How To Photograph Your Flat!

Do you have a flat or a vacation rental you adore and would love to post it online for rent! But you keep postponing it because A. You don't have a great camera B. There are homes out there that are much prettier than yours. C. It's usually not that clean and you don't want to feel like a phony.

Here are five tips that can help you take better photos of your home and given you  the confidence to 

share it online.

Tip #1 One room at a time

If you want to share these photos as a house tour you're probably going to want to tidy up any space that is going to be photographed. Think of it as the equivalent to taking family portraits. Sure, your home probably doesn't stay that clean all the time but you wouldn't show up to a portrait studio wearing your yoga pants and yesterday's make-up.

Kids, pets, or messy roommates may thwart your plans to keep your place spotless for more than twenty minutes so I suggest photographing one room, or even one wall, at a time. If your studio is a dump but you want to showcase your favorite corner, de-clutter and style it to your heart's content. You may even keep it that way!

Tip #2: Look at your home through your lens

Make a list of all the spaces you want to photograph. As you go through your home, casually take a photograph of the space you want to feature and then see how it looks in your camera.

Do you like the composition of things? Would a vertical shot look better than a horizontal shot? Are there cords poking out of things that might distract from the rest of the shot? Do you need to edit any clutter?

Looking through your camera may help you to notice these things and change them before you take photos. Once you're happy with the set up of things and have moved the hand weights from under the sideboard, etc experiment with angles and distances. Just like taking self-portraits or outfit photos, you may have to take a lot before you find the most flattering one.

Tip #3 Shoot in natural light

If you want to take photos always pull all the shades up, move the curtains back, and shoot before 4 p.m. so the sun isn't too low.

If you are using a DSLR you can use automatic mode. But you can change ISO to a higher number helps when taking photos in low light. You can also change your shutter speed but if you're not and expert, experiment with your ISO. It's amazing how much brighter your photos will be set at 800 than 200.

  

Tip #4 Bend over and watch out

When taking wider room shots, getting a bit lower can make your room look bigger and keep things focused on what's interesting.

Watch out for mirrors or other reflective surfaces when shooting. Stand a little to one side or bend down enough that you're shooting up at an angle.

Tip #5 there's a time to shoot wide and a time to shoot vignette

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When photographing a room take some wide shots that share a whole space, or chunks of a space that are well-defined, to show character and then take some vignette shots to show decorative items and style. A vignette is a focused grouping such as the items on the top of a shelf or a fruit basket items over a kitchen table.

Note: Whether you're shooting wide shots or vignettes, try to avoid eye sores such as ceiling fans or cords. You can always edit out nail holes in Photoshop or another editing service. If you're looking for something to start with, check out Picnik. It's free and covers a lot of territory.

Note: Your home rental is unique because it's yours so think about your favorite elements as you plan your home tour. You may not be the only one in the world with a collection of vintage globes but the way you've displayed them may inspire someone. Your use of color in your living room may be exactly what another home owner was imagining for their space but couldn't quite execute the first time around.

You're out of excuses now! Pick a date to share your home rental space online and then plan in time to get it tidied, shot, edited, and post it on www.gweet.com for people who can be interested in your lovely space