Elements of your home that influence or enhance photography?

[Luckless]

I am currently in the process of searching for a bit of rural property not too far from town to build a home on in the next few years, and I have been thinking about various design elements. Being a home custom built by myself does mean I get to add various little elements and quirks that the average home likely wouldn't receive, such as aspects that were specifically laid out with hobbies like photography in mind.

As I don't yet have the property things are still in a vague conceptual planning stage, but I thought I would share some of my ideas here, and see what other photographers already have done or ideas that people wish they had added to their homes.


Of course the most obvious thing is going to be a temperature controlled space in the basement with easy access to plumbing and ventilation runs for a darkroom, but there are plenty of discussion online about that kind of thing. So I would rather focus on other less obvious design elements.


One of the more unique elements that I've been considering with regards to photography is adding small reading/coffee nooks in a few parts of the house. Little turret like projections off the house with windows designed in such a way that they will look out into the garden at feeders, perches, and such that have been landscaped to allow me to comfortably photograph stuff from inside, even if the weather is less than pleasant. Include a nice little storage cupboard for a camera and lens to have something to shoot with at hand for mornings while enjoying some coffee.

Other things I'm considering are design features that would make working with photography in various parts of the house easier. Elements like decorative handrail/pipes that would double as clamping points to mount lighting gear on and such.


What design features do you find useful in your home that make photography more enjoyable or easier for you, or ideas that you wish you had?

 

[Vonder]

My house is a typical 1970's split-level. The biggest drawback is the low ceilings. I'd like to shoot more studio nudes but there's a lack of space. When buying a home, remember that if it's totally empty it will look HUGE even if it isn't. All that space quickly gets filled up!

 

[DWThomas]

I've never had the luxury of being able to design from scratch, or at least be able to economically justify it, so I'm living with what I have. What I wish I had is a larger darkroom space and also an area that could function as a studio of sorts. Ideally those two items would be near each other or at least on the same floor level.

For mostly my own amusement I often photograph some of the output from my other hobbies -- ceramic pieces and various plants. It would be nice to have a space dedicated for studio work with some sort of flexible table top setup, backdrops, and lighting; perhaps also with some cabinetry to store some of those items when not in use. I have some ideas I may yet implement, but I'm not moving along on it too well!

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

If you have the interest in doing studio photography, and the ability to create the space, add a decent sized room on with tall ceilings (preferably over 12') that A: is completely empty, B: has north-facing windows that can be curtained/shuttered easily to control the presence/absence of natural light, C: has a lot of outlets on discreet 20-amp circuits in it so you can run all the studio lights you want all day long without popping circuit breakers, D: build in LOTS of storage compartments, and E: put said circuit breaker box in that room just in case you do, so you don't have to run across the house and down to the basement to re-set the breaker. I'd also probably put a large (say garage-door sized) door into the studio to make it easier to get things like props in and out (it's a bear to move a sofa in and out of the studio through a standard width door).

 

[bsdunek]

I think the ideas from DWThomas and TheFlyingCamera are really good. I designed and build my house in the early 70's. It had a specific place in the basement for a darkroom. Water, drain, electrical, heat/cooling etc. Really great, but now, I wish it was bigger. It's 12 X 16 which seemed huge compared to what I had previously, but it's full. I do really wish I had a room to use as a studio. As said, higher ceiling, some plain walls, interesting windows, etc. I'm still better off than many, so I'm not unhappy.

 

[MattKing]

A space that can easily be kept cool and climate controlled all year long is great for storing film and paper. In some ways even better than extra freezer and refrigerator space.

A covered exterior space with access to hot and cold water is great for mixing chemicals, toning and barbequing .

Space for preparing prints for presentation - spotting, matting, framing is wonderful, as is space for storing the supplies. If negotiations with family members are required, spaces like this are excellent for all sorts of other projects as well. Having excellent quality, adjustable light sources is very important.

If you love transparencies, include a space for projection screens and projectors and comfortable chairs.

A presentation wall with adjustable lighting and a system that makes it easy to hang and replace prints is wonderful.

