Interior Lights

[CBarrett]

Lighting has to compliment the subject.  Given the second image in Ashley Morrison's portfolio.  A couple is admiring the sunset on the balcony and there is a bright white light shining in through the door.   Your intent should be to balance and augment existing light not add something that is completely foreign.   There are other interiors that are perfect and the lighting just blends in which is what it should be doing.  Good lighting does not draw attention to the lighting itself.

I believe when Ashley posted those, he said they were available light.  That may have some impact on the resulting discussions that's been overlooked.

[CBarrett]

I hope you re-read this one day and it makes you sick to your stomach.

What GD was referring to was my post coming off as an elitist who treats his assistants as "pack mules".  If I've misrepresented myself, let me just say that my assistants are always highly valued members of the team and I lug just as much of my crap around as they do. We all bust our butts to get the job done, and we have fun doing it.

/done

[gdwhalen]

What GD was referring to was my post coming off as an elitist who treats his assistants as "pack mules".  If I've misrepresented myself, let me just say that my assistants are always highly valued members of the team and I lug just as much of my crap around as they do. We all bust our butts to get the job done, and we have fun doing it.

/done

Hi C,
    We all need to remember that we are only as good as the people that work with, and support us.  I can't do what I do without help.  I always try to remember that.

[Harold Clark]

I carry the same kit to every interiors job.  The one time that I leave something I never use at home, I'm going to need it!

5x Profoto D1 500 Air  (love these!  use them as hot lights too, beautiful light and really fine control)
6x Dedolight 150's  (the ulitmate inky!  150 watts with a spotted intensity as bright as an Arri 300 + on board dimmer)
3x Mole Inkies  (these will flood broader than the Dedos.  I use them when the light has to be real close)
8x Lowel Omnis  (crappy but effective workhorse 600watts, flood and spot, usually throw them through a silk or ceiling bounce)
4x Smith Victor Flood  (you usually see these on top of wedding videographers cameras, I never use them, but 600 watts each in tiny space good backup light)

15 8' Stands
4 13' Stands
2 12x12 Silks
4 3x6 Diffusion Panels

Chris' Inky Review

I recall this shot at LAX took every light I had... also, I like to carry an incline vial... had my assistant set the tilt on the monitors all to the same angle.  Ok, yeah, I'm a little crazy, besides being a gear junky.



-C

Do you ever have problems finding enough juice for all your lights? I use Speedo & White Lightning mono lights to supplement existing light ( much simpler setups generally than your beautifully done photos ) most of the time. Even at that I once blew up a dentist's office electronics ( computer, fax, etc ). Fortunately Speedo accepted responsibility and came good for the damage.

Also I presume you use a tractor trailer to haul everything around ( now I get it, probably have a big generator on the trailer too )!

[CBarrett]

Do you ever have problems finding enough juice for all your lights? I use Speedo & White Lightning mono lights to supplement existing light ( much simpler setups generally than your beautifully done photos ) most of the time. Even at that I once blew up a dentist's office electronics ( computer, fax, etc ). Fortunately Speedo accepted responsibility and came good for the damage.

Also I presume you use a tractor trailer to haul everything around ( now I get it, probably have a big generator on the trailer too )!

Harold, if you can believe it, I haul all my stuff in a Honda Element.  It's a box on wheels and I love it.  I try never to plug into the same circuits as any technology and usually only blow circuits in old houses, but I do carry 300 ft of extension cord.

General Rules:  3 monoblocks (or 3 Lowel Omnis) per circuit.  If outlets share a common wall they're probably on the same circuit.  Kitchen and bath receptacles are typically on their own circuit.  My inkies are all 150 watt, so I don't even count their combined amperage any more.

I tend to be paranoid about blowing any office equipment but once in a while you get two outlets 150 feet apart on the same circuit.... always nice to have an engineer on hand or at least know where the panels are.

-C

[Harold Clark]

Harold, if you can believe it, I haul all my stuff in a Honda Element.  It's a box on wheels and I love it.  I try never to plug into the same circuits as any technology and usually only blow circuits in old houses, but I do carry 300 ft of extension cord.

