How to Photograph an Office Background
If remote working isn’t really your thing, take an office background photo for video calls. Then you can feel like you’re back in the office. Sort of.
In just the past couple of years, the meaning of “office” has drastically changed. There are still plenty of traditional offices filled with cubicles and conference rooms, of course. But increasingly, many homes now have dedicated office spaces to accommodate remote work. So if you’re thinking about growing your photography business, use this to your advantage and capture an office background.
Want to learn more? Below, we outline how to take great office background photography and provide insight into the types of businesses and professionals who need those photos.
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How to Photograph an Office
As with any room in a home or commercial building, there are a few tricks to making an office background look as appealing as possible. Make sure to take the following factors into consideration.
Lighting
When you think of an office, you might immediately think of fluorescent lighting—but for photography, natural light is best. Whether you’re taking photos in a home or commercial building, raise the blinds and aim to shoot midday, when the sun is generally the brightest.
If you can’t get enough light to come through the windows—some offices are just darker by nature—try using the flash. However, rather than point the flash directly ahead, which can result in glare reflecting in the windows, aim it at the ceiling.
Angles
When photographing commercial offices—especially those with large areas of open seating—it’s relatively easy to capture space from many different angles. That gives you tons of room to get creative. For example, shoot through a glass wall into an individual office or down the middle of a long conference table. Try a range of perspectives to get varied, unique photos.
Home offices, on the other hand, aren’t usually very spacious, which can pose several challenges—namely, capturing the entire room in one photo. To get that shot (and to make the room look bigger while you’re at it), try using a wide-angle lens. Generally, lenses between 16 mm and 24 mm will give you the best shot. Any wider, like an 8 mm lens, and you’ll end up with a fisheye effect.

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Staging
Between filing cabinets, computers, and notepads, office spaces have the potential to look sterile and cold. To bring some life into your photographs and make the office look more inviting, don’t be afraid to stage the space, just like you would a living room, bedroom, or kitchen. Potted plants, a stack of colorful books, or a unique lamp can create a warmer environment and add some visual interest to the room.

Uses for Office Background Photos
Taking office background photos is one thing—but using them to build your photography business is another. What types of businesses and professionals need office photography? Here are just a few examples.
Stock Photography
Businesses of all kinds use stock photography on their website, in ads, on social media, and in marketing collateral. And because office background photos are generic enough to apply to nearly any company, they are one of the most common choices across industries. As a stock photographer, you can distribute your office photos to websites such as iStock or Shutterstock and earn a commission or royalties every time they’re downloaded.
Real Estate Listings
You’ve probably heard that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes—and photos of those rooms are typically the stars of real estate listings. However, as more people begin to work from home, home offices have become a compelling and unique selling point for homes. Creating beautiful, quality photos of home offices can add significant value to real estate listings—and may even help those homes sell quicker and for a higher price.
Of course, real estate can extend to bigger office buildings, as well, and commercial real estate listings can also benefit from high-quality photography. By specializing in home office and interior photography and partnering with commercial and residential real estate agents, you can meet a huge demand and build a profitable business.
Video Conferencing Backgrounds
For many professionals, video conferencing is now a regular part of the workday. But for people who aren’t always in an actual office—or those who simply want to keep their setting private—office background photos can be a helpful tool. Shooting and selling a variety of office background photos can give people the option to appear as though they’re in a professional environment on camera, even if they’re traveling or otherwise out of the office.
Embrace the Office Life
Even as more and more people are moving away from the traditional office, it’s the perfect time to build your photography business in office photography. Office background photos are useful to a wide range of professionals, businesses, and even individuals who simply need a professional Zoom background. Learn how to nail the basics of capturing a warm and inviting office, and you’ll have a great foundation for a successful photography brand.

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