Architectural & Interior Design Photography, Corporate Commercial Photography, Advertising & Portrait Photographer | Ottawa | 613-558-7585 | justin.vanleeuwen@gmail.com
Since starting interior photography for Grassroots Design & Build I’ve been documenting their projects almost weekly. Not every renovation is a full home, in some cases it was just a single bathroom, or a kitchen. The above image is from an older home in the Fisher Park neighbourhood of Ottawa. It was a dark and moody room, with a lovely antique ceiling fixture (something I’m finding is a signature with Emma’s work). I was fortunate that this particular spot had a small closet I was able to back into in order to compose the image. Other angles just didn’t properly convey the room as I saw it (there is a window to camera-right that accounts for the “blueish” daylight splash on the tub. I will remark that the very first hurdle I had to overcome was figuring out how to turn off the toilet – it was motion activated and opened the lid every time I walked past!
The kitchen and living room shoot on Tyndall is a good example of a kitchen design and reno on a budget. The bulk of the fixtures are Ikea, with a few accents of more exepensive hardware like glass knobs, glass tile, and a solid wood shelf over the sink, to add a higher level of quality without breaking the bank. Glass tile looks great, but it is a pain to shoot because of all the reflections.
The home itself is quite old, and actually seems to be leaning pretty heavily. The kitchen, a later addition (not built by Grassroots), is also leaning, but not exactly in the same direction. Which makes the shoot a bit more complicated as I truly try to keep things as straight as possible while I’m shooting. But there’s also balancing the images with the reality of the project. I also loved the little practical details that were added, like a magnet board in the wall for all the art and reminders that come with having a small school-aged child.
Harmer ave was a small interior to shoot. The above image is more showing the choice of drapes and how they can compliment a room as they were the only design element from Grassroots in this particular space. The bathroom too, was quite tight, and I found myself camping out inside of the bathtub to get the right angle for one of the shots of the vanity (the life of an interior photographer). This is also one of the few shoots where you’ll see a full toilet (I really do try to avoid this whenever possible).
There are more of these types of shoots to follow, so keep an eye out for future posts!