Featured on the Show:

• Linda Holt’s website: https://www.lindaholtcreative.com

• Linda Holt’s smartphone class https://linda-holt-creative.mykajabi.com/smartphone-photography-for-interior-designers

• “Let’s Get Reels” class at High Point Market. https://linda-holt-creative.mykajabi.com/lets-get-reels

•  5 Smartphone Photography Tips To Achieve Magazine Worthy Interior Photos https://www.lindaholtcreative.com/freebies

What you will learn in this episode:

• How you can make your behind the scene photos more eye-catching for social media.

• Shifting your mindset about iPhone photos

• Hiring a professional Interior Design Photographer

This episode stemmed from Episode 82, where I discussed the three ways I utilized photography on all of my projects. That episode got a lot of interest and many questions! So I reached out to my friend Linda Holt and asked her to come on to share her wealth of knowledge of the photography world so that each of us can learn how to improve our skills and how to take the best photos on our own. 

As a former professional photographer Linda Holt is no stranger to merging her creative eye with aesthetic appeal, having worked with more than 5,000 celebrities, actors and models as one of Boston’s top commercial headshot photographers. 

Today she uses her skilled photographic eye to help homeowners create a stylish, fresh and relaxed home that is reflective of their unique personality and lifestyle. 

Over the past few years Linda has put aside her heavy DSLR cameras and now shoots exclusively with her iphone and Samsung phone. She has become an expert in both smartphone photography and smartphone photo editing. 

After successfully teaching smartphone photography workshops in and around Boston, she created an on-line photography class for interior designers, stagers and creatives called Smartphone Photography for Interior Designers.

The first tip Linda shares with us in today’s episode is how you can make your behind the scene photos more eye-catching for social media.

Linda shares that behind the scene shots, or especially if you’re doing the daily updates on a construction site, nobody expects those to look magazine quality. People are fascinated by the life of a designer and the behind-the-scenes. 

However, you can do several things if the job site is really a mess. Firstly, try and position yourself so there’s the least amount of clutter. Or if you can even ask whoever’s working on the site if they could turn off the LED lights for just a minute because there’s nothing you can do to edit the shadows you’re going to get from those really hard lights. 

Then think about your composition. What’s really important? What do you want to show on social media? Do you want to show the framing of something that’s going up, a fireplace surround that’s going in? But don’t stress too much about this, because people want to see real life. 

Then once you have these photos, how do you keep track of all of them? Linda suggests before doing a “before” session, stand in the middle of the four walls and shoot straight ahead. Then stand in each of the four corners and shoot into the opposite corner. Then photograph any kind of architectural features in the room, such as a fireplace or an archway. Ask yourself, what are you going to change in the design that you’re going to want to get a before and after? 

Put them in a folder on your phone and label it with the client job, and you can always refer back to them. 

We also talk about how photos can look skewed on social media. The problem with the smartphone is the normal default lens, which Linda explains in detail how the lens is a wide-angle lens and that causes distorted lines. She then shares how you can fix this.

“Designers need to shift their mindset and stop thinking what they are taking is a crappy cell phone photo.” -Linda Holt

Designers need to give their camera the respect that it needs!! Think about the shot, and act as if you’re shooting with a $10,000 digital camera. Frame the shot, and think about the lighting because that camera on your phone is an amazing tool. It does the work for us today!!! 

With today’s phones, everybody can take professional-level photos!

When it comes to taking professional portfolio photos, if you have the budget and the project is worthy of hiring the best interior photographer you can find, then, by all means, do it. 90% of interior designers don’t have that budget when they are starting out. But please do not hire a wedding photographer or a portrait photographer, or your husband’s cousin’s friend who’s really good at taking pictures – you will just throw your money away. 

Linda explains all of the different options that would be best for you depending on if you have a budget to hire a photographer, only some budget, or zero budget. 

We also get into Reels. You may not love how reels are taking over Instagram, but with a business, it’s something you should be taken seriously! It’s always going to be changing and can feel like a lot to keep up on, but as part of your business, it is something that can make a difference in taking the time to learn.  

I hope you enjoy today’s conversation, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts, questions, or takeaways!

Like this Episode?

• Be sure to check out Episode #82: 3 Ways to Use Photographs on Renovation Projects

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