The Ultimate Shot List Guide for Interior Photography + How to Work Best with Your Photographer
- Tolu Sanusi
- Jul 4
- 3 min read
Maximize your interior photoshoot with a pro-level guide to essential shots and collaboration tips for perfect results.
Whether you're a designer, architect, or property owner, your space has a story and capturing that story takes more than just pointing a camera and taking a photo. A great interior shoot begins with clarity, thrives on collaboration, and comes togetter best when guided by a plan.
One of the most underrated tools? A well-crafted shot list. It ensures nothing important gets overlooked and aligns everyone from Client to photographer on the same key points.
Behind-the-scenes of a styled interior space with tripod and gear, beside is the Final Image.
Interior photography isn’t just about capturing four walls and a couch. A great shoot involves an understanding of:
Design intent and spatial function
Natural vs. artificial lighting dynamics (This affects the aesthetics i.e mood of the image)
Styling, staging or no staging, and decluttering
Textures, materials, and room flow
Without a thoughtful shot list, you risk missing the very features that make your design exceptional.
Side-by-side comparison of a wide room shot and a vignette / detail shot.
Tips for Collaborating With Your Photographer
Share a Moodboard or Reference Images - Give visual cues to the photographer on the tone, lighting, and feel you’re aiming for.
Do a Pre-Shoot Walkthrough - Do a 10min walkthrough of the project with the photographer, pointing out key features, angles and spaces before the gear is set up.
Trust Their Eye But Be Prepared - A shot list keeps you on track, but allowing for spontaneous shots by the photographer can lead to magic moments that you'll otherwise have missed.
Manage Expectations on Time - Quality interior shoots take time. A shoot may take 4-5 hours and yield 15 – 25 polished images. More photos can be done with extra time but they might end up being supporting Images.
Declutter and Style Beforehand - Prepping / styling / decluttering the space ensures the shoot runs smoothly and looks polished. If it doesn't add to your story, it's best to take it out of the scene, as editing it out later might prove difficult.
I once had a client expect a full house (4 bedroom villa) photographed in two hours including vignettes and room details. We barely scratched the surface after 2 hours, the shoot ended 5 hours later and the Client was unhappy that she couldn't meet her other appointment cause she assumed it was going to be over in little time. Since then, I always advise clients to budget time per room or 4-5 hours overall (depending on the size of the project) if they want magazine-level results.
✅ The Interior Photography Shot List
1. Wide Room Shots
Capture the layout and natural flow of the space.
From multiple corners
Lights on and off (if appropriate)
Straight-on and angled compositions
2. Vignettes & Details
Highlight character and craftsmanship.
Styled surfaces (coffee tables, consoles, shelves)
Fabric textures, finishes, material intersections (top down shots of coffee tables, bedside tables etc)
Close-ups of art, accessories, or light fixtures
3. Functional Features
Document design solutions, not just style.
Custom joinery or wall panels
Smart storage or hidden features
Kitchen design highlights (backsplash, handles, appliances)
4. Hero Angles
Every room has a “cover shot.”
Often captured from the entry doorway
Shows scale, context, and spatial design in one frame
5. Design Intent Shots
Tell the story behind the choices.
Before/after comparisons (for renovations)
Architectural sightlines or axis views(showing the furniture layout)
6. Lifestyle & Atmosphere
Bring the space to life.
People interacting with the space
Movement during natural light transitions (golden hour glow, shadows and light coming through a window during the day)
Checklist-style infographic of the interior photography shot list
As an interior photographer, I’ve seen projects flourish and fall apart based on pre-shoot communication. Looking back, some of my best shoots were the ones where clients came prepared, an example would be the Lantern House by Oshinowo Studios, we had a clear aesthetic for the overall shoot as well as particular spaces and the client also made note of rooms with beautiful lighting during the day during construction. The result? A seamless, stress-free session where we moved with the light and a set of images that told the full story. A lack of clear direction can result in multiple rounds of post-production because there was no clear goal from the begining. The best outcomes happen when there’s a shared vision, mutual understanding, and a clearly defined plan.
It keeps everyone aligned and focused to capture what matters most: the story behind your space, told through light, lines, and layers of detail.
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