How to Photograph a Game Room Background

Game rooms are meant to be shown off. Equipped with air hockey, dart, ping pong, pool, and maybe even an arcade game or two, game rooms are designed to bring people together for fun and a little friendly competition. And the best way to capture the essence of those rooms is through photography. 

It may seem niche, but taking game room background photos is a great way to expand your photography business. With knowledge of this specialized type of room, you can work with high-end real estate agents, vacation rental owners, bloggers, and more to showcase their fun and inspiring game rooms. Want to learn more? Read our guide below. 

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• How to Photograph a Game Room Background 
• Uses for Game Room Background Photography 

How to Photograph a Game Room Background 

Unlike bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens, game rooms aren’t all that common in houses. So, when you do want to capture them in photos, there are a few considerations to be aware of. 

Lighting

Natural light almost always produces the best photos, especially when you’re capturing the rooms of a house. So if your game room has windows, raise the curtains and blinds and shoot during the brightest part of the day. 

However, game rooms are often tucked away into spaces like basements, loft areas, or converted garages—which can lack that ideal natural light. If you have a dark space, turn on all of the interior lights and use a slower shutter speed on your camera. This will allow more light to flood into the lens, making your room look brighter. 

Reflective Surfaces

Game rooms often contain reflective surfaces, from the shiny surface of an air hockey table to the pane of glass on a pinball machine. These surfaces can be tricky to capture in photographs, and if you don’t use the correct tools and techniques, you could end up with glare or reflections in your photos. 

To eliminate these issues, try using a polarizing filter, which reduces glare from reflective surfaces while slightly increasing contrast to make other objects easier to see. Or, for an easy, short-term solution, try a dulling spray, which applies a temporary matte layer to a reflective surface. Once you’re done, you can simply wipe it away with a damp rag. 

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Staging

There’s a delicate balance to strike when staging a game room. With too many objects, it can look cluttered. However, without any additional props—and instead, just a few unadorned game tables—the room can look like a storage space. Strive to add just enough objects to make the space look inviting and slightly lived in. For example, if you have a pool table, top it with the pool balls and cues. If you have a couch, accent it with a couple of pillows and a throw blanket. 

And get creative! If you have a home arcade filled with pinball machines and vintage games, add a few posters on the wall depicting classics like Pac-Man or Frogger. These details will make your game room feel more welcoming and interesting to photograph. 

Uses for Game Room Background Photography 

Why should you consider adding game rooms to your photography repertoire? There’s a wide variety of individuals and businesses that need game room backgrounds. Here are just a few examples. 

Stock Photography 

Businesses often need game room background photos for a variety of purposes—such as ads, website graphics, or blog photos—but don’t necessarily want to invest time and resources into creating custom photography. For many companies, stock photography is a better option; they can simply search for and download the individual photo they want to use. 

With that in mind, consider working as a stock photographer. You can upload game room photos to stock photography websites, such as iStock or Shutterstock, and then collect a commission each time they’re downloaded.  

Corporate Photography 

Companies today need innovative ways to attract quality job applicants. For some, that involves offering perks such as break rooms equipped with pool and ping-pong tables. And the best way to let candidates know they have those perks is to show them in photos. By taking great photos of game rooms, you can help companies of all kinds showcase their not-so-typical office spaces. 

Real Estate

Great photography is essential for real estate listings—in fact, studies have shown that listings with high-quality photos sell more quickly and for higher prices. Photography is especially important to highlight a house’s most unique features, like a game room. With an understanding of how to effectively capture game room photos, you can help real estate agents present their listings in the best light possible. 

Blog Photography 

If you develop an expertise in shooting game rooms, you can work with bloggers of all kinds—from interior designers to gaming experts—to produce images for their blogs. And because bloggers generally create custom content, rather than purchasing stock photos, you have the opportunity to develop long-term working relationships to help them bring their visions to life. 

Game On 

Game rooms are unique additions to homes and offices. Learning how to capture those rooms—and make them look fun and inviting—is a great way to grow your photography brand. By working with bloggers, real estate agents, and stock photography websites, you can turn the niche of game room background photography into a unique aspect of your business. 

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