Editor’s note: The following item is republished with permission of houzz.com. See the original article: Pro Tips: Interior Photos Intrigue With People.
It’s a tough call: Do you include people in your interior or architectural photos or let the space speak for itself? Photographer Beccy Smart says to do a little of both.
"After you’ve captured the design and architecture, including a shot of the homeowner is perfectly fine — but be sure that you’re doing so for a particular reason," she advises. Here are a few situations when showing the homeowner or featuring a model helps interior photographs.
To show how the space is used
Photo Credit: Beccy Smart Photography
This eclectic London Victorian home office is enlivened by the presence of its homeowners. They’re demonstrating how they can both use the space to suit their different needs.
It’s one thing to read about how light "floods the space" through a well-appointed window, but it’s another thing to see the light in action. Here we see how the skylight in this minimalist, modern house in São Paulo, Brazil, acts as a natural task light in this working kitchen. It would be hard to see just how significant the skylight is to the space if the homeowner weren’t in the picture.
Photo credit: Denilson Machado – MCA Estudio
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To infuse a space with energy
"Nobody wants to see a picture of an empty restaurant, bar or lounge," says photographer Michael Kelley. Kelley welcomes the addition of warm bodies and smiling faces to avoid a "postapocalyptic feeling," as he calls it, in spaces that are meant to have people in them.
This rooftop patio in Mexico is breathtaking with or without people. But imagine what the photo would look like if the guests weren’t congregated in the different conversation areas. It would be strange to see the space without people, especially since the patio is called the "margarita lounge." The cluster of people in the space is absolutely fitting.
Photo credit: David Howell Design
The architects of this outdoor patio had warm summer nights and s’mores in mind when they designed this Texas fire pit, so it’s only fitting that the kids are in the picture — just as we expect them to be.
Photo credit: Urban Jobe Architecture
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To give the home a soul
According to photographer Erika Bierman, all homes have a soul. When a family member or pet is featured in the image, something happens: The mood shifts, and what was once a static photo suddenly has movement and soul. "Just this year I photographed two homes where the family members were included. Both times, a publication picked up the homes for features, noting the images with people as the ones that initially drew them in," says Bierman.
Photo credit: Camber Construction
A perfectly staged house serves a purpose, especially if you’re looking at it from the perspective of a buyer. But including a person in the picture gives viewers a chance to empathize. The model or homeowner causes viewers looking at the image to say to themselves, "That could be me."
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