General Rules:  3 monoblocks (or 3 Lowel Omnis) per circuit.  If outlets share a common wall they're probably on the same circuit.  Kitchen and bath receptacles are typically on their own circuit.  My inkies are all 150 watt, so I don't even count their combined amperage any more.

I tend to be paranoid about blowing any office equipment but once in a while you get two outlets 150 feet apart on the same circuit.... always nice to have an engineer on hand or at least know where the panels are.

-C

I agree with not plugging into the computer circuits, that ONE time I was rushed to finish before patients arrived and Murphy's Law took over The Speedo shorted internally which caused a voltage spike .

The Honda is a good high capacity hauler. About 15-20 years ago I did a lot of shoots of large injection moulding machines on 4x5. I used to haul 2 4800 WS packs, 6 heads,a couple of mono lights, 5 ft umbrellas, soft lights, stands etc etc in a Saab 900 I left parked in the plant after unloading. On one occasion some of the guys at the plant came in after everything was set up, and when their shift ended actually stayed to watch us pack up because they couldn't believe everything would fit in the car.

[Craig Lamson]

Lighting has to compliment the subject.  Given the second image in Ashley Morrison's portfolio.  A couple is admiring the sunset on the balcony and there is a bright white light shining in through the door.   Your intent should be to balance and augment existing light not add something that is completely foreign.   There are other interiors that are perfect and the lighting just blends in which is what it should be doing.  Good lighting does not draw attention to the lighting itself.

Packing, that could be a thread all by itself

[JoeKitchen]

Packing, that could be a thread all by itself

By packing, I am assuming you mean packing all of the lights.  Yes that can be interesting especially when you need sleep because your shoot was at night.  

Time for sleep!

[Abdulrahman Aljabri]

I don't know a lot about this business (yet), but I will hazard a guess. It looks to me as though Ashley Morrison is oriented toward  advertising while Marc Gerritsen seems oriented more toward documentation. I would guess that Morrison's clients tend to be advertising agencies, marketing departments and magazines oriented toward general consumption; and I would guess that Gerritsen's clients tend to be architects and magazines that cater to those who are specifically interested in architecture.  However, when I say that Gerritsen's style tends to be documentary, I don't mean that he does not present his subjects in an appealing way or that they are not worthy of use for general marketing purposes.  I have to wonder if different styles of marketing in different countries play a part as well, but I don't know much about marketing styles outside the US.


David Eichler

What you say is very true. Advertising places different requirements, including changing the lighting entirely sometimes. I guess that is what the other poster was referring to as "Disney or Candy World". But since this topic was about lighting and how to use lights to light spaces I didn't think the first example pictures were the best because the lighting was just ok, not amazing. So my comments are directed only at the lighting aspect.

[marc gerritsen]

I don't know a lot about this business (yet), but I will hazard a guess. It looks to me as though Ashley Morrison is oriented toward  advertising while Marc Gerritsen seems oriented more toward documentation. I would guess that Morrison's clients tend to be advertising agencies, marketing departments and magazines oriented toward general consumption; and I would guess that Gerritsen's clients tend to be architects and magazines that cater to those who are specifically interested in architecture.  However, when I say that Gerritsen's style tends to be documentary, I don't mean that he does not present his subjects in an appealing way or that they are not worthy of use for general marketing purposes.  I have to wonder if different styles of marketing in different countries play a part as well, but I don't know much about marketing styles outside the US.


David Eichler

missed this posts, just too busy documenting!!
I think that is well observed,
thanks!

[garytimms]

I'm intrigued by this thread and this probably is a slightly naive question from a relative newbie..

When Im lighting interiors I either use packs and strobes and try fill the whole area, which gives a blanket lighting effect.. which can be effective in the right situations, and yes directional too. but this is using almost everything I own... or I try and balance natural light, by using carefully positioned flash.. or reflectors where the room size allows, but sometimes this is next to impossible.

I recently acquired some dado's which are obviously small and portable. thinking about versatility, I have tried putting a diffuser in front of them, either a panel clamped, or a piece of spin in the gel holder.. but the drop off is quite substantial, I can't seem to get my head around the hardness of the lights without that and the multiple shadows I'm getting,

When lighting these glorious interiors do you guys approach it like a product shot and shot countless shots to then blend and shop to get the final frame?.. is it a question of lighting individual aspects of the composition to get the shadows and feel right?..

