exterior shots for a press release and future ongoing marketing use. I’d already visited to shoot interiors photos of one of the furnished apartments (and blogged about it here), and now the building was finished.
It was an interesting shoot for a couple of reasons: firstly, because the entrance hallway is beautifully designed to be ‘dark and moody’ – ‘ dark’ always makes photography interesting! Though, a space designed to utilise light and shade in its design does make a brilliant subject to be photographed. And secondly, because my arrival coincided with the arrival of four deliverymen and the eight sofas that they had to transport up to a higher floor ……… which made making the entrance look as big as possible a tad ….. interesting …. to say the least. Still, I do like a challenge!
So, going back to my initial statement – I turned up with the intention of making it look big, and then shoot some close up details (or, ‘close up and far away’ as the title says). When it comes to wide shots, there is a tendency to warp the edges of the frame by going ultra wide. Personally, I’m not a fan of that – I prefer to keep things as realistic looking as possible, while showing off the size of any room. So, if you look at the wide shots, you’ll see that the verticals are straight and upright, for instance. In a space so well designed, using the lines also gives the opportunity to create some striking, geometric visual images (see the last shot, for instance).
I love shooting close ups. They’re a great opportunity to go abstract; to show off something familiar and make it intriguing; or to focus in on a particular detail, either to emphasise it or to present it from an unusual angle. Here, it was the opportunity to put some attention on things might not otherwise be given a second glance – such as the floor plan.
Personally, I love shooting commissions like this. To be able to dwell on something that wouldn’t ordinarily be looked at in such detail, and to be asked to draw out those details, is a real pleasure. Of course, I’ve always got in mind that the shots need to be doing a job too – in this case, marketing the building by showing off the careful design, and conveying the mood and atmosphere of the space. Hopefully I’ve succeeded.
Want to talk about a project of your own that would benefit from some striking imagery? I’m always happy to talk.
