House Shoot

[Nicole]

I'd love to hear some of your tips/warnings/ideas on how best to set up lighting or use natural lighting for a commercial shoot of a residential home. Photos of inside and outside.
Kind regards
Nicole

[rbarker]

I think the approach depends largely on how the images are to be used, Nicole. If you're going for the "Architectural Digest" look, that is to say "formal" shots, my suggestion would be to spend some time exploring/researching the place in advance of the actual shoot. In particular, pay attention to the orientation of the home with respect to the solar path, so you can plan around the best times of day to photograph various aspects. Take a bunch of digital shots, if possible, during your exploratory pre-shoot visit, so you can use those to make detailed lighting plans in advance.

Interior lighting can be tricky - particularly if there is a view out of a window that needs to be preserved. In many cases, you'll want to balance your interior lights to the exposure required for the outside view, remembering that (within sync limits) shutter speed won't affect the electronic flash contribution to the total exposure. Consider using existing lighting fixtures in the home - table lamps and such - to add warmth to the shots. Again, balancing exposure so the lamps actually show up.

In many cases, adding light coming in from an adjacent room (e.g. through a doorway) can add a lot of dimension and depth to the shot. Radio slaves come in real handy for that sort of thing, as the slave trigger in the adjacent-room strobe may not be sensitive enough to trigger. Also, think in terms of using large softboxes and/or bounced strobes as opposed to straight lighting with the standard reflector on the heads. But, don't discount using "accent" lighting (grid spots, snoots, etc.) to add drama to a room.

[Nicole]

Ralph, thank you very much for all the info!!