If so I have doubled my workflow to achieve the results I'm after.. but if that's the case then so be it..

I wanted to improve the way I light subject matter as I feel i have reached a bit of a glass ceiling in what I do.. and I desperately want to move on.

[jfwfoto]

Ashley Morrison's work for example goes beyond beautiful scenes, it demonstartes awesome lighting: http://www.ashleymorrison.com/


By the way what I am stating above really goes beyond stating opinions. From studying many amazing interior pictures I came across a common theme to amazing lighting: direction. Directional light gives definition to a scene, flat light on the other hand kills a scene.  There are exceptions, of course, like the shot CBarrett posted where the general lighting mood is flat but still offers definition by smart placement. Looking at the naturally lit shots in question my first impression was "ok". Later as I looked at them I thought the light was flat and that's why I thought they were ok but not amazing.



I know this is not in response to you CBarret but if you are reading let me ask you, was the original scene lit like the picture? There are beautiful lights coming from the bottom of the bar and computer tables. You placed those there, correct?

[ASSEMBLY]

Christopher,

Can I ask why you feel the need to use the Profotos as opposed to a standard hot light?  

I was at B&H earlier today picking up ink and paper for the print exchange and had a look at them and they do seem like wonderful flashes.  

I'm just wondering if you could explain a situation in which you would feel the need to use such a powerful flash with such fast recycle times.  Is it due to the quality of the light you haven't found elsewhere?  The light modifying tools profoto offers?  To freeze a person in a shot?  

I'm very curious and would love a little insight into your technique.

Thanks,
Sean

[Kirk Gittings]

Chris will no doubt answer this, but my 2cs.

Why do I carry both strobes and hot lights? Every situation is somewhat unique but.....as a general rule........I use light primarily as fill to open up dark areas (compress dynamic range of the scene). Generally, (they can be modified with the appropriate gel) hot lights are tungsten balanced and strobes are daylight balanced. If there is allot of daylight streaming into the room my fill will need to be daylight balanced and very powerful (daylight is strong). If I am shooting a room at that is lit by halogen or household tungsten, my fill will need to be hot lights.

I use pretty much the same hot lights as Chris, but my strobes are definitely old school. I am still using the same Norman strobes I bought 30 years ago (though I own a ton of them now). I'm hoping they last me till I retire (if my aging assistant can keep carrying them).

Christopher,

Can I ask why you feel the need to use the Profotos as opposed to a standard hot light?  

I was at B&H earlier today picking up ink and paper for the print exchange and had a look at them and they do seem like wonderful flashes.  

I'm just wondering if you could explain a situation in which you would feel the need to use such a powerful flash with such fast recycle times.  Is it due to the quality of the light you haven't found elsewhere?  The light modifying tools profoto offers?  To freeze a person in a shot?  

I'm very curious and would love a little insight into your technique.

Thanks,
Sean

[ASSEMBLY]

Thanks Kirk, your 2cs are very much appreciated.

I've only been in the business of photographing architecture and interior spaces for a little over a year.   As an architect, I tend to shoot my own work in natural light as daylighting a space is very important in my design considerations.  Being out in the professional world and shooting other designer's projects I realize that's not always the case and sometimes constraints are insurmountable that wont allow daylighting or will only allow a minimal amount.  This is all to say that any technical advice I can gain from these forums is of great help and I appreciate your response.

[David Eichler]

Chris will no doubt answer this, but my 2cs.

Why do I carry both strobes and hot lights? Every situation is somewhat unique but.....as a general rule........I use light primarily as fill to open up dark areas (compress dynamic range of the scene). Generally, (they can be modified with the appropriate gel) hot lights are tungsten balanced and strobes are daylight balanced. If there is allot of daylight streaming into the room my fill will need to be daylight balanced and very powerful (daylight is strong). If I am shooting a room at that is lit by halogen or household tungsten, my fill will need to be hot lights.

