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Incredible interiors
Architect and photographer Chris Humphreys shares
20 tips on shooting stunning interior scenes

01 Square it up
Create impact by shooting square
on to a room or furniture and turning the
photograph into a one-point perspective.
This effect draws the viewer into the image
and works best when there is a strong focal
point. For maximum impact, take time to
ensure that the vertical and horizontal lines
© All images in this feature are copyright Chris Humphreys

are parallel to the plane of the photograph.

02 Look down
In large public spaces, look for
opportunities to shoot from high looking
down. This will often add layers and give
depth to an image, and including people will
give scale. Try shooting in both landscape
and portrait format to see what works
the best. A tripod with a horizontal centre
column option is useful, otherwise increase
the ISO and hand hold (tightly!).

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03 Let there be light
In some interior spaces the lighting is the main feature, so look for
it and use it – exposure is critical to a successful image. Use a tripod and
take two shots, exposing one for the feature lighting and the other for the
ambient light. Using the ambient light exposure as the main image, add the
feature lighting exposure using a layer mask.
04 Stairways to heaven
Shot from above or below, spiral stairs will give a classic and very
pleasing composition close to the Fibonacci spiral. The taller the stair the
better – try to place the vanishing point of the stair on the intersection of
thirds. Spiral stairs show this effect off the best, but almost any stair will
give a pleasing and dynamic composition.
05 Small spaces
In small rooms, go for a wide-angle lens to make the space feel
bigger. In really confined spaces back the camera and tripod into a corner
with just enough room to see the LCD, Live View is a distinct advantage here.
Use a cheap hotshoe spirit level to help level the camera, compose the shot,
set the self-timer and leave the room.
06 Devil’s in the detail
Look for an eye-catching detail to
complement a set of images. It might be an
abstract from a larger composition, an entire
object or just something that catches your
eye, but think about what it says and how it
relates to the set. This was part of a set from
an interior designer’s house, a peephole into
a bathroom – naughty!
07 Bright white
Correctly exposing brightly
decorated spaces can be tricky, as the
camera’s metering will assume you want the
white walls to read as a midtone (much the
same as when shooting in snow). Shoot in
manual and overexpose around two thirds of
a stop, checking the histogram to make sure
the white walls are appearing close to the
right-hand edge.
08 High contrast
Many interior scenes will include
bright daylight shining through a window
and deep shadows; these can be dealt with
by taking multiple exposures and combining
in post-processing. If using Photomatix, for
example, combine with exposure fusion
rather than HDR tone mapping for a more
natural appearance. Views through windows
can be brought back in using a layer mask.
09 Colour casts
When shooting a scene with a mix
of natural light through windows/rooflights
and artificial lighting, the shot will have a mix
of colour casts. Overcome this by setting
the white balance for the natural light and
using a hue/saturation layer mask to locally
correct the yellow cast of artificial lights.
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10 Frame a view
Architects will often frame external views from inside a
building, look for these and think about the best angle to capture
them. Take two exposures, one for inside and one for the view. Use
the interior exposure as a base and blend in the view using a layer
mask. Keep the view through the window lighter than the interior
exposure, as that is how the human eye would perceive it.

11Add movement
Not only do people give scale to a scene, but they can also
be used to add movement and drama to an image. An otherwise
static scene can be transformed with people moving through the
space. Use a tripod and set a shutter speed of ½-1 sec – people in
the foreground will blur more than people in the distance.

14
Depth of field
Not all interior shots need
to have tack-sharp focus
from front to back – think
about using a shallow depth of field to
draw attention to a specific part of an
image and create atmosphere. Open up
the aperture and get close to the subject;
the more separation from foreground to
12 Look for the
unexpected
Great abstract shots are
background, the greater the effect.
often created by looking
for an unusual angle.
When you’ve spotted the
shot, think about what
you’re trying to achieve
with the final image. This
shot was deliberately
exposed to create a strong
silhouette of the structure
and people rather than an
‘average’ exposure.

13 Crop Try to look for

compositions within
a space – this means
previsualising the final
image and thinking about
the final crop. Tall spaces
often suit vertical crops,
and wide spaces can work
well with a panoramic
image. Think about
proportion, layers, colours
and using the building’s
structural elements to
divide the image.

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 Incredible interiors

15 Room to room
Look out for opportunities
to shoot from one room from
another – this allows the viewer to
see themselves in the space. This
shot of a bathroom through the door
opening gives a glimpse of the space
inside and creates a sense of mystery.
It also emphasises the lighting within
the space and frames the view. Use a
longer focal length to foreshorten the
perspective and compress the view.

16 Look for yourself

Reflective surfaces can bring
an interior to life and make for great
photos, but be aware of your own
reflection. Sometimes it is unavoidable,
such as this shot directly into a mirror.
Try to position the camera and tripod
against a background that will allow
it to be cloned out in post-production.
Get yourself out of shot and use a
self-timer/remote release to trigger
the shutter.

17White balance
Many interior scenes have a mix of natural and artificial light together
with strong colours, so it can be difficult for the camera to accurately set the
white balance. Shoot in RAW and include a neutral grey card in a duplicate
shot – you can correct the white balance in your RAW editor by clicking
on the card with the white balance eyedropper. Repeat for each different
lighting situation.

18 Straight up
Interior photographs will usually look better with true verticals. Pro
architectural photographers will often use a tilt-and-shift lens to achieve
this, but programs such as Photoshop or PT Lens will easily correct most
situations. You can achieve this with a standard lens by keeping the camera
level when shooting, if the tripod has an integral spirit level use it, otherwise
buy a cheap hotshoe-mounted level.

19 Go natural
Architects will often design buildings to make the most of natural
light at different times of the day. So don’t always reach for the light switch,
but think about the best angle and time of day to shoot to make the most of
the available light. The rooflight in this shot floods the space with light during
the day, but gives way to artificial lighting later in the day – both shots are
worth having.

20 Control reflections
Polarising filters aren’t just for landscape photographers – interior
scenes will often have a number of reflective surfaces that need to be
controlled. Reflections can enliven a shot and provide interest, but in certain
situations they can be a distraction. A polarising filter was used in this shot to
reduce the reflections in the glass balustrade and allow the transparency to
show through.

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