Photographing reproduction and restored furniture on location

​I was recently commissioned to photograph some very beautiful pieces of furniture for a local company who specialise in creating reproduction furniture and restoring antique furniture. Although I have often photographed interiors, this was the first time I’d been asked to photograph furniture as a stand alone product.

All the furniture needed to be photographed on location (in the workshop) which meant trying to minimise issues with overhead skylight windows and the mass of surrounding tools and machinery. This was particularly challenging for the above cabinet - a beautiful reproduction piece in brown oak with antique glass panels installed. Portraying the character of the old glass was vital.

We used a selection of large sheets to ensure a relatively clean backdrop for each piece and I had a variety of studio lights with me to balance the light as required. I then had to ‘cut out’ each piece of furniture in photoshop and create a suitably sympathetic background to show the furniture off to its best.

I used my Nikon 45mm PCE lens, which allowed me to control perspective and ensure there were no issues with distortion. Finding the best angle and height from which to photograph each piece was also key.

My client was delighted with the resulting images and, in particular, with the above photograph of a restored tripod table - having been disappointed with past results. Maintaining colour accuracy was vital as was balancing the light to ensure each piece of furniture ‘had life’ and a slight ‘sparkle’ but not to the extent that any reflections or highlights took away from the resulting image. I have to say it was an absolute pleasure photographing such beautifully made pieces of furniture and something I hope to do more of in future.