Setting up the Camera

Setting up the Camera - This may sound like an easy task but to get the most out of a room, this is quite important. Obviously to show the room at its best, you need to get most of it in. It isn’t simply a case of "picking a corner" and starting there; you need to study the room and work out which angle will make it look the most inviting.

I normally picture the shot in my mind, how I want the final image to look and work around that image. It is never normally good practice to include the door to a room unless it is a "distinguishing feature". You want to make the room look inviting and not to literally "show people the door". If you do show the door, close it unless the view is appealing.

Get back

Once you have picked the best viewpoint, setting up the camera and tripod as close to the corner walls as you can. Maybe it isn’t a corner but still get as far back as possible. This will ensure that you get more in. By using a tripod you know that once you have the shot lined up, you can walk away to sort the lighting without losing your perspective.

Using a 16mm lens for example, look through the viewfinder and line up the shot. Look at ALL 4 corners of your image and make sure everything is in that you want in. Taking into account that your camera’s viewfinder may only show 95% of what it records.

If you are directly aiming towards a bright window, this will affect how you set up the lighting which we will discuss next. If you are aiming into the room from the window, your job is a little easier and you have more options open to you.

In your viewfinder, you should have various points of interest that show off that room. Again, I will cover each room in the next section but make sure that the rooms best features are in the shot by setting the camera up correctly.