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Tips for photographing swimming pools
Patrick Redmond is the Melbourne-based photographer who photographed the 2021 National Pool of the Year. Here he offers a few photography tips to prepare you for the upcoming awards season.
By Patrick Redmond ABOVE: One of Patrick Redmond’s many beautiful photos of the 2021 National Pool of the Year, built by Liquid Blue Pools. See Edition 138 for more shots of this pool
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hen photographing the pool, remember you're not just “selling” the pool itself, but more importantly, you are selling a lifestyle. The pool and surrounds must be in perfect order. Lawns need to be mowed, glass pool fences especially need to be clean, pets water bowls, dog houses, kids toys and general junk that is not important to the pool needs to be tidied away and out of sight. Pool cleaners should be removed from the water, and this should be done with enough time for the surrounds to dry off.
Deadline looms Don’t forget to get your entries in for the SPASA 2022 Awards of Excellence. All state deadlines are April 8, 2022. Following the judging, the winners of the categories in each state will go into the highly coveted National Awards of Excellence and vie for the most prestigious awards in the country.
Paving around the pool needs to be clean. Some people may choose to wet this down but personally I think this is a big mistake. When it’s warm, the paving starts to dry almost instantly and becomes patchy looking – which looks worse than the odd dirty paver to begin with. And once you have started to wet the pavers you are constantly having to interrupt your photography to wet the pavers again and again. The odd dirty paver can easily be sorted in post production. Make sure any poolside sunbeds and tables are in the right place. Adding a few well-placed props such as towels and drinks can also enhance the image. When deciding on the best angle to photograph, it is important that the pool is shown within the 28
SPLASH!
February/March 2022
context of the surrounds. Images are far stronger when other elements such as the surrounding architecture come into play. Another great option is to have your pool photographed by a drone. This offers some excellent vantage points of the whole project that cannot be experienced at eye level. However, it is important to make sure the drone operator is experienced and follows all of the correct procedures that relate to flying in such environments. As far as equipment goes, the trusty phone can take a reasonable snap that’s more than adequate for your social media, but for awards, wall prints or magazines, something with more pixels and a higher resolution is a must.