Thanks for the smile - "electronics broads in a light tent" :-)

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Chris H <chris@phaedsys.org> saying
something like:

Silicon sisters, well connected?

You've obviously never seen the care taken over high-value property
photography. It is a different world from the "girl from the office
snapping with her digicam" treatment that most of our houses would
get.

But yes. Given that this poor sap is taking on a job that requires
photographic skills he has not got, a technical camera would be salt
_and_ vinegar on a very large wound.

Linette you certainly started something here!

There are two main things to ask, are you purely an interior design
company or a furniture design company?

If an interior design company why are you doing "studio environment"
photographs instead of location shoots?

If you can do location shoots I would recommend using ambient light -
wait for the howls.  Ambient lighting gives you a much more realistic
feel to your shots, but you will need a camera that will be able to
take exposures in excess of 30 seconds and you will also need to use a
very sturdy tripod.

I regularly take indoor shots of hotel guestrooms, restaurants, bars
and reception areas and never use flash.  Last Thursday I was taking
photographs of a restaurant area with no external light only the
internal lighting - a professional photographer was taking photos of
the same area but using full flash soft boxes and strobes.  He had
great trouble balancing the lighting so that the dark carpets and
furniture didn't cause the light coloured walls to be over exposed.
My photos just needed a little work in Photoshop Elements to make them
fit for printing and for the web pages they will be going on.

I would recommend:
A DSLR with a minimum of 10 megapixels - Canon and Nikon are good
makes - look at camera review site on the web.
Two good quality zoom lenses 17mm - 55mm and 80mm - 200mm
Remote control release, preferably infra red or wireless so you don't
have to touch the camera to fire the shutter.
Very sturdy tripod - by that I mean fairly heavy and unlikely to cost
less than £100.00.  (You are looking for a tripod that will withstand
being knocked without falling over and preferably having the ability
to splay the legs for working in tight areas or uneven locations.)
Photoshop Elements 6 - a lot of people will recommend full blown
Photoshop, but at your level Photoshop Elements 6 is more than
capable.
Get yourself onto a Photographic Course and make sure the tutor knows
the type of work you are undertaking.

Finally for that MUST BE RIGHT FIRST TIME shot consider a professional
photographer, but expect to pay about £500/£700 per day plus out of
pocket expenses.

Do not be put off by the comments in this thread, yes a professional
photographer should produce better work that you just as a
professional interior designer should produce better work than an
amateur/hotel owners wife.  I sell to both types of interior designer
and I work with professional photographers as well as doing my own
photos in my experience there are good and bad professionals and there
are some good and bad amateurs the difference is I can normally
"advise" the amateur interior designer.

Do your research and confidently put forward the case for all parts of
your argument.