The Swedish homewares giant is well known the world over for its stylish room sets – from a beautifully styled dining room to a contemporary furnished children’s bedroom.

IKEA goes to great lengths to promote its many products by using innovative marketing ideas. For example in Copenhagen it used a room in a cube to advertise its bedroom furniture. This involved literally suspending a cube that was set up as a bedroom using a crane.

In Istanbul, IKEA decked out a bus stop so that it looked like someone’s lounge with a comfy sofa in place of the usual bench for passengers to relax on while they waited for the bus.

However, while their marketing techniques are as innovative as their design, you can’t get past IKEA’s legendary catalogue. Hundreds and hundreds of examples of room set photography used to promote IKEA’s vast product range. In fact it’s one of the most successful techniques IKEA uses to promote itself.

While they may do crazy things such as create 3D room sets suspended outside a New York building, IKEA still very much relies on room set photography in its marketing – along with many other furniture retailers. It’s one of the reasons it keeps room set photographers in Yorkshire so busy!

Successfully highlighting these features in the one image is what kitchen companies use in their marketing to help sell their kitchens. It is the room set photographer’s job to work with the client to know what key features they want emphasized in the image so that it grabs the attention of potential customers when they see it.

For example, a room set photographer could be working with a Yorkshire-based kitchen company client who specialise in selling country-style kitchens. The photographer would build a kitchen room set to the client’s requirements however the next stage is to pick up on those additional characteristics that truly showcase the clients product offering. Things such as a large timber kitchen table, the deeply grooved draws and cupboard doors, the lovely natural country colours such as sage green and cream. Anything that helps visually capture the rustic country kitchen feeling you get when you view the image.

Roomset photographers in Leeds are especially skilled in bringing these characteristics to life in the photo. However it is vital that the client and the photographer work together to identify what these key features are the outset for this to happen.

However, before the custom roomsets are built, the photographer needs to find out what the client’s specific requirements are. From there they can sketch pictures to give the client an idea of how it could look. Once the sketches are agreed, they will be given to the set builder who can start assembling the roomset.

Once the roomset is built, the next stage is filling it with the relevant props. A furniture retailer for example would be filled with its own products such as a bed, dresser, wardrobe and a desk. Once the room is set up correctly, it is then styled appropriately. This may involve special lighting or positioning of props – which is why roomset photographers usually have a team to help them during the shoot.

There is no denying that roomset photography is an involved process and it requires open communication between the client and the photography team for it to be successful. While the process may be lengthier than using an existing set or room, it lets clients build their own bespoke roomsets completely tailored to their own needs.

It’s more common however, to combine CGI and commercial photography so that it can be used to incorporate added elements that cannot be achieved through regular room sets. For instance, if that kitchen retailer wants to showcase how shiny their stainless steel tap fittings are, the CGI can be used to create that added touch of glimmer. This would take longer and be harder to achieve through regular photography.

In roomset photography, there is usually a stylist who will meet with the client before the shoot to discuss the overall look and feel t and set design ideas including colour scheme and props. This is also the case when CGI is involved. However instead of using real props, the stylist can access a virtual prop warehouse which could include anything from a vase of flowers to a soap dispenser – all which can be ‘CGI’d’ into the image in the post production process.

Roomset photography lets clients customise the setting to their own specific requirements which is one of its key selling points. Adding CGI to the mix makes roomset photography that more appealing.

However there are several other professions that benefit from roomset photography in Leeds. Interior designers would commonly use it to showcase the different styles of room interiors they can design for their clients.

Architects also use this style of photography as a way of almost bringing their drawing designs to life through the images. The same could be said for property developers who can use roomset photography as a way to show potential buyers how the property will look once it’s been built.

The images are then generally used for marketing purposes such as in brochures, annual reports, catalogues and to feature on their website.

