Behind the Scenes: Shoot Day
A day in the life of an interior design photographer, from the first frame to the final shot.
Bedroom design by Brittney Lane Interiors
People see the finished photographs, but rarely everything happening just outside the frame.
An interior photography shoot is a constant mix of composition, lighting, styling, problem-solving and collaboration. A chair might move three inches. A curtain gets steamed again. A reflection appears where no one noticed one before. And occasionally someone is standing just outside the frame holding something very important in place.
So what actually happens during an interior design photography session?
Here’s a look behind the scenes.
Entryway vignette design by Chelsea Dunn Design
Kitchen design by Redstone Kitchens
Who said offices can’t be fun and beautiful. Civil engineering firm design by Britney Ratto
Morning: Arrival & Setup
I arrive to the house around 8 AM with my assistant and enough gear to stock a small camera store.
The first thing I do isn’t touch my camera. I walk through each room with the designer, look at how the light is behaving, plan the flow of the day and confirm the spaces and shots we want to prioritize.
Natural light changes fast in Texas, and it isn’t always an interior photographer’s friend. When I can, I like to start in east-facing rooms and work my way through the house as the light changes.
But available light is only one part of the equation. I also use artificial lighting throughout the day to shape the light, balance difficult conditions and bring dimension back into a space when it needs it.
Then comes the not-so-fun part: setup.
My assistant and I unload:
Light stands and light poles. Lots of them.
Off-camera flashes and various lighting modifiers
Laptop for tethering and instant review
Blackout cloths to control unwanted light
Reflectors
Multiple lenses for different compositions
My styling and cleaning toolkit
A footstool, because short people problems
And then we get to work.
Mid-Morning: Capturing the Spaces
If wide shots are on the shot list, I usually start there, assuming the size and layout of the room allow for it.
These hero images show the space as a whole and help communicate the designer’s overall intent.
Interior design photography is about more than taking pretty pictures of pretty rooms. The photographs should show what the designer accomplished. They should document the transformation, highlight the decisions that make the project distinctive and show how the designer made the space better than it was before.
Getting those larger compositions right sets the tone for everything else.
From there, I’ll often capture a vertical composition from a similar perspective before moving into tighter vignettes and design details. If the designer wants them, we might also create a portrait or two of them styling, fluffing pillows or simply working within the space.
Between every photograph, we’re constantly adjusting.
Moving a pillow two inches to the left. Steaming a wrinkled curtain. Dusting a side table. Straightening furniture. Tweaking the lighting when conditions outside change.
Most of these adjustments are tiny, but they can completely change the way a room reads through the camera.
My assistant carefully placing some cookbooks on the counter, design by Redstone Kitchens.
DFW based interior designer Chelsea Dunn carefully placing some Topo Chicos on this entryway table
My assistant blocking the reflection in the art for the shot.
Afternoon: Final Frames and Review
By afternoon, we’re usually capturing the remaining spaces, tighter compositions and portfolio shots.
But here’s what clients rarely see happening behind the scenes:
Me washing a window because suddenly every smudge is visible
My assistant holding scrim poles so they don’t blow over in the Texas wind
Equipment deciding that right now is the perfect time to stop cooperating
Steaming wrinkled textiles for the third time
Moving furniture in and out of the frame
Blocking reflections in mirrors, artwork, appliances and windows
Emergency snack runs and mid-afternoon coffee deliveries
There is always something happening just outside the frame.
After the last photograph, I give the designer a preview on my laptop so we can review what we captured. While we’re doing that, my assistant starts packing up the gear.
Once we’re happy with everything, we load up the car and I head home.
The Part Nobody Sees: Backing Everything Up
When I tether to my laptop during a session, the files are saved directly to my computer, while my camera is simultaneously recording to dual memory cards.
Once I get home, everything gets backed up immediately.
First, the files are copied to a removable hard drive. Then they’re backed up again to another drive that also backs up to the cloud.
I also have a slightly irrational phobia around wiping memory cards in case every backup system somehow fails at the exact same time.
So I have been known to just buy more memory cards.
Losing an entire interior design photography session to a corrupted card is one of my worst professional nightmares, and apparently my solution is redundancy upon redundancy.
Dallas based interior designer Travis Williams of Travis Pernell Interiors brushing the velvet headboard and steaming the curtains so they lay wrinkle free on the edge of the frame.
Dallas based interior designer Bianca Limones of Casa Liminal holding a sconce straight for the shot.
Dallas based interior designer Jenn Moore of Remedy Home Interiors styling the back counter of this detail shot.
My assistant blocking the reflection in the ovens for the shot.
My assistant straightening and spacing out the barstools for the shot.
Tips from Stacy
Want to know what lives in my shoot-day toolkit?
I bring supplies to prep florals, gaff tape to hold textiles exactly where I want them, a lint roller and velvet brush for unwanted pet hair, cleaning supplies for last-minute fingerprints and plenty of bottled water in a Yeti cooler.
I also bring backup lighting and equipment because, well, things happen.
The key is being ready for just about anything.
Weather changes. Equipment fails. Someone forgets to clean the windows. The kids throw their entire breakfast on the dining room floor before leaving for school.
Shoot days rarely go exactly according to plan.
Having backups, a well-stocked kit and a willingness to problem-solve keeps the day moving.
FAQ’s
How long does an Interior Design Photography session take?
I currently book half-day and full-day sessions.
On set, we typically create around three to four finished compositions per hour. I generally plan on spending roughly an hour photographing a major room, such as a bedroom, living room or kitchen.
Kitchens, without a doubt, tend to take the longest.
Smaller rooms can take less time, although their compact size often creates its own challenges with composition, camera placement and lighting.
Do I need to be there?
Ideally, yes.
The space needs to be cleaned, styled and ready to photograph before we begin, and having the designer or someone from the team on site makes it much easier to make styling decisions as we work.
If someone from your company can’t be there to prep, clean and style the space, I can arrange for a professional stylist to join the team and handle that role.
How many images do I get?
That depends on the scope of the project and the number of final photographs you need.
A half-day session typically allows us to create around 8–12 images, while a full day may result in approximately 15–25.
Every project is different, though. The size and complexity of the rooms, number of compositions, lighting requirements and amount of styling needed all affect how quickly we can move.
If a space hasn’t been fully prepped or styled beforehand, expect the image count to decrease. Styling on the fly can quickly eat into photography time.
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Recent projects, behind-the-scenes moments, and a closer look at the spaces, details, and designers I have the opportunity to photograph.
More Than a Shoot Day
The time spent adjusting a chair, refining a composition or building the light isn't simply about creating a beautiful photograph. It's about creating an intentional library of imagery that can continue working for the designer long after shoot day, across portfolios, social media, editorial submissions, awards and future marketing.
