Photography can be expensive and time-consuming, so most designers don’t opt for an indiscriminate approach. This week, we asked six designers—Prudence Bailey, Alexandra de Garidel, Shawn Henderson, Becca Meyer, Jennifer Pacca and Amy Peltier—what goes into their decision to immortalize a space.
Group Decision
“My biggest rule of thumb is to ask the team if we feel this project will be on par with our current portfolio, or even elevate it. If the answer is yes, then we invest in the cost and time to style and photograph a home. If the answer is no but we like the project, then sometimes we find a photographer that’s a little more economical and skip the stylist. This is often great content for social media. Sometimes we even shoot our own photography for use on social media.” —Amy Peltier, Peltier Interiors, San Marino, California
Portfolio Boost
“We know a project should be photographed when it has a great story or strong sense of feeling. Sometimes these aren’t our most detailed or biggest projects, but if they share a point of view that we stand behind as a studio, I will absolutely photograph them. Am I using my most expensive or highest-investment photographers for every shoot? No. But we invest in professional photography that allows us to share on social media, in our portfolio if it’s a fit, and more broadly with the press if it tells a strong story.” —Becca Meyer, BB Meyer Design, Mill Valley, California
What’s the POV?
“For me, it’s less about perfection and more about whether the home feels complete emotionally. I want the space to feel layered, personal and lived in. I usually know a project is ready to shoot when it has a clear point of view and feels cohesive from room to room. The projects I’m most excited to photograph are the ones that feel warm, collected and authentic. These projects are typically the ones where my clients let go of the reins and trusted the process.” —Prudence Bailey, Prudence Bailey Interior Design, New Canaan, Connecticut
Good Representation
“A professional shoot represents a significant investment, so one must be confident that the project is worth it—either because it is highly representative of your style, or because it is sufficiently prestigious to enhance your portfolio. Ideally, a project should offer at least 10 strong large-scale views to photograph, from which one can always extract a number of compelling close-ups. Not every project deserves to be published; only those that truly tell your story.” —Alexandra de Garidel, Avilda, Geneva
Not Like the Others
“I like to shoot projects that are unique from others we have done. I always try to think about my body of work and which projects best showcase the wide range of styles and designs we create. I typically choose to shoot projects where we were given creative freedom, rather than projects that were heavily restricted by the clients.” —Jennifer Pacca, Jennifer Pacca Interiors, Wyckoff, New Jersey
A Finished Look
“I like to document all of my work, but some projects don’t make the cut. That often involves how ‘finished’ the project is—and if the client lets us fully accessorize, including artwork. If a home feels empty, it’s too hard to shoot. Ultimately, it’s important to photograph a project if it expands your portfolio. I also think it’s essential to be consistent with the photographer you use so your portfolio has a [cohesive] feel.” —Shawn Henderson, New York
