Getting Started with Interior Design Photography: Essential Camera Settings and Tips

If you’re new to interior design photography, the right camera settings and techniques can help you capture beautiful, professional-looking images. This guide will walk you through the basics to help you take stunning photos of indoor spaces. Whether you’re photographing a cozy living room, a chic hotel lobby, or an epic hospitality project, these beginner-friendly tips will give you a solid foundation.

Before diving into settings there are a few important and necessary things I want to cover.

You Need a Tripod, Heres Why:

- Take Long Exposures: Since interiors are often dimly lit, you’ll need longer exposure times (keeping the camera’s sensor open longer to gather more light). A tripod keeps your camera stable for clear, non-blurry photos.

- Perfect Your Composition: A tripod helps you carefully set up each shot, adjusting elements in your frame until everything looks balanced.

- Keep Lines Straight: A stable camera makes it easier to line up vertical elements like walls and doors, which is essential in interior photography.

Using Manual Mode for More Control:

Shooting in manual mode might feel intimidating at first, but it’s a must for interior photography. In auto mode, your camera decides on settings for you, which will likely not work well for interiors. Manual mode lets you take full control, and the effort is worth it for well-exposed, high-quality photos.

The Exposure Triangle:

The exposure triangle is key to understanding how your camera settings work together. It consists of:

1. Aperture (f-stop): Controls how much light enters through the lens and affects how much of your image is in focus.

2. Shutter Speed: Determines how long your sensor is exposed to light.

3. ISO: Sets the camera’s sensitivity to light.

These three settings work together to give you a properly exposed photo. Let’s look at the specific settings for interior photography.

Key Camera Settings for Interiors:

Aperture:

My starting point is always f/9, which is often a "sweet spot" for capturing clear, sharp details across the entire image. Many interiors photographers find their ideal aperture falls somewhere between f/8 and f/11. If you’re using a wider focal length, like 16mm, the larger focal plane allows you to use a slightly lower aperture while keeping everything in focus. On the other hand, if you're using a longer focal length, like 50mm or more, you may need to increase your aperture slightly to ensure that all parts of the image you want in focus stay sharp.
Of course, you can also experiment with lower f-stops, such as f/2.8, to create a different look. Using a lower f-stop will give you a shallow depth of field, allowing you to blur parts of the image and draw the viewer’s attention to a specific area in focus.

ISO:

A shortcut answer is to keep your camera at ISO 100. This is going to allow for the best image quality with the least amount of digital noise. One instance you may want to increase ISO is when you need extra power from your flash—especially in a large room where more light coverage is necessary. Every camera handles higher ISO settings differently, so it’s worth testing to find what works best for you. For example, on my Sony A7R5, I’m comfortable shooting at ISO 800 and can go up to 1600 or even 3200 if needed. Beyond that, the digital noise becomes too noticeable for my preference.

Shutter Speed:

Shutter speed is your variable setting: once you’ve set the ISO and aperture, you adjust the shutter speed to achieve the desired exposure. For interior shots, with an ISO of 100 and an aperture of f/9, my shutter speed typically ranges from 4 seconds to 1/125th of a second, depending on the lighting in the space.

When using flash a high shutter speed can be used to eliminate or limit natural light. I start with my camera’s maximum sync speed, which is the fastest shutter speed that works with flash. On my Sony A7R5, this is 1/250 of a second—most cameras max out around 1/160 to 1/250. This setting, paired with a small aperture like f9, usually eliminates ambient light, showing only what’s lit by the flash. From there, I gradually slow down the shutter speed to let in more ambient light until I reach the exposure I’m happy with.

Here I bumped up the ISO to 800 to give my flash more power to cover the large room, This shot is fully lit with flash and would be a nearly black image without it. 

Other Helpful Settings:

Shoot in RAW:

RAW format is like the “digital negative” of a photo, keeping all the original data. Unlike JPEG files, which compress and lose some information, RAW files keep it all. This lets you make more detailed edits to colors, shadows, and highlights in post-processing.

White Balance:

Using Auto White Balance is usually all you need for most projects, as most cameras do a decent job. But if colors look “off” in your final image, you can correct the white balance during editing if you’re shooting in RAW.

Focus Peaking:

Focus peaking is a camera feature that shows you what’s in focus by highlighting it in color (red, yellow, blue, etc.). This helps you see at a glance which areas are sharp and which aren’t. It’s a useful tool when setting up your shot and can help prevent any surprises when you review your images.

Grid Lines:

Most cameras offer a grid overlay, which can help with composition. Try turning on the rule of thirds grid—this is a useful guide for placing important elements in your shot, helping you create a balanced photo.

Turn Off Image Stabilization:

If your camera has stabilization, turn it off when using a tripod. Stabilization can sometimes shift the image slightly, creating blur in situations where the camera is already stable. Disabling it ensures each shot is as sharp as possible.

Use a 2-Second Timer or Remote Trigger:

Even with a tripod, pressing the shutter button can create tiny vibrations, especially with longer exposures. Setting a 2-second timer or using a remote trigger allows your camera to settle before taking the photo, helping you avoid any blur. You can also use tethering software like Camranger or Capture one.

Final Tips for Great Interior Shots:

Learning interior photography takes practice, but the tips above will give you a strong start. Take your time with each shot, review your results, and make small adjustments to see how different settings affect your photos. As you build confidence, feel free to experiment and refine your approach.

With these settings and techniques, you’ll be well on your way to capturing beautiful, professional-quality interior photos. Whether you're working as a hospitality photographer, building a real estate photography business, working with interior designers or just shooting for fun, the right camera settings and careful planning can make all the difference.

If you would like to learn more check out this article!

If you have any questions please ask them below and I’ll be sure to answer!