Capturing Your Space: 3 composition mistakes to avoid
Whether you’re an interior stylist, designer, or Airbnb host, learning the basics of composition in photography is key to creating images that look professional and captivating. Composition — how elements are arranged within the frame — can make or break an image.
Furniture @rusticcharminteriors
Styling @rusticcharminteriors, @ridhwaanmoolla, @by_caroline.m
Photography Caroline Moseley
A well-composed shot guides the viewer’s eye, highlights your styling work and makes the space feel inviting. To help you elevate your interior photography, here are three common composition mistakes to avoid, along with tips to ensure your photos look elevated and intentional.
1. Cluttered Composition: keep it simple
When photographing interiors, it’s tempting to include everything that makes a room special, but too many elements can make a photo feel cluttered and chaotic. This is where ‘negative space’ comes in — the empty areas around your focal points. Negative space gives the eye room to breathe and helps emphasise the main features of your design.
What to Avoid: Over-decorating or including too many items can overwhelm the viewer and detract from the main focal points.
What to Do Instead: Start by picking one or two key elements to highlight, such as an armchair or a styled coffee table vignette. Let these items be the heroes of the shot, with space around them to avoid visual clutter. Aim to create a balanced composition that draws attention to your design's highlights without overwhelming the eye.
2. Misalignment: keep vertical and horizontal lines straight
In interior photography, keeping vertical and horizontal lines straight is essential for a professional-looking shot. Crooked lines — whether in the walls, furniture, or architectural elements — can create a feeling of imbalance and distraction. Even if the styling is beautiful, misaligned lines can become especially distracting.
What to Avoid: Avoid tilted lines in doorways, furniture edges, or picture frames. This can happen easily, especially if you’re holding the camera or smartphone at an awkward angle.
What to Do Instead: Most smartphones and cameras have a grid feature that can be enabled in settings. Use this grid to align your camera with vertical and horizontal lines in the room, like the edges of a doorway, bookshelves, or even the horizon. Straight lines add a sense of polish and symmetry to your photo, making the space feel organised and professionally captured.
Furniture @rusticcharminteriors
Styling @rusticcharminteriors, @ridhwaanmoolla, @by_caroline.m
Photography Caroline Moseley
3. Awkward Cropping: frame furniture intentionally
One of the quickest ways to make a photo look off-balance is by cropping large pieces of furniture in awkward places. For example, cutting off half of a sofa or leaving only part of a table in the frame can feel unintentional and make the photo appear incomplete. Each element in your shot should feel purposefully included.
What to Avoid: Avoid cropping large furniture pieces at random spots that don’t make sense visually, like halfway through a cushion.
What to Do Instead: Either include the entire piece of furniture in the frame or crop strategically. For instance, if you’re framing a sofa, consider focusing on one end with an intentional crop around the armrest, or show the whole piece. This creates a more cohesive and professional look. Remember, intentional framing adds a sense of purpose to your shot and keeps the viewer focused on the design elements you want to highlight.
Furniture @rusticcharminteriors
Styling @rusticcharminteriors, @ridhwaanmoolla, @by_caroline.m
Photography Caroline Moseley
Intentional composition can take your interior photography from good to great. By avoiding clutter, aligning lines, and framing furniture strategically, you can elevate the look of your photos and truly showcase your design work. Whether you’re capturing images for your portfolio, social media, or an Airbnb listing, these simple adjustments in composition can help you create impactful, professional images that resonate and connect with your clients and customers.