This week we have released some stunning new photos of our show homes at Rufford Pastures in Edwinstowe. The shots were captured by award winning, local photographer Tracey Whitefoot who has shared her top tips to take perfect pictures.
We would love to see your pictures, tag us in your photographs and we will be mentioning the best on Instagram.
 |
@WoodheadHomes | Tracey Whitefoot |
This is the most important aspect of photography, before you start, take note of where the light is at different parts of the day. As the sun moves during the day, different parts of your house and garden will be flooded with light, and these changes offer lots of opportunities for photographs.
Angles will make or break a perfect people shot. If the subject is standing side on, the part of their face closest to the light will be lit more brightly, whilst the other side will look like it is in shadow. Playing with the light in this way can give lots of different feels to a photograph, so it’s worth having a play.
Background is also important here, and rather than have a cluttered background where you might be able to see everything behind the person in a room, look for a more interesting background. This might be a colourful wall or wallpaper. Be playful and don’t just take the photograph head on. Try from different levels, such as taking a photo from the top of the stairs of someone sitting at the bottom.
Get them to lay on the floor so you can capture them from ground level. Be creative and playful with you images, and make the person laugh, this will inject lots of energy into the end result.
Rufford Pastures is a great home for pets with so much open space but they can be tricky to photograph as they are so often on the move. If I want to photograph my dog, I either wait until she is tired after a long walk and hence more likely to be still, or I use good old fashioned bribery.
Taking your dog into the garden and making it sit while waiting for a treat will give you a window of opportunity to get a shot while they are still. You will also have their full attention. Putting the treat on top of your camera or phone will also ensure that you get a shot where they are looking directly into the camera. For other pets, especially smaller ones, I’d recommend getting down onto ground level with them, then you’ll get shots with far more impact.
Flowers and plants offer a great opportunity to get some bright and colourful shots that pop, especially when the sun is out and everything is in bloom. Often close up shots are good for floral photography, filling the frame for maximum impact. I think opportunities in the garden are endless, especially as there are often butterflies, ladybirds and other insects.
If you are a crafter and want to sell your wares on websites such as Etsy or ebay a great photo makes all the difference. Again start with some good light, but the trick here is to find an interesting background, and depending on the size of the item, the options here are literally limitless. I’ve used table mats and tablecloths before to photograph against, but if you don’t have anything around the house, go to a craft shop and take a look at their selection of colourful card. I keep several large pieces of card in the house in varying bright colours so that I can use them at a moment’s notice.
Interesting angles here are the key. And don’t be afraid to put your items on the floor and take pictures from above. This approach also works well for photographing everyday things, and I’ve taken pictures before of all sorts of sweets and biscuits, especially if they’re colourful ones! The upside to this is that you get to eat them when you’re finished!
Whatever you photograph, the key thing is to enjoy it. Once you start to look around your house and garden at the light, patterns and colours, you won’t be able to un-see them!
We hope you have enjoyed reading these tips from Tracey, we would really like to see you get creative and tag us in so we can see the results.
Finally a big thank you for Tracey for taking some amazing photos of our Showhome which you can now visit from the comfort of your home with our virtual tour. Click here to take the tour.
You can also call us 7 days a week to start your journey to find a picture perfect home at Rufford Pastures.