interior design
Most studios are either one interrupted area or an annexed area but the studio below has a more interesting layout. Were the bedroom to have windows and a door, it could be legally called a bedroom but it remains a studio, and a unique one to boot.
There’s something about wallpapers that just gets me so excited. Maybe it’s the color, maybe it’s that I’m a sucker for patterns, but wallpapers truly inspire joy and I love when I’m entering a home to shoot and there is wallpaper everywhere. Sadly, only one room in this unit had wallpaper but it was enough to fill my fix.
In real estate photography, catching the views is essential to a solid photo. When the weather is clear for a shoot like this, it’s truly kismet. The weather in New York changes so frequently that, except in parts of the summer, you never know what you’re going to get. There are ways to retouch a photo to make it appear as if it were sunny but it’s always better to take photos of the real thing.
It’s interesting how the architect/interior design hat can be shared by many professionals, the two roles are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Take this apartment, for instance, which was a gut renovation by an architect who also designed the home, quite beautifully. The kitchen was opened up, and the kids room was divided to allow for privacy between the two children.
Designers will often ask for a photographer of themselves in a space to represent their business. Though my experience in photography stems in interiors, I’ve often had to get resourceful and figure out how to shoot subjects associated with spaces: food/beverage, products, and people. This designer created a wonderfully serene atmosphere with the furnishings selected for the space, and her outfit, luckily, accompanied it quite well.
Shakuff is a lighting company that designs floor lamps, to pendant lights, to chandeliers - to any other kind of light fixture you can imagine and this property was the house of Shakuff - owned by the eponymous company head, and filled with more light fixtures than you could dream of.
This salon in Bushwick, just off the Morgan L train stop is a bastion of light and space, probably the two most desirable qualities of NYC real estate. Having shot many salons before this, it was interesting to find a space where the chairs were, instead of put in a row, meet in the middle to form an interesting array and allow for more space around the chairs.
I was only recently made aware of the Shaker Houses and their wonderfully hygge-like design. This walk-up building featured a small handful of units that had beautiful cabin-esque touches that made you feel like you had stepped out of the city and into the Catskills.
Park Ave has such a loaded connotation. It would be interesting to live in a basement studio unit with a bathtub in the middle of room and happen to have your address be Park Avenue. “I have to wash my hair within feet of where I chop my vegetables but at least I live on Park Avenue!” Such was not the case for this apartment that a gorgeous kitchen, and many other gorgeous spaces with plenty of light and beautiful design pieces. And it happens to be on Park Avenue.
Prospect Lefferts Garden is growing, and 123 PLG is the beacon of change it seems. The massive complex towers the area and has a slew of amenities from rooftop pools, to basketball courts. I used the drone for this one and was able to capture both the rooftop pool with a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline.
As people move to working from home, buildings need to provide enough reasons to keep people wanting to stay home and pay for it. This particular property boasted an enormous lounge, countless outdoor spaces, an arcade and even a bowling alley.
When I walked into this shoot, I didn’t realize that I would be doing a two-fer. In the past, I have had interior designers I work with partner up with realtors to help shoot an apartment they designed, that would also be leased or sold. This shoot was a bit of the opposite, where I walked in thinking I would be shooting for a FSBO (for sale by owner) situation, but lo and behold there was an interior designer running around prepping each room for me before I entered. I can enjoy shooting real estate but I far prefer to shoot interior design and it’s a lovely surprise when the two meet.
I’ve never lived in a building with amenities but I’m sure it’s nice. At this property, the buildings resemble townhouse-style bungalows that neighbor and surround a clubhouse with a pool table-laden lounge and a gym. Shooting this on such a terrifically sunny day made the shoot a breeze and allowed the space to shine.
“A pop of color” is a phrase I often hear when photographing interior design. With more minimalist designs that utilize subtle and muted tones, one can use a well-placed object to provide an exclamation point to the scene which provides an accent. Even without much post processing, I’ve noticed my camera and lenses (all Canon) are all very good at capturing color - sometimes too much. It’s something I’ve leaned into with shooting which perhaps is something to consider - whether the types of tools a photographer uses can shape their aesthetic as much as viewing other photos in the world.
If you were to ask what the best tips for shooting interiors, or the best way to shoot real estate photos - most people would say “make sure there is sun.” They’d be dead right. Shooting interiors on a sunny day can be replicated, as far as achieving brightness and even photoshopping in a blue sky, but the way the sun streaks at an angle is tough to reproduce. Luckily we were fortunate to have such a sunny morning when we shot this apartment with spectacular views.
There’s something so fascinating about a chain restaurant. A meal, that is part of a brand. Sinigual isn’t a chain, per se, but it is part of a corporate restaurant group. I love a great, hole in the wall local joint, but there is something so interesting about photographing a restaurant that is so clean and appealing to the masses. Given that this restaurant is right by Grand Central, it’s no wonder it has its place on TripAdvisor. Regardless of what it is, the restaurant was full of bold colors and shapes and a lot of fun to shoot.
Although more and more people are moving to WFH (work from home), there are photographers like myself who have no choice but to be out in the field. It thus becomes an interesting relic of the past to see a gorgeous office space, like this exist. It was shot to market the space and, hopefully, a new company will take over and this won’t be as much of a relic but a snapshot. The plant life is all real and there is someone who comes weekly to attend to it.
Who would have thought New Yorkers wouldn’t be able to eat indoors. The pandemic has produced a host of problems for NYC restaurants but some have been able to roll with the punches. SeaWolf in Williamsburg has a ton of outdoor dining but it’s indoor dining definitely pays homage to the aqueous realm with open air seating, porthole like designs and beautiful views of the East River. This was my third project with the team and I am glad they are able to grow despite the adversities that have plagued restaurants in 2020.
In New York where real estate is costly and most restaurants have tables pressed up against one another, it’s unique to find a space like this, that is not only spacious but contains multiple dining rooms. Because of the different spaces, this restaurant was tricky to photograph as the restaurant was poised to open mere hours after the shoot. One tricky element of shooting interiors is making sure people and things are clear from all the frames. Many photos I’ve taken have people hovering mere inches from outside the frames but you’d never know.
Food halls can be fun to shoot, they can also be huge and overwhelming. Luckily the Deco is in a manageably tight space that is essentially one big box. The interiors of the space are designed with a strongly modern appeal, and the space is nice and bright so it wasn’t difficult so shoot with those factors in tow. Interior photography is often rewarding but it somehow manages to be more so when the space is cooperative with the photographer.
