Interior Photographs: A stunning North Yorkshire Cottage
Last week saw a visit to a beautiful little Hamlet just outside York. I’d seen some before photography of the cottage so I wasn’t completely sure what to expect. I think it’s important to go to a property without too many pre-conceived ideas. The very nature of a home means that it is individual to the owner. Shooting a formally presented house requires a completely different approach from that of an eclectic one. It’s back to the point I keep making about portraying the personality of a space.
Well this lovely cottage was just bursting with character. I use the word in the property sense of beams, sash windows and fireplaces but also in the more human sense of light hearted and confident. A confident house? So what’s one of those? Well, the answer isn’t straightforward, as you might expect. It’s the kind of place that absorbs what is it in and makes it feel at home. Be that furniture, a newspaper or a five year old child. It’s the kind of property where what is in it is no more or less important than the walls containing it. The kind of place that you feel you instantly feel you could chuck a log on the fire and curl up with the newspaper.
So back to this lovely cottage. Back to getting to grips with what to show and what not to show, one of the most important decisions a property photographer makes. I didn’t want to show the trappings of modern everyday life; TV’s, phones, the washing up. I did want to show country living; books, fireplaces, throws. The house provided everything I needed, the character, a great starting point from a light point of view and some nice pieces of furniture and decoration to add the interest and lifestyle element.
All I had to was search out the best angles, make any adjustments to furniture and dressing and light the shots. All in, an enjoyable afternoon shoot.
