It was the way the morning sunlight streaming through my bathroom window reflected off of the mirror in my medicine cabinet at such a bad angle that it cast shadows on my entire space that made it look like a crime scene. And that’s when it clicked I had been living in this perfectly functional bathroom for three years and had never really “seen” it. You know when you’re walking to the same corner every day and suddenly notice something beautiful that you’ve been overlooking all along? That’s what happened when I decided to start taking photos of my bathroom refresh.
I had no intention of becoming a bathroom photographer. To be honest, I simply wanted to capture the little changes I had made to my bathroom (new towels, new shower curtain, and some plants that had not yet died) and document them. However, after viewing the first set of photographs, I almost deleted them. The lighting was terrible; everything appeared cluttered; and my new hand towels looked like limp dishcloths draped over the towel rack.
Bathrooms are the most difficult rooms to photograph. Bathrooms are typically very small; either poorly lit or non-existent; filled with items needed to make a bathroom functional rather than aesthetically pleasing; and let’s be honest they are primarily functional. But I was determined to make my space look as beautiful in photos as it did in real life.
I stumbled upon my first major discovery entirely by accident. I had relocated my phone to get away from a water mark on the mirror and, suddenly, the bathroom looked different. The new angle caused my tiny bathroom to look larger, and the once harsh morning light was now soft and dreamy. Sometimes the greatest discoveries occur when we are not even trying.
Decluttering was much harder than I thought it would be. I am generally fairly good at keeping surfaces cleared, but when preparing for photos, I noticed EVERYTHING. That random bottle of mouth wash sitting next to the sink? Gone. Those three different hair care products perched on the edge of the tub? Not Photo Ready. I spent approximately an hour clearing items from countertops and into drawers and cabinets to create clean lines and open spaces.
However, I discovered that you do not have to remove everything. Certain items add to the lived-in and authentic look. I left my preferred hand soap in its beautiful glass container, a single plant on the windowsill, and a stack of fluffy white towels. A few deliberately selected items added life to the space without causing a visual mess.
Lighting required some experimentation. I have one small window in my bathroom and overhead recessed lights that make everything look dull and yellow. I attempted to shoot photos at various times of day and discovered that late morning light (approximately 10-11am) is truly magical. There was sufficient natural light to create a clean and fresh appearance without direct sunlight.
When shooting photos during the evening or cloudy days, I became resourceful using what I already had. I borrowed a small table lamp from my bedroom and placed it outside the bathroom door to provide a soft light source. It may seem absurd, but it worked. The warm light made my white tiles appear creamy rather than stark, and eliminated those harsh shadows that made my face appear hollow in the mirror.
Angles were the most difficult aspect to master. I must have taken 40 photos from the doorway alone, adjusting my height and position slightly each time. If the angle is too high, you lose the intimacy of the space. If the angle is too low, the space appears distorted. I found that when I held my phone at about shoulder height and tilted it slightly downward, it provided the most flattering view of the space.
Shooting from different corners was another game-changing technique. Rather than always positioning myself at the doorway, I entered the bathroom and photographed from the corner near the shower, facing toward the vanity. This angle highlighted my pretty mirror and made the space appear larger. I also attempted to shoot straight up at my ceiling light fixture. Although it seems unusual, it created an interesting architectural feature that I had previously overlooked.
The mirror itself posed its own challenges. Mirrors are either beneficial or detrimental to a bathroom photo. Mirrors expand the visual size of your space, which is advantageous. However, they also reflect everything including yourself holding the camera. I learned to position myself at angles where I was not visible in the mirror, or sometimes, I used the mirror reflection intentionally to showcase more of the space.
My nemesis was water spots. I’d clean the mirror, take five photos, and water spots would appear in each of the shots. I began keeping a small microfiber cloth nearby to wipe reflective surfaces clean between shots. While annoying, it’s essential if you want clean, sharp-looking photos.
Styling was the element that contributed the most to making my ordinary bathroom look magazine-quality. I rolled my towels instead of folded them it takes 30 seconds, but looks infinitely more luxurious. I placed a small glass jar containing cotton swabs, arranged my best-looking toiletries in a small tray, and ensured my shower curtain was hung perfectly straight.
Plants were a huge game-changer. The addition of a single snake plant on my windowsill and a tiny pothos trailing from a shelf softened the hard edges of tile and fixtures. Plants added life and color to the space, while maintaining a cohesive and peaceful atmosphere. In addition, because of the humidity levels in bathrooms, plants thrive in these environments. Therefore, plants were both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
What I loved most about the experience? Absolutely none of the changes I implemented were expensive or permanent. I didn’t renovate, purchase specialized lighting equipment, or hire a professional photographer. I merely viewed my space with a different lens and developed ways to utilize what I already had. When individuals now view photos of my bathroom, they ask if I renovated. Nope just paid attention to elements I had ignored for years.
