Don't Forget the Camera
By Kate Johnson

Whether you're a professional designer or architect or a do-it-yourselfer, something you should always have close at hand is a camera. It can help in quite a few situations.

Before Rear


After Rear Taking "before" pictures. When I'm redoing something at home, I'm usually so impatient to bring in the new that I forget to document what the old looked like. At Southern Accents, that's actually a problem we run into frequently with remodeling stories. We know readers like to see before-and-after comparisions, and so do we. Even an in-progress shot is helpful. But so often those photos just don't exist. And once the project is finished, there's no going back to get them later. Even if you don't have editorial concerns, before and after shots can give you a great sense of accomplishment (and help you remember why you spent all that money). Be sure to take the before and after shots from the same vantage point; it makes it easier to compare the two later.

Pictured: Before and after views of the same house, by architect Madison Spencer. It wows me every time I see it. It's hard to believe it's the same house. Without pictures from before, it would be almost impossible to describe how great the improvement was.

Getting better design advice. When I was choosing tile for our kitchen backsplash, I knew I needed help. But when I began to describe to the salesperson my kitchen layout, materials, and paint colors, I quickly realized that it would be much easier if I brought in pictures. Sure enough, the salesperson appreciated having visuals and was better able to advise me on what might work best in the space. I plan to do the same thing for the landscaping I desperately need help with.

Compiling a portfolio of your work. If you're trying to market your services, photograph your projects as you do them so you'll have examples to show potential clients.  

Seeing things more objectively. I can look at a room a hundred times a day and not see how cluttered I've let it get. But show me a picture of the room, and the flaws jump out at me. For some reason, a picture makes it easier to see what's out of place, out of proportion, or just needs to be taken out altogether.

Making better purchases. You may be one of those people that has a knack for picking the right piece the first time. But when I'm shopping, it's hard for me to see an item in a store and visualize how it will look in my house. Or maybe I just can't decide between several different styles—I like them all! So I'll take pictures (a camera phone is perfect for this) and then look at them later at home. When I see them in my own environment, out of the strategically styled, brightly lit store setting, it's perfectly clear which one I need. I save money by not making as many impulse purchases, and I save time by not having to return things that don't work. I've also brought pictures of rooms to the store, as I did in the tile situation. This can also help you match your space to the myriad choices calling your name.

Before photo courtesy of Madison Spencer; after photographed by Erik Kvalsvik

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