Seeing a Home Before You Ever Arrive
Seeing a Home Before You Ever Arrive
Architectural and real estate photographer Amber Jane Barricman captures homes with clarity, balance, and a deep respect for how a space is meant to be experienced — helping guests understand a place long before they step inside.
Locèlle exists for one simple reason: to highlight homes that were designed with care and photographed with the same level of intention.
Before a guest ever arrives, before a door is unlocked or a window opened, photography does the heavy lifting. It sets expectations. It tells a story. It invites someone to imagine themselves there. That’s why Locèlle only features homes shot by professional photographers, and why Amber’s work immediately stood out.
I first came across her photography through Sam & Max’s home. The throughline was unmistakable. The light felt honest. The spaces felt calm but considered. Nothing screamed for attention, yet everything mattered. That sensibility sits at the heart of what Locèlle is trying to build.
Growing Up on Cape Cod
Amber grew up on Cape Cod, in Eastham — a place where light, weather, and landscape quietly shape how you see the world. That environment left a lasting impression and naturally drew her toward photography.
After high school, she took two years off before heading to Boston to study at the New England School of Photography in Boston. There, she minored in architectural photography, a decision that opened up an entirely new path. What began as an interest in images became a way of seeing spaces as experiences — homes, rentals, new builds, and architects’ projects — and understanding how people move through them.
A Style Rooted in Light and Balance
Amber describes her aesthetic as light, bright, and airy, with contrast. Her photography feels clean without being cold, and polished without feeling staged.
Technically, her work leans into HDR photography, blending multiple exposures to balance interior and exterior lighting. The goal isn’t drama or distortion, but clarity. A room should feel the way it does in real life — calm, considered, and inviting. Her images don’t oversell. They allow a space to breathe.
Preparing a Space to Be Seen
When Amber walks into a space, her instinct is to refine. She straightens, removes, and adjusts. There isn’t a room she enters without touching something.
Distractions disappear so the architecture can speak. Overcast days are often her favorite, offering soft, even light that wraps interiors naturally. It’s proof that great photography doesn’t depend on perfect weather, just careful observation and timing.
Learning to See Architecture
One of Amber’s most formative influences was her architectural photography instructor in Boston, who taught her how to truly see a space — how to capture light, maintain clean lines, and respect structure while developing a personal style.
That foundation is evident in every frame. Her compositions feel intentional. The geometry is calm. The architecture remains the hero.
That thoughtful approach has led Amber’s work to be featured across a range of regional and design-led publications, including At Home Cape Cod, Cape Cod and the Islands, Cape Cod Home, Cape Cod Home Remodel, Coast, Coastal Lifestyle, and Home Builders & Remodeler: Southern New England. Each feature reflects a shared sensibility: homes that are well designed, carefully built, and photographed with clarity rather than excess.
Capturing the Feeling of Being There
Some of Amber’s most memorable projects extend beyond a single shoot. She recalls homes in Scituate and New Hampshire where she stayed overnight to photograph sunset and sunrise — long enough to experience the rhythm of the space.
Those moments matter. Being there at dawn allows her to capture something deeper than a listing image: the quiet, the warmth, the feeling of waking up in a place rather than simply passing through it.
Storytelling Through Details
For Amber, photography — especially for rental homes — is about storytelling. She thinks about how someone imagines themselves in a space before they ever book it.
She looks for details that ground the experience: a coffee bar, a stack of towels, beach gear by the door, the small amenities that make a stay feel easy. While she’ll create more styled, lived-in scenes for editorial or builder shoots, she’s careful with rentals. What you see online should match what you experience when you arrive. Trust matters.
Creativity Beyond the Camera
Outside of photography, Amber is still creating. She spends time wood burning, painting, hiking, and being in nature — anything that allows her to work with her hands. That tactile creativity carries through her photography, grounding it in something human and unforced.
Photography That Helps Homes Get Chosen
At its core, Amber sees photography for what it is: marketing that needs to work.
Her goal is simple: earn the click, inspire confidence, and help a home get chosen. Whether it’s a real estate listing, a high-end rental, or an editorial feature, success is measured by results — bookings made, homes sold, stories told clearly.
Most of Amber’s work trends toward luxury and upscale properties, but what excites her most are spaces that feel unique.
She’s drawn to design-forward homes and rental properties with personality — places that feel thoughtful, fun, and different. She’s less interested in photographing another version of the expected and more inspired by homes with a clear point of view.
Working With Amber
If you’re a homeowner, host, architect, or builder looking to present your space with clarity and care — the way it actually feels to be there — Amber’s work does exactly that. She’s especially interested in unique rental properties and design-led homes that deserve to be seen properly. To work with Amber or inquire about a project, visit amberjanephoto.com. Because the right photography doesn’t just show a home. It helps someone choose it.
