Whether you\u2019re showcasing your home for a rental, sublet, new \nroommates or sale, great photos are essential to attract attention \nonline. We asked Alyssa Rosenheck, a photographer, home stylist and \nauthor of the forthcoming book \u201cThe New Southern,\u201d about how anyone can \ntake better photos of their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Level up.<\/strong> A classic rookie mistake is expecting \nsuperstar results from holding the camera by hand. Invest in a simple \ntripod for your DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera or an \nattachment for your camera phone. Straight lines are like oxygen for \nclean imagery. The viewer\u2019s eye immediately catches and focuses on any \ncrooked lines. But straight lines\u2014horizontal and vertical\u2014will create a \nchorus among the composition that sings. Hence, the need to level up and\n have a tripod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about the lens figuratively and literally. <\/strong>First,\n set an intention through your own personal and emotional lens. Each \nroom has an energy and a story to tell. This is your chance to share the\n story of the spaces that have supported you and continue to inspire \nyour path. Second, invest in both a good prime and wide-angle lens. One \nof my favorite prime angle lenses is a 50 mm because this lens is most \nrepresentative of what your natural eye sees. My goal as a photographer \nis to communicate the stillness of space while transporting you into the\n room with me as I experience it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A prime lens means you have a fixed focal length, which really \nmotivates you to move around the space and find the perfect frame for \nthe shot. Wide-angle lenses are important in capturing the scale of a \nspace. Renting lenses is a great way to try out a variety and see which \nfeels most natural to you. And for phone photographers, there is a \nvariety of affordable wide-angle lens accessories for on-the-go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let there be light.<\/strong> Natural light, that is. This is \nessential for capturing the most accurate representation of a room as \npossible. It is camera versus eye, and not all cameras are created \nequal, especially in comparison to the vast dynamic range of our eyes. I\n am known for bright, crisp images, so it always surprises my clients \nand followers when I methodically flip off all light switches as we \nbegin photographing a space. It may be counterintuitive, but it yields \nthe most accurate representation of the room\u2019s color and all the beauty \nwithin it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be a straight shooter.<\/strong> I am a back-to-basics kind of\n woman in every area of my life, especially when it comes to angles \nbehind the lens. Let\u2019s keep things simple and shoot straight-on. This \nwill yield beautiful, clean lines and communicate the composition of the\n space. Overly complicated angles result in fussy images and confusing \nfocal points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Layer on.<\/strong> An image is technically flat, but what \nmakes it come to life with great dimension are its \u201clayers.\u201d The rooms \nyou are shooting need to communicate to the viewer. So, tangibly, there \nneeds to be an element of visual texture to the space for it to have \ndimension. Ways to add layers include decorative tabletop accessories, \nmirrors, layered artwork leaning against a wall, layered rugs, \ntexture-rich throws and fabrics, and flowers picked from the garden. Pro\n Tip: Leave the red roses at the store and stick with a neutral color \npalette, such as whites, greens and blushes. This color palette will \nkeep an image fresh and attainable without being season-specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prop with proof of life.<\/strong> When styling for shoots, I \nadd an element of practical fantasy to each space, but it\u2019s important to\n keep it as natural and minimally invasive as possible. I call this \n\u201cproof of life.\u201d Use it as an opportunity to highlight the history of \nthe home or honor the character of the client. Some of my favorite tools\n for introducing proof of life are an open book on a desk, fresh florals\n on a kitchen counter, branches to add textural layers to a bedroom, a \nsimple necklace coming out of a jewelry dish to showcase depth, or fruit\n falling from a bowl as an element of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep composition simple.<\/strong> I find composition to be \nmuch more important than the camera you have in your hand. It enables \nthe space\u2019s story to be told through object arrangement and placement. I\n can communicate a particular object of interest through my focal point \nor, alternatively, introduce a moment of relief by emphasizing the \nnegative space. There are numerous theories behind composition, but at a\n basic level, your goal should always be to achieve straight lines and \nbalanced layers and let the rule of thirds guide your lens. (The rule \nguides photographers to place the main subject off-center.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n