How to take interior photos in the off season

We all agree that photographing the Cape and Islands in the summertime, with hydrangeas and roses blooming, is the ideal time for exterior photography. But we believe interior shots can be successfully captured on any sunny day all year long.

Recently I was in Eastham photographing a home near Rock Harbor Beach. We chose a sunny day in late November, and there was enough greenery through the windows to provide some lovely color.

Here are a few tips for taking interior pictures at any time of year:

• Turn on all the lights – help the rooms feel bright and summery.
• Shoot the pictures horizontally, aka landscape orientation. The only real exceptions may be bathrooms or vaulted rooms, but overall horizontal images appear better on the website and provide more information about a room.
• Buy some flowers – look for the most summery colors possible – and stage them in a prominent place. Feel free to move them around the house for more shots.
• Set the dining room table for a meal – help the space look inviting and festive.
• Remove throw blankets, darker quilts, firewood, or other more wintery items that are not usually available or needed in the summertime. Unless you want to attract fall and winter rentals, then stage those seasonal pictures and swap them out seasonally in Picture Central.
• If your furniture, flooring, paint colors, kitchen appliances, bedspreads, etc. have changed, we recommend that you retake those spaces to show the updates and enhancements.

To wrap up, I’ll share my photography mantra: it is more important that the picture look beautiful than show every inch of the room’s inventory. Use the captions to explain inventory or what may not be in the picture.

Keep in mind that we do offer a photography service, and I would be happy to provide you with more information. Becky@weneedavacation.com

For more tips, listen to this podcast that answers questions like:

• How often should you update your photos?
• Should you replace every photo on your listing?
• Is there a benefit to changing out photos seasonally?

For more information about our photography services, and to see some samples of our work, take a look at our photography services page.