Photographing Kitchen Worktops
The key to photographing interiors
It’s been nearly fourteen years that I have been working for AG.
In that time we have seen a lot of changes. Above all, the shift in the centre of gravity of our business from granite to quartz and on towards ceramics has given us plenty of product learning to do.
Over the same period I have had my own business taking photos for people, as Andrew King Photography. I do weddings, conferences, special events, family shoots – all the usual. But I have also used my cameras extensively for AG, and as a result have learned a lot about photographing kitchens and especially kitchen worktops. Here are a few thoughts. This blog piece corresponds to one on my website, a few days later,.
A kitchen in Crawley, Sussex, featuring Cimstone Arcadia quartz worktops – one of my first shoots for Affordable Granite
Classic Quartz Misterio in Maresfield, East Sussex – photographed during a recent shoot in association with Kitchen Design Hub of Uckfield.
If there is one key to photographing kitchens – and all interiors – it is that your main, whole kitchen, images need to be genuinely square in their perspective. You must have some whole kitchen shots, and generally there will be one that stands out as a the “summary” image for the whole room.
To get images that look right, in terms of perspective, the camera itself needs to be set square to the vertical. In other words, it needs to be straight and level, with all verticals vertical. A room photographed like that will look right – a room where the verticals are squiffy will not.
I get the verticals right by:
- Using a tripod and taking time to set the camera properly – it’s spirit-level stuff!
- Making any small final corrections in Photoshop afterwards.
Typical amateur photos of a kitchen island and whole kitchen (Cimstone Cortina quartz worktops)
Before and after – a customer’s photo and after some careful Photoshop work
The degree to which it is possible to tidy an image up on the computer will depend on the amount of space around the kitchen that can be lost in stretching and squeezing the image.
The possibility of manipulation also depends on how many pixels the image has which will allow stretching without the grain becoming painful. If you would like to send us pictures of your kitchen worktop installation for possible use on our website or social media, do try to send them at as high resolution as possible.
Classic Quartz Misterio in Piltdown, East Sussex – an extreme wide angle photograph
Wherever possible I try to take images of entire worktop runs square on. This may not always be possible – and in the case of extremely long kitchens the perspective may become quite extreme, as in the example above. This was taken with the extraordinary Samyang 10mm f3.5 – the world’s widest angle lens for “full frame” SLR cameras.
The key to photographing kitchen worktop installations
Assuming you have got some good general images of the kitchen with the perspective lines all present and correct, you will want to photograph the features and details – including the pattern of the stone. In these images, verticals and horizontals aren’t as critical, although some shots will still demand “square care”. Here are just a few examples of the kinds of photos that I look for in almost every kitchen worktop installation photoshoot.
The hob shot – Classic Quartz Misterio worktop
The sink shot – Classic Quartz Fiji worktop
The sink shot – Paisley Gold granite worktops
Dekton Trillium kitchen island near Slinfold, West Sussex
The straight down shot onto the sink, hob or whole island is one where good square perspective is important. I almost always take the sink picture, and I do whole islands whenever possible. Over the years, my lenses have got wider and this has become easier, though it can still be physically demanding over a big island. The secret is a step ladder, and then careful Photoshop work to remove your own feet afterwards.
The long sink and tap shot – Azul Platino Granite in East Grinstead, West Sussex
The long sink and tap shot – Cimstone Arcadia quartz worktops in Crawley, West Sussex
The long sink and tap shot – Silestone Negro Stellar quartz worktops in Smallfield, Surrey
A view directly along the sink run, often highlighting the elegance of the drainer grooves, is another must-have for me on most kitchen worktop shoots.
Tap close up – Azul Platino Granite in East Grinstead, West Sussex
Switch for Insinkerator – Cimstone Sines quartz worktops in Horsham, West Sussex
Detail of a Henry Holt tap- 1810 London Showroom
Windowsill – Blue Pearl Granite worktops in Brockham, Surrey
Detail of curved corner – Azul Platino Granite in East Grinstead, West Sussex
Pop-up socket cover – Ivory Fantasy Granite worktops, Guildford
Arctic Cream Granite in Oxted, Surrey
Cosmic White Granite in Redhill, Surrey
Obviously, while details of taps and other installation features have their place, I am always interested in trying to show the beauty of the granite or quartz material itself. Whether it’s a close up of the drainer grooves or a wide shot of an entire island, I want my pictures to let the stone speak. Quartz and granite worktops are beautiful – I just need to show them off!
We are Affordable Granite, the leading installer of granite and quartz worktops in Surrey, Sussex and across the South East. We try to keep ourselves informed regarding not only our core prodicts – granite and quartz worktops – but sinks, taps and other ancillary products. For samples, quotes and any questions connected with any aspect of worktop installation or kitchen design, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01293 863992 or by email on sales@affordablegranite.co.uk/ .
Images copyright © Andrew King Photography
