Tips for taking share-worthy home interior photos for social media

Whether you’re moving into a brand new property, renovating your current house or just want to show off your latest decorating efforts, starting an Instagram account to share your home interior photos online can be a fun project and a great way to make some new friends too. But unless you’re a professional photographer, you’ll soon find that snapping grid-worthy images of your home is actually a bit trickier than you’d think.

Bellway’s social media team see dozens of amazing home interior images and videos every day, so we asked them to share their advice on styling and capturing great content that will stand out, and is more likely to be shared or reposted. So before you pick up your smartphone, sit down with a brew and read their expert tips.

Use the camera at your fingertips

Image credit: thehouseandthehound_

You really don’t need professional camera equipment to begin creating beautiful content in your home. A smartphone with a good camera (and a clean lens!) is all you need, plus an editing app to brighten, retouch, straighten or crop your photos where necessary.

Always shoot in portrait (vertical) orientation for Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. This prevents any ‘white space’ on the screen when your photo or video is uploaded, and also takes up more of the screen to show your home in greater detail.

Take the time to tidy

Image credit: our_rosemont_home

To keep the focus of your image where you’d like it to be, remove all unnecessary clutter from the background, including any trailing or visible wires.

Compose the frame so that distractions like plug sockets are omitted, but if you can’t hide them, make use of a strategically-placed object such as a potted plant, or simply remove them from the shot altogether in your editing app.

Keep the composition interesting

Image credit: the_oakwood6

When taking photos of multiple objects, such as on a shelf or mantelpiece, arrange them so that they are positioned at different heights and either slightly overlapping, or with a little space between them all.

This adds visual interest whilst also ensuring that all of the objects in the image are clear and defined. If you’re making a video, use a mixture of lingering, close-up shots on the most interesting items, long shots to show the whole scene, and dynamic shots to add pace and hold your viewers’ attention.

Make the most of natural light

Image credit: newhome_no.74

Everything always looks better in natural light, including your home interior. Avoid using your camera’s flash setting and instead capture your content in daylight, or indirect sunlight, with the sun behind you where possible or the blinds down. This makes sure that the colours in your images are truer to life and not washed out.

Even better, time your shoot for ‘golden hour’, which is the hour after sunrise and before sunset. The sun is lower in the sky, giving a soft, diffused light which will make your photos glow.

Take your photos at hip height

Image credit: houseintheshire

When snapping photos or recording video on a smartphone, we instinctively hold the device at our eye level, which actually makes your shots appear to have been taken from above. For a more natural angle, you should hold the phone at your hip height, or even kneel on the floor if you still need to be able to look at the screen.

The result will be images that are at a true eye level and that you feel like you can ‘step into’, perfect for capturing home walkthroughs, full room shots, or inviting corners.

Capture the big events

Image credit: ty_newydd_

From plot reservation day photos to room makeover reveal Reels, the best images of your home are those that tell a story or share an important milestone in your home journey.

Capture the excitement and energy in your pictures and they’re sure to attract attention; if you feel confident enough, get into the frame yourself and put a face to your account. Bellway’s social media team are always on the lookout for great moving day photos in particular, so grab your keys, your celebratory bottle of fizz and put on your biggest “I did it!” smile for the camera.

Show off your own style

Image credit: our_rosemont_home

It’s your home, so show off what makes it unique! Sharing your authentic personal style is more important than perfection; you live in a real home, not a showhome, and it’s ok for it to look that way. If you’re lucky to have pets sharing your home with you, make sure they feature in some of your photos too.

For your safety, don’t include (or blur out) any personal information in your images such as your address or street name, or your new build development name and plot number together. If taking photos of your family, be cautious about logos on school or work uniforms.

Don’t forget the hashtags

Image credit: tailorhome_39

There is a fantastic, friendly community of Bellway homeowners on Instagram and Facebook, so remember to add hashtags to the end of your image captions so that other users can find you. As well as the #mybeautifulbellway and #bellwaylondon hashtags, you can add the dedicated hashtag for your house type – such as #bellwaybowyer or #bellwaytailor - if you’d like to connect with homeowners who have the same type as you, and you can take a peek into each other’s homes and share some styling tips and inspiration!