I had mentioned in an earlier post that sometimes interior photography has led to some other types of photography - so naturally a skin clinic would lead to some beauty shots. Enkaya is a small, but well designed clinic I photographed, and with it a few procedure shots of what the clinic does best.
Interior photography isn’t a dead-end choice, it has led to a lot of other interesting photography gigs that are related to the spaces I am shooting, from food/beverage, to events, to products - specifically furniture. A client I have worked with in the past, HB Lighting, had helped produce the lamps for the TWA Hotel at JFK and needed help capturing images of the lamps and their very stylish retro design.
Shooting interior photography is so much like shooting product photography in that it’s important to make sure the hues and saturation of a piece of furniture, or wallpaper, or even floorboard are matching the product’s being photographed. Although I’d like to think that my camera can sometimes enhance the scene it is shooting, sometimes it strips away the minutiae and subtleties of what a client is trying to show. This is why I like to shoot tethered to a computer when shooting these sorts of projects so the client and I can work with making sure we are capturing exactly what they intend to show.
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You would never think from the outside The Pineapple Club has a massive duplex atrium that joins the multiple dining spaces. Photographing the interiors here was a little tricky as there is a direct conflict of natural and available light. As the space seemed to be in the theme of a pineapple, I intentionally kept those photos on the warmer side as it seemed more appropriate for the photo set.
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.
As an interior photographer I use Canon gear. I was speaking to another photographer about Canon’s color profile and he was praising the cameras for getting very accurate skin tones. I have read that Canon lenses and sensors can sometimes produce a little too much color and contrast in the images, which I find appealing but to others may not. When photographing this space, the colors didn’t need any help in popping. The Tribeca-located vegetarian burger restaurant had a fun, poppy design that I think added in the playfulness of the location.
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.
Le Bernadin is a world-renowned three-Michelin star fine dining restaurant in NYC and it was an honor to shoot it. The space definitely has a vibe that aims towards an older crowd - it’s dark, modern but not overtly contemporary and very warm. When photographing restaurant interiors I usually don’t have a ton of time as the space is set for service, which is often impending. I really had to zip through this space but it wasn’t an overtly complicated floorplan so it wasn’t too much of a challenge. The staff was very cooperative, which can sometimes be rare when shooting restaurants since photography is a low priority when the doors are about to open for service.
Photographing darkness is hard. The FIDI restaurant that I shot the interior photos for was well lit but had a large black disc at the end of one of the walls. Not only was it black, but it was reflective which made taking the photos a little difficult. Luckily, the shape was rear-lit which provided some depth, preventing the circle from looking like a porthole. Interior photography can always be challenging but there are some challenges that the photographer just can’t predict. You can see the photos in action on Chikarashi Isso’s website.
Photographing the new flagship location of Milk Bar was a little tricky to shoot. The store was mostly lit with tungsten light and there was plenty of it - but there are also floor to ceiling windows. Since it was a sunny day, it was tough to keep the white balance neutral and not have too much blue daylight pouring into the space. I’m often torn as to how neutral or warm a space should appear in photos, something I have touched on in other posts. I’m happy with the results but I’m always asking myself if I kept the phots too warm or neutral. These photos were shot for Eater NY and you can view the post here, with more food photos included.
I tell my clients that, no matter the weather, we can get a great looking shot that will have ample light and showcase the space well. While that is true, there is no replacement for a great sunny day. Much like a plant, an interior photographer thrives in the daylight and it’s been a terribly rainy winter in NYC this season. The shoots have continued and light has been produced (sometimes you can get a really great soft light from a cloudy day in photos) but there’s some very unique and dynamic to a photo with some beautifully angled sunlight.
It’s widely known that a wide angle lens is a popular choice when photographing interiors, but, particularly with interior design, one can easily find some creativity shooting with a longer lens. Details and vignettes are such a key element of shooting interiors - not so much when shooting real estate - that photographing with a medium or longer lens can really elevate the photos and give an alternative perspective on a space.
When photographing interiors, I often try to use a mix of natural light and flash but occasionally it will make sense to turn on a lamp or light, especially if it is a focal point in the frame. I am often debating when I edit if the tones of these light sources should be neutral or warm. Often a warm tone looks more natural but a neutral tone can allow the light in the photo to blend better and be less distracting.
Although I shoot a lot of real estate photography, I can often find shooting for interior designers more enjoyable - but it’s interesting when the two paths cross. A designer I work with was staging units for Corcoran, who also was in need of photos. What resulted was a shoot that satisfied the needs for both, while emphasizing the design of the space.
It’s rare in New York to shoot a home with a backyard, let alone a home IN a backyard but architect Craig Maldonado designed this portable home that could be wheeled away if someone were to choose to leave it’s current Red Hook location.
Often the spaces I shoot are already styled before I arrive - and tend to look great - but there are some spaces that I enter with a stylist and it’s fascinating to watch the stylists transform the space. CJ Dockery did an amazing job styling this space from a barren, fluorescent lit drab studio to something much better.
I had previously posted about Leonelli Taverna, and its designers, Parts & Labor, and I was fortunate enough to shoot an additional dining concept by Chef Jonathan Benno, the eponymous Benno, which features a more grand space that provides a more intimate dining experience.
There are so many apartments in NYC that can look cookie-cutter and boring but once you put some work into them you can really transform the space. This apartment featured some beautiful tiles, wallpaper, and colorful books to give some real life and excitement to the home.
