Home Sweet Home

Hi everyone, firstly congratulations to Peter Boyle for winning May’s Pets and Wildlife Challenge. Don’t forget this month’s Home Sweet Home Photo Challenge winner will be announced at the start of July, so make sure you submit your entry before the closing date of 30th June to be in with a chance of winning!

This month’s article is not just about interiors and exteriors as I realise that not everyone owns a property that is easy to shoot. So I want to you to also try & convey what you love most about being at ‘Home Sweet Home’. It could be your favourite armchair, a beloved piece of wall art, or your favourite part of your garden.

The list can just go on and on, as it’s whatever is personal to you. So what you love best about being at home?

As a Pro Photographer I get commissioned to shoot a lot of interiors & exteriors particularly for hotel chains. The key elements to getting your interior shots looking great are as follows:

1. Try & shoot when the sun is not directly shining into your room, the contrast range between the highlights & shadows will be too great for your camera to see.

2. It’s better to have a low level of daylight that is slightly brighter than the illumination in the room.

3. Turn on any room lights to create a more balanced & warmer looking shot. Also straighten up curtains & blinds etc.

4. I personally like to shoot with the camera level to avoid converging verticals. To help with this you can use the grid on the cameras screen or use a hot shoe spirit level.

5. You can shoot small details in the room in addition to the main shot.

I recently had a new bathroom fitted at home and the builder asked me if I could take a few shots for him. All shots below are taken on the Lumix G2 using manual exposure and camera RAW.

Shot Selection 1 – My New Bathroom

• Lumix G Vario 7-14 mm lens at 14mm
• Aperture set at f 5.6
• Shutter Speed: 1/40th sec
• ISO 400
• Auto White Balance

Take a look below at a few more of my interior examples to spur you on.

Shot 2 – Feet Up Watching the Telly

• Lumix G Vario 14-42 mm lens at 20mm
• Aperture set at f 4.4
• Shutter Speed: 1/30th sec
• ISO 400
• Auto White Balance

Shot 3 – My Favourite Home Object

• Lumix G Vario 14-42 mm lens at 37mm
• Aperture set at f 5.4
• Shutter Speed: 1/30th sec
• ISO 400
• Auto White Balance

Shot 4 – My Wife’s Cooking Mad

• Lumix G Vario 14-42 mm lens at 42mm
• Aperture set at f 5.6
• Shutter Speed: 1/200th sec
• ISO 100
• Auto White Balance

Shot 5 – Kitchen Pop Art

• Lumix G Vario Wide Zoom 14-42 mm lens
• Aperture set at f 4.9
• Shutter Speed: 1/30th sec
• ISO 400
• Auto White Balance

Similar rules apply when shooting an exterior:

1. The priority is to shoot when the light is at an acute angle to your chosen property.

2. Move any rubbish or vehicle that will distract you.

3. Set any curtains / blinds to the same appearance.

4. Try & keep the camera level. If possible shoot from above your head to minimise converging verticals.

Shot 6 - My House

For this shot of my house I used the “IA” setting in camera RAW and made sure the Lumix G2 screen was rotated down so I could frame my shot when above my head.

• Lumix G Vario 7-14 mm lens at 13mm
• Aperture set at f 7.1
• Shutter Speed: 1/100th sec
• ISO 100
• Auto White Balance

Well, I hope this article has inspired you to start thinking about capturing what you love about being at home with your Lumix G.

I look forward to seeing your examples of Home Photography in this month’s Photo Challenge.

Good luck,

Phil Surbey