Workshop Wednesdays are a weekly segment where I provide a composition analysis of a real estate photograph. If you have a specific type of room or exterior space that you would like to see in this segment, please get in touch.
This week’s image was taken during a daytime real estate photo-shoot of a four-bedroom home. The subject of the image is the expansive deck that extends from the living room on the second floor of the house, offering views over the neighbouring trees and distant mountains.
1.0
Using the rule of thirds, the view and tabletop are situated in the centre of the image. The ceiling is situated in the top three grid squares and the decking in the bottom three. The left railing/view panel and the doorway opening (on the right) are almost equally distributed vertically on the left and right three grid squares creating a well-balanced image.
2.0
The ability for the door (to the deck) to fully open and ‘bring the outdoors in’ is an important feature to highlight in this image. Outdoor entertaining with friends and family is a popular past-time and the ability to merge the indoor living area with the outdoor area (in this case, the deck) is a great selling point for the real estate agent. The doors have been completely opened and the right border has been left ‘open’ without a door frame visible.
3.0
The converging lines of the wooden floorboards, railings, and ceiling cornice lead the viewer’s eyes to the centre of the image to highlight the distant view and table setup.
4.0
The centre of the image highlights the décor, view, and the opening in the railing for the stairs leading down to the backyard. This image could be shown prior to the backyard image in an online gallery/listing to help the story ‘flow’ from the outdoor living space continuing down to the backyard.
5.0
The composition includes a strong sense of vertical symmetry with the table being in the centre of the image and the repeated vertical lines of the floorboards being evenly ‘weighted’ in the left and right sides of the image.
6.0
The large outdoor dining table is positioned in the centre of the outdoor space and highlights the size of the space and the amount of empty space around the table (for walking/standing and the potential for more furniture, BBQ, outdoor plants, etc.).
Photograph Information
Camera: NIKON D750
Aperture (ƒ): 11
Focal Length (mm): 15
ISO: 640
Shutter Speed (s): 1/20s (5 Brackets)
Flash Fired: Yes