Most room set photographers in Leeds have their own purpose-built studios which they transform into different room-set interiors. It’s not uncommon for the photographers to divide their studio in half so they can more easily shoot two different rooms – such as a bedroom or a bathroom. They will often use room-set building components that are versatile enough to be used for various different scenarios. Sometimes they can even build specially customised room sets depending on the client’s requirements – and budget.

It does take a bit of planning to do in the most efficient way so that props and room sets can be transformed easily and quickly for clients. For instance, a bedroom roomset could then be changed into a dining room, simply by swapping the bed with a dinner table, adding a few different furnishings and placing a matt onto the floor.

Sometimes the photographer will divide their studio in two so that one half could be a bedroom and the other half a kitchen. This is particularly appealing for clients as it means less downtime converting the studio into another roomset, which will save them money.

Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, a garden peeking through the window can also be edited into the image – perfect for conservatory shots.

Importantly, roomset photographers in Yorkshire work with clients to really understand how they want to visually display their products so they convey the right image to clients. In this consumer savvy world, a strong brand is vital in differentiating from competitors, and this is the specialist skill of the room set photographer.

A photographic studio is generally a large airy space that gives the photographer plenty of space to work – often alternating between more than one room set. High ceilings are also useful at it lets the photographer shoot from various viewpoints and evens out the light. It helps to have lots of natural light streaming in, however while studio lights can recreate this for you, it can’t beat that glorious glow of natural sunlight in the images.

A well-stocked studio will include all the photographer’s essentials such as professional photography lights, reflectors, a soft box for soft lighting effects, tripods and lighting stands.
Room set photographers will work with hundreds of props, which is why they need plenty of space. It is also helpful to have adequate storage units in the studio, as like chefs in a kitchen; a clean working environment is conducive to a productive one too.

There’s a lot that goes into creating a fully functioning photography studio, but it ensures room set photographers in Leeds can take those authentic-looking bedroom and kitchen shots.

Sometimes a client may require a combination of room set and product photography, so the studio space can be divided into two. One area used for the room set up, and the other using an infinity cove, commonly used in product photography as it provides a plain background with no corners or edges and minimal shadows. This helps save time for the client as they can quickly and easily switch between the two.

Once the meticulous process of setting up the room is complete, the room set photographer will then work their magic to create stunning shots for clients.

Room set photographers in Leeds, along with their trusty team, should have the skills, efficiency and creative vision to produce high quality marketable images for their clients that ultimately appeal to the end the customer.

A roomset photographer may be studio based, and will often have his or her own props to hand. They have a knack for turning pieces, such as a simple well-designed bed, into a sumptuous bedroom or a table and chairs into a lively family dining room. Whether a client wishes to sell art nouveau style bedroom furniture or a futuristic dinning room table there is a room set photographer in Leeds, London, or elsewhere in between, who is up to the challenge. The photographer can accommodate designers, and work with him or her to capture desired atmosphere in their picture.

For some photographers another option might be to use 360 photography. This would provide a full view of the rooms with the furniture in them so the designer’s customers can get a fuller picture of how the pieces work together and they can feel as though they have actually stepped into the scene that has been set. No matter what the designer chooses, above all else the professional commercial photographers aim is to help the furniture designer to sell their products.

While some creative photographers may prefer to quietly contemplate nature, others may find that photographing extreme sports or fairground rides is something that brings them the most satisfaction. The professional commercial photographer will have particular job specifics to fulfill and they may need to find inspiration to do so. Most probably they will be able to find this inspiration within the subjects they are photographing and enhance the pictures still further by building rapport and boosting the relationship between photographer and subject, where possible.

All professional commercial photographers feel passionately about producing photographs their client will be thrilled with. For instance, the room set photographer in Leeds will delight in producing magical, atmospheric pictures of their clients’ dishes to inspire the public and be adored by the client. The job of a professional commercial photographer is to capture the essence of the picture, and tell a story with the images; they have to capture the desired atmosphere, whether that is in their studio or another external environment.