Making Money with Interior Photography 101

by D'Arcy Benincosa

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be an Interior Photographer? Today’s guest, Lindsay Salazar took her photography skills and put them to use photographing homes and has since been published in countless publications such as People, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, and more. She’s mastered the art of photographing interiors, and you can too! Tune in to learn her tricks of the trade and see if this is an avenue for you to explore.

About Lindsay:

Lindsay Salazar is an interior photographer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lindsay is known for creating images that feel warm and inviting. She loves being a photographer because it fills the creative part of her soul and puts a smile on her face. Lindsay’s passion for interior photography has led her to share her talent with other aspiring photographers through her mentoring program. Her work has been featured by People, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, Domino, House Beautiful, Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Martha Stewart, The Discovery Channel, and more.

Tips for Photographing an Interior Space:

Turn all the lights off and utilize natural light as much as possible.
Make your lines straight
Have a high f-stop so that everything in the photo is in focus. Use a tripod so that you can bring your shutter speed down and f-stop up.
Use wide lenses. These are Lindsey’s go-to’s:24-70 2.8 Canon & 16-35 Canon
Spend a lot of time editing to make everything look crisp and cohesive. Lindsey always raises the exposure, clarity and sharpness in all of her photos, as well as straightening all the lines.
Use Bracketing: Take multiple exposures of the same shot to get the exposure right for all areas of the photo. You’ll most likely need a different exposure for the interior, what’s out the window, the dark corner, etc. and then pull them together in Photoshop to create a perfectly exposed photo.

Interior Photography Publications:

Print publications will pay you to shoot. It’s best to ask what their budget is so that you’re not selling yourself short.
Online publications are usually more for exposure. Being able to say you’ve been featured in XYZ can be worth it especially in the beginning of your interior photography career.

Image Licensing for Interior Photography:

Oftentimes there is more than one business that worked on a project. For example: one project might have an Interior Designer, an Architect, a Builder, Cabinet Maker, Lighting, etc. so you can reach out to them and do three separate licenses for the one set of images.
This benefits them because they can split the cost of the shooting time.
Always go back to your original client and get their blessing before licensing to the other businesses to show respect so they don’t feel taken advantage of – even though it’s your right to license your work to whoever you want. This keeps a good relationship with your client and keeps them coming back and referring others.