Architecture photography shooting. need suggestions

<p>Hi, <br>

a friend of a friend works as an architect. He saw some of my landscape photos and some time later asked me to shot a house he designed the interiors. He told me also that he will pay me, i reply him i'll offer it free because photography is just a hobby for me and it will be the first time i shoot interior design. anyway i wish to arrive at that day at my best. <br>

I have the following equipment: <br>

olympus e-3, <br>

with 7-14mm, 50mm macro, 14-54mm.<br>

Also own a quantum T2 flash and 2 nikons sb-26, two wireless triggers, a white umbrella, 2 stands and a sturdy camera tripod. <br /><br />On the sw side, besides the editing program, i have a hdr software and another one for making panoramic pictures.<br>

I have also read a 200 pages book on interior design shooting.<br>

the shooting will be probably have place in 6/7 days. <br>

any suggestions?<br>

thanks for helping</p>

 

<p>For doing it free, I think you have everything you need.</p>

<p>Makes sure your camera is truly level. Try to avoid any application of HDR techniques that makes your photographs look like over inked cartoons. Ask the architect questions about how he sees the space, but pay more attention to how you see it. Practice first. </p>

<p>Although it may not be done on purpose, be aware of the subtle psychology of asking a friend that loves photography as a hobby to photograph a wedding let's say, or something like this, especially for free or very little money. You naturally feel a certain responsibility for doing a good job and are flattered for being asked, and many times feel undue pressure because you're not really sure what you'll be able to produce. It's sort of unkind, because you're put in the position of wanting to do a good job, but not really having the experience to know that you'll succeed, and so not feeling comfortable asking for payment. All this to say, don't put an undue amount of stress and pressure on yourself, because it's not fair to do so. Use it as a learning experience. </p>

<p>Thanks for helping, <br>

Michael, Ellis, Blake, <br />I tried at my home some shooting just to see the kind of problems I could find during the shooting. Infact, the first problem found was about the vertical lines. So I practiced to shoot with a leveled camera and using the lcd panel on the back of the camera. I also practiced to fix vertical lines in Pixelmator. I also tryed some HDR just to see how it renders the picture. The effect is like a cartoon but if i use minimal settings the image renderes much better and less cartoony. I also tried a photo to light the room with the flash, avoiding in this way the burned view from the window.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>Corridor 7-14mm lens distortion fix, vertical lines and wb.</p><div></div>

<p>without flash and with flash to compensate light entering from the window.</p><div></div>

<p>trying hdr. I prefer flash anyway.</p><div></div>

<p>Antonio, you've received some good advice and technically it seems as if you are well on your way with a little more experimentation.</p>

<p>The important thing to remember is that the technical side is the easy bit really. Getting that part down is the starting point, not the end.</p>

<p>The most important thing is the way the room is presented and how you make it look in the photograph. Things to consider would be time of day - orientation of the house for sunlight - composition, lens choice (don't automatically go too wide), rearranging the furniture for your specific viewpoint, eliminating anything extraneous and adding styling touches and details.</p>

<p>You are translating a three dimensional space to two dimensions, so consider perspective, lines, and flow. Think about foreground, middle ground and background. Are you sure you want tack sharp front to back focus or do you want to use limited depth of field for emphasis or creative effect? Think about the use of color - maybe introducing a single color element and at least avoiding clashes or confusion.</p>

<p>It's easy to get so concerned with the technical side that you end up with well exposed, straight, sharp images that simply document a space like an architectural passport photo. With a little thought and studying architectural magazines you can achieve a lot more.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Antonio:</p>

<p>Your test shoots look good! One suggestion about using flash. The power of the flash can be adjusted. Try one shot at normal power, one shot at lower power (e.g. -1.0) and one shot at higher power (+1.0) to get a feel for how this adjustment will affect the photo.</p>

<p>And as Ellis suggests, use a bubble level to make sure that your camera isn't tilted at all.</p>

<p>Ellis:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Try to avoid any application of HDR techniques that makes your photographs look like over inked cartoons.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>If photo.net had a "like" button, I would have pressed it for this statement. :-)</p>

John, Dan,

As for the lens i am also planning to use a 50mm macro, for shots to be taken in the bathroom. As for the composition

i am not worrying about for the following reason: the architect asked me to shoot on two different days.

On the first day i'll have to take photographs at the bare rooms, as he designed them, and i think he'd wish to show his skills.

Another day, when the rooms will be furnished (and probably arranged by the same architect) i'll take another set of

photographs. As for the first shooting day, I understand that my task is to show how he designed the rooms, but would a minimal

details help? For exemple, some towel in the bathroom, some cooking books on the kitchen , or some landscape

book in the bookshelfs the same architect designed and he wish to be photographed at? What do you think?