What's the Difference Between Real Estate Photography and Interior Design Photography?
As an interior designer, don’t you love it when someone assumes all you do is pick out pillows and paint colors for a living? Kiddinggggg. I know you hate that.
I feel the same when someone asks what I do:
Them: “You’re a photographer? Like, you photograph families?”
Me: “I used to! Now I actually shot interior spaces.”
Them: “Oh, real estate!”
*Melting smiley face emoji*
But also, I get it. And it begs the question: what IS the difference between real estate photography and interior design photography? It boils down to one thing: the intent.
The Intent of Real Estate vs Interior Design Photography
Real estate photography: showcases an accurate record of what’s inside the home. It’s a bit cut and dry. The photo says—
“This is a realistic picture of the layout and room count, and you can expect to see the same thing in person at your tour.
Interior design photography: creates an emotional connection between the image and viewer by communicating the mood of a space, regardless of what it looks like in person. The photos says—
“Linger for hours over wine with close friends in this moody, intimate dining room.”
Design by Elizabeth Ryan Interiors
Design by Elizabeth Ryan Interiors
That’s what good interior photography does—it uses emotion to bridge the gap between what your client’s want their homes to feel like and the service you deliver to prove you can achieve that.
If interior photography is about emotion, then how do we create vibes, feelings, and mood in an image? Through three major components: lighting, composition, and styling.
Here’s how these components look in both genres of photography:
Lighting
Real estate photography: The big lights on (scary I know), bright, hyper-realistic window views—all for the purpose of making every inch of the room visible.
Interior design photography: Specific and intentional lighting choices (either widow or strobe light)—all for the purpose of drawing the eye to a certain area of the image and to create a mood.
See the light on the floor and the floral in the office below? That was not naturally occurring when we shot the space. But I wanted it there to create an inviting, life-filled mood. Same situation with the living room image—it was stormy and gray outside when we shot this space. A splash of thoughtfully place strobe light in both rooms did the trick.
Design by Matt Mazur; build by Catena Homes
Design by Lauren Reynolds
Composition
Real estate photography: Shows as much of the room as possible for the purposes of allowing the viewer to see the entirely of the space or make it appear bigger.
Interior design photography: Shows a thoughtful slice of the room to either draw the viewer in, to make it feel like they’re within the space, or to highlight specific details. Full room views are also necessary, but they are usually not as wide or distorted as their real estate counterparts.
Build by Reside Builders
Design by Ellie Aiello Interiors
Styling
Real estate photography: tends to depersonalize a space by removing items to make a space feel less cluttered or less personal to the homeowner.
Interior design photography: seeks to hyper personalized/characterized a space to create a story; planned ahead and created on purpose.
In both images below, we can sense that someone has been here or is about to be here. A book and a chess game create a personalized, and story-filled image.
Design by Ellie Aiello Interiors
Design by Ledger and Ladder Interiors
I hope these distinctions help you understand the difference between real estate and interior design photography! Especially if you’re new to the profession—don’t let the budget-friendly aspect of real estate photography sway your decision. The investment in a true interiors photographer makes all the difference. Especially if you’re looking for publication opportunities—but that’s a different blog post. :)
Oh, hey there! I’m Sarah, and interior photographer in Dallas, Texas. I help designers level up their portfolios and get published through editorial imagery. Wanna work together? Let’s goooo!