Have you ever looked at photos of a beautiful room in a decorating magazine or book  and thought, how stunning, but no one really lives that way? It’s true, the inhabitants of that home probably don’t live exactly that way. At the very least, they went through and put away the clutter before the photo shoot. The photography crew probably moved accessories around and searched for hidden treasures the home owner had forgotten about too. Just because they didn’t live that way before the camera crew came doesn’t mean they didn’t live that way after the crew left.

Looking at your home from the perspective of the camera lens gives you the chance to see things you might not ordinarily notice. And since you probably aren’t planning on hiring an entire photography crew anytime soon, we suggest that you hold a little photo shoot of your own.

However, unlike magazine photos, this exercise shouldn’t wait until things are perfect. Instead, it’s an opportunity for you to view your home in a different way. When we look at things day in and day out, it’s easy to become desensitized. In some cases clutter creeps in. (Someday someone is going to prove that stuff breeds in dark corners.) Or maybe we simply see our favorite things so often that we don’t notice them any more.

Photographs also allow you to look at all your spaces all together (either spread the prints out on the table or fill your screen with digital images), triggering “Ah ha” moments. With everything in view at once, you may suddenly see that the undersized living room chair would be perfect next to the window in the bedroom, while the bedroom chair that overshadows the window would fit perfectly in the corner of the living room.

Plan to do two sets of photos—before and after. The befores can turn your eye to spaces where clutter may have become a little too comfy or places that need just a little boost. The afters can show how a few small changes can make a big difference as well as providing you with a great sense of accomplishment. (They are also a great way to show off your clever style ideas. What? Doesn’t every one carry around a pocket album with pictures of their living room?)

A little perspective is sometimes all you need to come up with some fresh ideas and new looks. And you might even end up with a few photos that rival the glossy pages you were drooling over in the first place.