Which Camera Angles Show a Kitchen Layout Clearly

Two kitchens that look alike in a straight on photo can have completely different layouts, one a galley and the other an L with an island, and the angle decides whether a Los Angeles homeowner can tell, as the notes at los angeles kitchen remodeling project photography art in the americas describe. A remodeling project gallery works only when a homeowner can read the plan from the picture, so the camera position is chosen for layout first and style second.

Why does the corner shot do most of the work?

Stand in one corner of the room, camera at about chest height, and aim at the opposite corner. This diagonal shows two walls of cabinets, the floor run and the ceiling height in one frame. In a small Silver Lake bungalow it is often the only angle that fits the whole kitchen without distortion.

How does the work triangle read in a photo?

The sink, range and refrigerator form the working triangle, and a good layout photo lets the eye find all three. Pull back far enough that none of them is cropped, keep the verticals straight, and avoid a wide lens tilted downward, because that bends the cabinets and makes the room look narrower at the floor than at the top.

What about islands and peninsulas?

An island needs a view from the side and a view from the end. From the side it shows overhang, stool spacing and the walkway on both flanks. From the end it shows the relationship to the range and the clear path through the room. Condos in Santa Monica and the Westside often have a peninsula instead, and the same two views apply.

How do sightlines change in older homes?

Many mid century houses in Pasadena and Glendale have a pass through or a half wall to the dining room. Photograph through that opening once, because it shows how the remodel changed the flow between rooms, which is often the real selling point of the job. In a wall removal project the open sightline is the picture.

Which lens and height work best?

A wide but not extreme lens, set level on a tripod, keeps lines honest. Keep the camera below the upper cabinet line so the cabinet tops do not turn into a roof. Phone cameras can do this well if the phone is held level and the ultra wide setting is left alone.

How many angles make a complete set?

Four or five frames cover most kitchens: the diagonal, the opposite diagonal, a straight on view of the main wall, the island or peninsula, and one frame looking from the dining or living area into the kitchen. Remodelers in Los Angeles who shoot the same set every time end up with galleries that can be compared side by side.