Adding Local Decor to Your Fab Space
Adding local decor to your home through the use of photography is a cinch because you live in one of the most photogenic cities in the word. Forget expensive prints; all you need to enhance your space is a decent camera or a smartphone with a good camera.
Adding local decor to your home is a cinch thanks to where you live. There are cities where you simply point a camera and you’ve got the perfect shot. Paris, London, Cape Town, Amsterdam — all of these cities teem with a vibrancy, beauty, and grit that makes you glad that smartphones are equipped with cameras. New York is part of this esteemed list. There’s always an opportunity to whip out your phone, capture a great shot, and post it for posterity on Instagram.
In this ever-changing city, it’s become more and more important to capture snapshots of neighborhoods and buildings before they change into something else. Some of the best-selling paintings and photographs at home design stores are images of cities as they used to be: vintage Paris, 1970s Harlem, and 1950s Fifth Avenue are just a few of the iconic images that come to mind. New Yorkers, both born-and-raised and transplants, often look for ways to bring a little bit of this graphic imagery into their homes. If you can relate, here are some of the ways you can make that happen.
Your Camera — Don’t Leave Home Without It
To capture local decor, try to always have a good-quality camera with you, whether it’s a top-level iPhone, Galaxy phone, or an easy-to-carry DSLR. You never know when you’ll come across a scene that you just have to capture. Nothing’s more heartbreaking than capturing said scene on a low-quality camera that turns out substandard pics. If your intent is to shoot gallery-quality prints for your walls, a good camera phone should be the lowest you should go. Some third-party apps can help you take your phone to the next level, while built-in features of the iPhone and some Android phones can help you take amazing shots, even at night.
Zoom In
Sometimes the most beautiful picture is a detail of a much larger one. If you’re taking a picture of a deserted West Village street at dusk or dawn, take a look at the whole canvas after you print it out. You may find that a small detail in the lower left-hand corner of the screen may contain the shot that lights up your wall.
Focus On All Aspects of City Life
Whether you’re training your photographer’s eye on your neighborhood or you’re spreading out to other boroughs, make sure you capture all forms of life. A decrepit, yet beautiful, abandoned building; an old man walking a dog; a vintage sign over a store that’s been around for 50 years; a puddle in the middle of a street getting hammered by rain — even the most unexpected scenes can turn into the most beautiful images. Remember, you can’t take a picture of someone without their permission, and under no circumstances whatsoever should you take pics of children. There’s plenty of beauty to find out there without violating anyone’s privacy.
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