Photographing Porches Like Pros

One common hobby that many take up at some point in their lives is photography. While we don’t claim to be photography professionals, we’ve seen a few tricks over the years that work extremely well to make for a great shot, especially when it comes to screened porch pictures. If you’ve been wanting to step up on your skills, make sure to check out the recommendations below that will make for a better picture and increase your chances of being featured on our social media!

Plenty of Light

Lighting is everything for a great photograph. Whether you’re in artificial or natural lighting; warm tones or cool tones; lighting affects the way that objects and individuals are portrayed in a photograph - be that digital or physical. We typically recommend taking photos in natural light with warmer tones, that way you’ve framed the picture to feel effortlessly enjoyable. If natural light is unavailable, however, we recommend artificial lighting with neutral to cooler tones, which can bring out some of the levity and peacefulness of the picture. It’s important to keep in mind color theory, which in this context refers to warmer tones being better for bright, pink-leaning colors while cooler tones are better for duller, blue-leaning colors.

Clean Up in Advance

You wouldn’t have your guests come over and see visible cobwebs, dirt, debris, and more, so why would you photograph it? Make sure before taking screened porch photos that you do, at the bare minimum, a solid once-over with the broom, dustpan, and surface cleaner. The best screened porch photos, whether of new projects or throwbacks, look like they were freshly installed, cleaned, and decorated yesterday.

All About the Angles

Knowing how to frame and angle your shot is nearly as important as lighting, although not quite. Just as you would change camera angles while out with friends, you change angles while photographing your screened porch and its key aspects. Some outside shots straight-on and some outside shots slightly from the side while angling the camera only a small amount up are great ways to showcase the entire project and make it feel bigger-than-life. Some inside shots from the entry door(s), the couch, or a corner of the screened porch space work to open the entire area up while showcasing the comfortability of the space. While there are many more angles to approach this photography endeavor, inside shots angled slightly down and outside shots angled slightly up are two easy ways to take great shots.

Add the Decor

People like to see finished rooms - that’s why decorations and furniture additions are so vital to completing a screened porch and making it photograph well. Something as simple as laying down an area rug, throwing some pillows onto the chairs, and/or adding a unique lamp can make or break your photograph. So the next time you’re taking some photos and want to accentuate a certain corner, make sure to place some additions that are undeniably appealing.

Time the Shot

While we’ve seen great screened porch photos taken both day and night, the vast majority of successful photographs are from the daytime, with particular success to those taken in the early afternoon. The early afternoon provides much natural, overhead light in comparison to other times of the day and night. This timeframe also reduces the number of light glares that are visible in the photos, which is immensely helpful if you’re trying to display a particular aspect of your project. If you do opt to photograph later in the evening or at night, make sure there are lights on within the screened porch as well as surrounding outdoor lighting to illuminate the phenomenal attributes.

Have you been working on your screened porch photography skills? Tag us in some of your fantastic photos and let us know what works best for you.