How to Take Great Photos of Your Outdoor Projects
Show off your work to potential clients with this simple guide to achieving beautiful landscape photography
Images of your outdoor projects are key to grabbing the attention of potential customers and showing off the type of work you do. There are, however, a few essential tips that will ensure your photographs look their best and display your skills accurately. Read on to discover simple advice to build up an attractive portfolio of landscape photography.
Take Both Long Shots and Close-Ups
To provide a full picture of your design skills, imagine you are guiding potential clients on a journey through the yard. Take this into account when planning a project shoot by including long shots of the whole space, as well as smaller vignettes of planting or landscaping details.
In this image of a landscape designed by Jenny Bloom, for example, we can see an expansive view of the space from the patio doors.
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To provide a full picture of your design skills, imagine you are guiding potential clients on a journey through the yard. Take this into account when planning a project shoot by including long shots of the whole space, as well as smaller vignettes of planting or landscaping details.
In this image of a landscape designed by Jenny Bloom, for example, we can see an expansive view of the space from the patio doors.
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This shot provides some closer detail of a seating area and planting.
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Get Down to Eye Level
It’s tempting to run upstairs and take a photo of the yard from a top floor window. After all, an aerial shot will show the whole space clearly. However, this isn’t necessarily the best way to showcase your projects. Photographs taken at ground level look more attractive and will give an idea of how it feels to be in the space.
This image, taken by Fine House Photography, provides a potential client with the view they would have if they were walking along the gravel path, with the greenery either side of them. A photo like this can be much more evocative than a wider shot taken from higher up.
To get the best results, it’s a good idea to invest in professional photography. Someone with skill and experience with a camera knows how to achieve images that are framed beautifully.
Find a professional photographer near you
It’s tempting to run upstairs and take a photo of the yard from a top floor window. After all, an aerial shot will show the whole space clearly. However, this isn’t necessarily the best way to showcase your projects. Photographs taken at ground level look more attractive and will give an idea of how it feels to be in the space.
This image, taken by Fine House Photography, provides a potential client with the view they would have if they were walking along the gravel path, with the greenery either side of them. A photo like this can be much more evocative than a wider shot taken from higher up.
To get the best results, it’s a good idea to invest in professional photography. Someone with skill and experience with a camera knows how to achieve images that are framed beautifully.
Find a professional photographer near you
Frame the Shots
Once you’re down at ground level, think about the angle. A photo taken straight on is preferable to a view from a wonky angle. Consider balance and symmetry, like this shot along a pathway toward a seating area in a landscape designed by Neil Jones Design.
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Once you’re down at ground level, think about the angle. A photo taken straight on is preferable to a view from a wonky angle. Consider balance and symmetry, like this shot along a pathway toward a seating area in a landscape designed by Neil Jones Design.
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This yard by Aoba Landscapes has been photographed from a diagonal viewpoint, but again the composition is balanced.
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Don’t Forget the Styling
Yes, a yard is all about the hard landscaping and planting, but potential clients want to imagine a lifestyle in their outdoor space. With this in mind, consider adding props to help style your outdoor photography.
A few cushions or table accessories will help the client conjure up thoughts of lazy days and evenings spent in their new yard. Here, for example, Hazel Collins Design has set the table to illustrate how the space could be used for an al fresco lunch.
You can help clients visualize their planned outdoor space — and how it connects to their home — with the Houzz Pro 3D Floor Planner. The tool allows pros to create patios, decks, driveways and lawns using a materials library of pavers, ground cover, gravel, decking and pavement. You can also add features like pergolas, fire pits and furnishings.
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Yes, a yard is all about the hard landscaping and planting, but potential clients want to imagine a lifestyle in their outdoor space. With this in mind, consider adding props to help style your outdoor photography.
A few cushions or table accessories will help the client conjure up thoughts of lazy days and evenings spent in their new yard. Here, for example, Hazel Collins Design has set the table to illustrate how the space could be used for an al fresco lunch.
You can help clients visualize their planned outdoor space — and how it connects to their home — with the Houzz Pro 3D Floor Planner. The tool allows pros to create patios, decks, driveways and lawns using a materials library of pavers, ground cover, gravel, decking and pavement. You can also add features like pergolas, fire pits and furnishings.
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Work With the Weather
Patience is a virtue when photographing an outdoor area, particularly if you’re dealing with unpredictable weather. A bright, sunny day is ideal for showing off the space to its full potential, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take good shots when it’s cloudy.
This landscape by Kate Gould, for instance, was photographed on an overcast day, but there’s plenty of light to ensure the space looks lovely. A professional photographer will again be invaluable here, as they will be adept at using equipment that can show off the landscape beautifully, even when the weather isn’t playing ball.
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Patience is a virtue when photographing an outdoor area, particularly if you’re dealing with unpredictable weather. A bright, sunny day is ideal for showing off the space to its full potential, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take good shots when it’s cloudy.
This landscape by Kate Gould, for instance, was photographed on an overcast day, but there’s plenty of light to ensure the space looks lovely. A professional photographer will again be invaluable here, as they will be adept at using equipment that can show off the landscape beautifully, even when the weather isn’t playing ball.
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Tell us: What’s worked best for you when photographing your outdoor projects? Share your tips in the Comments.
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More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Browse millions of photos for inspiration
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in pro-to-pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
It isn’t always possible to photograph established planting in a newly finished outdoor project, but it’s worth making the effort to illustrate how it will look a year or two down the line. Clients want to imagine how their landscape will appear once everything has grown, so try to avoid snapping empty flowerbeds.
In this yard designed by Jackie Gough, the borders are newly planted, but the photos have been taken while some of the flowers are in bloom. There’s enough life and color in the space to pique the interest of a potential client, and plenty of visual clues to show how the garden will look at a later date.
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