Tips for Taking the Best Photos of Your Home With Just a Smartphone

Taking photos of your own home can be a hit-or-miss, because aside from the possibility of not having enough indoor light sources to help you capture everything, you’re also probably confused as to what angles would look nice. Whether you’re the kind of person who likes to post about your DIY redecorating projects or you’re planning to sell your home, making sure that your abode looks both warm and functional is of utmost importance to help get your message across.

The good thing is that you don’t need an expensive camera to take professional looking shots. As many smartphones already have high-powered snappers, yours can most probably do the trick. To help you out, we’ve collated several tips on taking good photos of your home that are easy enough to try:

Use a tripod

A tripod will ensure that your photos are level and not blurred. It’ll also allow you to shoot straight on with no tilt to avoid distortion of your home’s lines.

Find the light

If your home has a lot of natural light coming in, use it to your advantage—just make sure that the light source is behind you before taking a photo. You can also try catching the “golden hour” which is shortly after sunrise or after sunset, but do remember not to take overly dramatic shots, because what you really want to capture is how your space actually looks.

RL Tip: Shoot during daytime so you won’t need additional lighting or flash, as the latter makes everything look washed-out

Avoid filters

Be as natural as you can so that whoever will be looking through your album will be able to see the exact colors you’ve used in your home. If you liked an angle but you think your shot needs a bit of post-editing, then by all means do so, provided that you don’t overdo it. Too much of a good thing can turn tacky.

Practice the "rule of thirds"

Most smartphones have a grid function, making it easier for you to apply the rule of thirds, which basically divides your screen into nine parts. “The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally,” notes a feature on Digital Photography School.

Make sure your house looks lived in

While cleaning up is fine, you don’t have to make your home look perfect so much so that it looks stiff on photos. Don’t change things up for the sake of the shot because remember, it’s a home, not a showroom.

Sources: Houzz, Digital Photography School