Architectural Interiors

[marc_compton]

Hey everyone, I just registered to this site and really like it so far. I have been stoked with all of the great

advice and support everyone seems to give out. The greatest teacher is experience, and it is such a painful

thing to gain at times. I am trying to do my homework to produce some successful images and have a happy client

when everything is said and done.

 

I am a beginning photographer and have limited experience shooting Architectural Interiors. Nonetheless, I have

bravely accepted a challenge to shoot a friend of a friend's project that she was the Interior Designer on. This

is no small task as the home is large, and quite detailed although I have not seen it yet. The shoot is in a

month, so I am doing some homework on techniques and or opinions on how best to tackle this job. I work in the

Architectural Industry, so am familiar with what is beautiful and Architecturally significant in a home, so that

is not an issue for me, however there are challenges I don't know how to solve just yet.

 

Lighting is my main concern. I spoke to one lighting pro and they said I could go with hot lights as opposed to

strobes... The house is most likely Tungsten anyway, so they would balance right out of the box. I have had

limited experience with strobes in studio photography, so don't have a ton of confidence in getting what I want

right away. Any opinions out there? The rooms figure to be large (the house is 15,000 sq. ft.), so I am

planning on simply accenting whatever available light I have, and keeping a warm effect. I don't want to light

it up like a basketball arena... Am I on the right track?

 

I plan on renting lights and possibly a wide angle lens. I currently have a 17-85 IS for my Canon 30d, but I

thought a wider lens (12mm or so) was called for.

 

Any advice is very greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[Matt Laur]

How will the images be used (the designer's web site? a submission to Architectural Digest? etc). Be sure you have a very solid tripod and a remote release.

 

Will you have any chance to visit the space at various times during the day, so that you can form a strategy for each room (window-light-wise) in advance? Consider walking around the space with a camcorder so that you can revisit the space later as you plan.

[marc_compton]

Hey Matt,

I have a date set to scout the shoot at least once prior to the actual shoot. I have two full days to do it, so I feel I have adequate time... I have a tripod and wired remote.

 

She plans on using the images as a part of her Interior Design portfolio, which could include a website at some point.

 

Thanks for your input!

 

Marc

[richard_quindry]

Hi Marc,

 

I'm a commercial photographer in Philadelphia and do a fair amount of architecture.

I think the lens choice is probably fine - I have a 12-24 and a 17-55 and find that 12 is too wide for most spaces -

stretching things too much and making things look palatial. If it's a very stark, modern house you may be able to get with

wider angle images than a conservative interior. I shoot Nikon and don't know the Canon lenses, but one issue you may

have to deal with is barrel distortion which you can correct in Photoshop (Lens distortion filter).

 

As far as lighting is concerned, the approach depends on the architecture itself. If you like the way it looks in the

daytime, shoot strobe. If you'd rather shoot at night or in early evening, shoot with tungsten lights. If you use strobe, you

can change your shutter speed to control the balance between the indoor and outdoor lighting - a big advantage.

 

In either case, and this is a matter of personal taste, I usually prefer to make the interior look like it is purely available

light. Usually, I'm just using a soft fill light to brighten the shadows.

 

You can also use HDR (High Dynamic Range) techniques to combine several exposures into one blended image that

holds highlight and shadow detail (with either a very realistic look or a more illustrated look), but I personally prefer

adding a fill light if the situation permits.

 

If you shoot RAW (recommended), you can make the image warmer or cooler in post production to taste.

 

Rich Quindry

www.Quindry.com

[adiarifin]

Hi Marc,

 

I have had a number of architectural assignments recently, all of them are tropical private villas in Bali where I live. My primary tool are Canon 5D and 17-40mm F4 L which work quite well. I think with an APS-C camera, I would share your views and get a Canon 10-22mm or something else at similar range. I do own a Sigma 12-24mm which is the only lens at this range available for full frame. However, especially for interior, too wide focal length make the scene unnaturally stretched out, so in most of the cases I only use it for exterior of villas with spacious plot of land or views like ocean or rice fields.

 

As for lighting, I normally only use two diffused flashes for fill in. Most villas have dramatic interior lightings and I have always wanted to retain it that way. When taking interior shoots in daylight, to deal with light from windows, I shoot a number of frames to be merged in Photoshop. Instead of HDR, I prefer to go for painful masking.

 

Good luck.

[marc_compton]

Hey again, First off to answer Richard's question, the best way I can describe the style is a mix of Spanish/Mediterranean. It is a beautiful home with lots of plaster in some large spaces. I have now seen three or four images of the home, which were taken in daylight, an it seems to have very nice natural day lighting. I have a lot of unknowns, as I can't get into the place until about two days before the shoot.

 

Thanks Adi for your information. I was thinking of buying the Tokina 12-24mm f4 lens for this shoot... anyone know anything about this lens? I read good things on the web and will try to get my hands on one locally.

 

When you said you use "two diffused flashes for fill in" do you (pardon my ignorance) mean that you shoot with two strobes? I'll probably be renting lights for this, any advice or tips about what to look for?

 

Thanks again for all of your input!

 

Marc