 

[winger]

I've lived in a couple of places recently and have to say that windows aimed in different directions to catch light at different times of the day are really nice. Our house in PA has very little good light while the one in IA had lots of light. Even just for living conditions, more light = happier family. I really liked being able to put a flower or something near a window to catch some nice light without having to try and fake it like I do here. It also made it easier to see when it was worth getting outside quickly to catch whatever clouds/light there was. Here, I have to make a concerted effort to see what's going on outside.
Also, having a good crafting space outside the darkroom would be really nice. Not just studio room, but the ability to cut mats on a big table and not get dust in the darkroom.
I know exactly what I want for me, but I can almost guarantee that building a house to perfectly suit Ken and me would not be affordable short of winning Powerball. Which I never play.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

The lack of a darkroom influences my photography greatly...

 

[Luckless]

I'm sure that even if I build a fully custom home with photography in mind that I'm going to end up kicking myself for not doing some small thing within the first ten years or so. But no home is perfect, so we work with what we have.

Since I'm still on the hunt for a property I can't really make overly firm plans on layout and such, because another goal is to make the house flow well with the landscape. I am however pretty well sold on using a lot of rammed earth and passive solar-thermal mass construction. Part of the goal is to build with as much on-site resource harvesting and reclaimed materials as I can to keep overall costs down so I can be a little more flexible and grander in scale, but it won't make for a quick build I'm sure. But dust and climate control are very high on the list of things to focus on. (The property is also hopefully going to be off grid, which honestly is less about being green and more about not having to worry about the lights flicking off because someone somewhere on the island thought planting trees under the powerlines would look nice...)


Really like the plan of keeping the wiring tied into local sub-boxes. I'm not planning for the house to be massive, but I grew up in a house my father built in the mid 80s that he specifically wired to have an above average number of outlets, and then lived in a post-war house... Six outlet boxes every meter or two isn't considered overkill, is it?

I'm thinking that extra high ceilings in a familyroom/livingroom space, the kitchen, a long formal dining hall, and the garage will give enough room to setup photostudio space as needed, and will leave space on the property layout to put in a formal large studio space down the road as well. And a space set aside for a macro and product shooting station is probably a must as well. (Honestly I would likely use that more than the formal large photo studio site. I tend to do wildlife and sports more than formal portraits and such anyway.)




But what other random elements do people have in their homes or offices that they find really useful? Neat design quirks that help produce photos or even features that help display them?

 

[jeffreyg]

Consider a skylight such as a dome shaped plexi not clear but "milky" white. They are often in a 4ftx4ft size but may also come in other sizes. We have one in the center of a room. I have made many B&W still-life photographs with that as the only light source. It could come in handy on a bright but freezing day where you live. (Down here I have to lower the ac)

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[removed account4]

look at loft style places, and elements attributed to
international and Bauhaus style buildings. functional, machine age
formal design elements mixed with rustic ( that is the loft part, maybe
recycle things from other buildings)
a skylight is a great idea as is a windowed area facing north..

have a cistern and a filtration system ( diatomaceous ?) so you can use that for you photographic works.

good luck!

 

[eddie]

The biggest drawback is the low ceilings. I'd like to shoot more studio nudes but there's a lack of space.

I have the same problem. I shoot mine in my living room. Low ceilings, the necessity to move furniture, and having to set up lights/backgrounds before being able to shoot is a huge PITA. I'd love to have a large, dedicated studio space.

 

[MontanaJay]

I'd investigate net-zero construction techniques and low-voltage systems to keep your electricity demand at a minimum, and thermal mass/passive solar as well.
A north-facing high-ceiling studio would be great, but I wouldn't expected to use it as living space when its 40 below unless you like to chop a lot of wood.
Part of net-zero is a heat-recovery ventilation system for a tight house which can also be filtered for dust control.
If you're using well water you probably want a filtration/treatment system to prevent problems with your photo chemistry, and I'd give some thought to silver recovery for wastewater.

 

[frank]

High ceilings and a large north facing picture window.