When it comes to capturing the essence of urban interiors in the heart of Calgary, you need a trusted Calgary interior design photographer who understands the unique blend of creativity and sophistication that our city offers. As a seasoned professional (with multiple publications and award-winning projects each year), I specialize in showcasing both residential and commercial interior spaces, ensuring they come to life through my lens. Whether it’s the warmth of a historic family home or the elegance of a modern corporate environment, I have the expertise to document your interiors and one-of-a-kind architecture in a way that enables your work to have an emotional impact with your clients.
Do I need a Calgary interior design photographer?
Picture yourself at Devonian Gardens, never once looking up at the beautiful foliage around you. Or having dinner and drinks at Major Tom’s on the 40th floor of a downtown skyscraper, but insisting you don’t want to sit by the windows. That’s what it’s like when you don’t invest in documenting your interior space with the same care that you took to create it.
For Calgary’s architects and designers, an interior design photographer crafts an exceptional visual narrative – a task that is both a delicate science and a fully creative endeavour. While it may be tempting to settle for cheaper alternatives, the use of subpar photography will not be adequate to represent your work in front of your discerning clients. If you are targeting affluent homeowners, creative restauranteurs, government contracts, or thriving workplace cultures, then you will need photography and videography that immediately tells your client that you are valuable. You probably wouldn’t shop for a BMW if the brochure was photographed like a local classified ad, and the same applies to the construction industry; commercial photographers are worth the investment because they create images that inspire trust and respect from your clients.
Specialist commercial photographers ensure that the dedication and skill embedded within a space’s design and structure are represented as they should be: free of inadequate lighting, conflicting elements, colour discrepancies, and anything else that distracts from your work. We use our knowledge of perspective and visual psychology to delve deep into the intangible qualities and unique character that smart interior design imparts, conveying a narrative within each and every space.
We artfully employ a range of techniques to accentuate specific features and heighten the overall viewer experience. Our ultimate objective is to make a profound statement through images which transcends the need for words, leaving an impression that cannot be described so much as it is perceived.
This is all to say – don’t let true representation of your work be an afterthought. Use proper photography to underscore your brand, show your clients what you can do, and create a timeless record of what you have built.
Are real estate and commercial interior photography the same?
Real estate and commercial interior photography might seem similar, but, similar to the aforementioned BMW brochure vs. a local classified ad, the approach is actually very different.
- Real estate photography prioritizes the efficient sale of properties. This means emphasizing fast turnaround and quantity over quality. The focus is on things like full room views, overall size, and general features of a home, all taken from a neutral perspective to cater to the widest possible audience in a hot market like Calgary. Due to these factors, these photos often become a commodity – perhaps even coming across as uninspired or poorly composed, regardless of the photographer’s actual skill.
- In contrast, residential interior design and commercial interior photography celebrate the design and emotion of a space, with the intent of bringing more clients to the designers, vendors, and builders that created the space. This means focusing on the functionality and aesthetics of a space, highlighting creative intent, timing the movement of light as it interacts with materials, and documenting deliberate design choices. It portrays the people who inhabit and work in these spaces as integral parts of the space’s character. With attention to staging, lighting, framing, and editing, interior design photographers create arresting images that cleverly illustrate the grand ideas and subtle craftsmanship of the built environment.
The importance of high-quality photography for interiors
I firmly believe that every interior space has beauty that is best revealed by studying lighting. While I could make an image of a living room with all the lights and lamps turned on, this usually sucks the emotion out of the space and results in a “flat” image with inconsistent colours. If manipulating the light isn’t an option (such as in a large public library or hospital), then I adapt the composition to the light or wait until the light changes in my favour. Whether photographing residential or commercial interiors, my mission remains the same: to convey the essence of the space in a way that resonates on an emotional level. Often, this translates into more practical applications as well.
Professional interior design photography for award submissions
Winning prestigious interior design awards always requires objectively excellent photographs. The calibre and arrangement of these images can be the deciding factor for many judges, so it’s important to present an interior project in its most favorable light and accentuate the thought, dedication, and artistry invested in its creation. Winning awards starts with an exceptional design, but an entry won’t be noticed or appreciated by a panel of judges unless it has exceptional photography as well.
Calgary Interior design photography for magazines and websites
The editors of design magazines and websites know the immense power of visuals when talking about exciting new architectural projects across Calgary. So, they actively seek out such projects that not only show innovative design of sufficient quality, but also have accompanying images to match. These photos are a linchpin, combining multiple visual elements and themes into one vision and ensuring your project earns well-deserved recognition from the industry.
Enhancing interior photography with videography
Incorporating short videos alongside interior photography enriches your visual narrative by offering dynamic, real-time context to a space. Especially advantageous when on-site, they provide immersive views and better appreciation of scale as the camera moves.
This feature proves valuable for showcasing spaces like high-end restaurants on Stephen Avenue or corporate headquarters at the Bow Tower. For residential spaces, videos breathe life into the personality and daily luxury within a space, building upon the foundation set by images.
Moreover, this approach of producing photos and videos at the same time streamlines costs, eliminating the need for separate video production crews or additional expenses. With a trained eye on-site, I can capture unique moments in real-time, maximizing efficiency and ensuring a cohesive visual representation. These clips will leave a lasting impression and add depth to every piece of content.
Cost sharing for interior design photography in Calgary
Image licensing and usage fees are often misunderstood, but they’re vital parts of the client-photographer agreement. Just like music, software, and film, all commercial photographs are intellectual property that must be licensed by each entity or individual that wishes to use them. Luckily, interior and architectural photography has a special option that many other types of commercial photography lack: the ability to cost share.
In a typical image of a kitchen, for example, there are at least six different companies represented (flooring, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, millwork, general contractor, and interior designer). Rather than each of these entities commissioning their own separate photoshoots, they can collaborate to share the cost of a photoshoot and also receive a discount on licensing images. This structure applies to almost every project that I am commissioned for and benefits all parties involved.
In such arrangements, clients benefit from lower individual costs by dividing day rates and expenses between them. Additional savings are also possible if multiple entities choose the same images, with a discount on post-production fees for retouching and licensing.
This approach not only saves costs but also streamlines the process, too. It can often be difficult to schedule a day of access for photography with your client (whether they be a homeowner or business), let alone 3 or 4 different days while every stakeholder tries to schedule their own shoots. As the unifying force in the agreement, I am a single point of communication and planning between all parties – resulting in a seamless, hassle-free, and cost-effective experience for all.
Contact a Calgary interior design photographer
If you’re looking for a professional Calgary photographer who can truly tell the story of your interior space, look no further. I’ve done it all over North America, and I am just as passionate about showcasing the charm of my home base: Calgary’s interiors. I would be honoured to help you share your unique stories and influences through my camera lens.
Reach out to me today, and let’s discuss how I can help you show the world all that you have created!