Interior Design Photography | The Editorial Look
The "editorial look” can be described as a style of residential interior photography, captivating viewers and elevating buildings to appeal to a magazine or potential client. It goes beyond the mere formality found in commercial shoots; instead, editorial tells a compelling visual story, evoking every detail that comes from the space through its fluid process.
To create an editorial look, we like to familiarize ourselves with the building's history, architecture style, and purpose. Identifying the unique features, angles, and elements helps to communicate the building's narrative. Whether it’s the intricate details in the crown molding or the way the cabinets blend into a stone or waterfall edge, we try to highlight trending elements to catch an editor’s eye. Similar to our architectural shoots, we put together a syllabus or shot list to ensure we capture all the essential shots needed to create a visual narrative.
Lighting is the cornerstone of our typical architectural shoots and editorial images are no exception. We always seek out the ideal lighting conditions that highlight the building's characteristics. With editorial and residential interior shoots, we rely heavily on natural lighting, only utilizing artificial lighting to create depth or contrast the building’s features. In post-processing, images are kept softer, at a more neutral state, in order to relay the mood received in person.
It’s always helpful to have the designer on set to capture their design narrative. Almost all of the designers we work with have a different creative process, so its best to follow their lead. Whether its starting a fire in the living room, clearing surfaces or remaking the bed in a certain way, all these things matter in creating the perfect shot.
A strong composition is the hallmark of the editorial look. We utilize leading lines to draw the viewer's eye towards the focal point, experimenting with different angles and perspectives to find the most engaging composition. While some photographers advocate for minimalism, we believe tailored accessories and angles help produce successful images. Whether its to convey elegance or playfulness, we may add some small items or swap furniture to create the right vibe.
One thing we’ve noticed is editorial submissions like to see their manufacturers and vendors in beautifully curated spaces. Because they are so marketing-minded, we shoot spaces from different angles to appeal to all perspectives. We were at an editorial shoot recently where the owner of the home gave us creative freedom to use their dog in some of the shots. We captured the day's "hero shot" by patiently waiting for the ideal alignment of lighting, composition, and the dogs' impressive stature. See below!
It’s important to have these spaces styled out thoughtfully so that our post-processing edits are kept to a minimum. On a commercial shoot, you could have up to 30 images to merge together to create a perfect final image, whereas on residential shoots, you may be using 3 images at most. Color balancing is not as important for the editorial look because the goal is to capture a look and a feel rather than formality that's often found in commercial spaces. We also believe a shallower depth of field works best for the editorial look. You’re able to capture more images with multiple focal points, giving you a higher quantity of images to send in for submissions.
We always incorporate people into our editorial shoots to bring life to the images and create a sense of scale and context. Whether they’re used as main subjects or silhouettes in the background, this small detail brings a sense of relatability and allows viewers to envision themselves within the space.
The editorial style is often confused with “interior residential photography”. Although it seems similar, we believe there’s something more personal to it. Trying to convey and deliver a distinct vibe takes on another level of planning, styling and collaborating. Ultimately, the editorial look in architectural photography allows you to unveil the soul of the building, crafting captivating stories that leave a lasting impression on your audience.