I use pretty much the same hot lights as Chris, but my strobes are definitely old school. I am still using the same Norman strobes I bought 30 years ago (though I own a ton of them now). I'm hoping they last me till I retire (if my aging assistant can keep carrying them).

Strictly speaking, if just filling in shadows, you could just use strobes exclusively and gel them to match tungsten  without too much trouble, no?  I had the impression that AP's tend to use hot lights when they want more control over the light, to really create their own lighting, because it is easier to see what you are doing, so you can control it better. Of course hot lights would still offer more control even for fill for ambient tungsten, but is the extra control that important that you absolutely need hot lights for this function? I suppose it is a matter of style also.

[Kirk Gittings]

Strictly speaking, if just filling in shadows, you could just use strobes exclusively and gel them to match tungsten  without too much trouble, no?  I had the impression that AP's tend to use hot lights when they want more control over the light, to really create their own lighting, because it is easier to see what you are doing, so you can control it better. Of course hot lights would still offer more control even for fill for ambient tungsten, but is the extra control that important that you absolutely need hot lights for this function? I suppose it is a matter of style also.

I said this is how I "primarily" use supplemental light. I also use it to create more interesting light than was designed into the space etc. when shooting for advertising purposes. When shooting for architects these days though we are primarily trying to make the space look on a screen or in a print the way it does to the eye and that mainly involves compressing the dynamic range of the scene so that it fits the dynamic range of the digital file. Yes you can use strobes to fill tungsten lit scenes, shoot tungsten via modifying the color temperature of strobes, This I suspect works better in digital where reciprocity is not an issue. But if I can use hot lights, I prefer to simply because they are easier to see what effect they are having (modeling lights don't really cut it) without having to make an exposure.

[tesfoto]

I've only been in the business of photographing architecture and interior spaces for a little over a year.

[attachment=18351:image.png]


This quote from your website makes me smile....

[Kirk Gittings]

Thanks Kirk, your 2cs are very much appreciated.

I've only been in the business of photographing architecture and interior spaces for a little over a year.   As an architect, I tend to shoot my own work in natural light as day lighting a space is very important in my design considerations.  Being out in the professional world and shooting other designer's projects I realize that's not always the case and sometimes constraints are insurmountable that wont allow day lighting or will only allow a minimal amount.  This is all to say that any technical advice I can gain from these forums is of great help and I appreciate your response.

I understand your love of natural light Sean. As an old b&w landscape photographer, I do too and use it exclusively whenever I can. In the old days we lit every shot for that classic advertising look that was so popular with American APs. But now we keep it to a minimum, which is easier because digital is so much more adaptable and forgiving in mixed light. Another factor here in the SW is the strength of daylight. I look at the images of allot of these European AP photographers, see all this soft muted daylight, and am very envious. In the SW we have 300+ cloudless days a year of harsh blasting daylight. The contrast ranges are extreme and a camera does not see this contrast the same way a human eye does-hence the common need for fill to compress the contrast. HDR if handled judiciously can help, but I feel like the next generation of HDR algorithms will be much more useful for producing truly believable results.

The first thing I do on a shoot is check out the possibilities of natural light and plan my day accordingly. Natural light is the priority.

I recently did a rush shoot in Las Vegas of two large institutional buildings and took no lights. Though I oftentimes use no lights on a many interiors, I always have them with me. I hate flying with all my equipment since 911, but there was no time to drive to this shoot. It worked out fine with a fair amount of extra effort in post.

[JoeKitchen]

I find that strobes have little use for direct lighting since you can not tell how the light will fall until you get an exposure.  They also tend to be very harsh when used directly.  Because of this I tend to almost always use them indirectly, bouncing the light off walls, ceilings and floor or shooting them through screens.  When using strobes though, I still use tungsten lights with gels; I carry around 20 different kinds of gels.  

Also, although I hate doing this because it is so tedious, there are situations where there is a window in the scene but, due to how the space is designed, strobes really would not work (unless I had a large banks account and could buy as many strobes as I have tungsten lights), so I gel the window(s).  Lee and Rosco both make daylight to tungsten plus 2 stops gels large enough to cover windows.  Now you need to cover the outside of the window so the gel is not apparent so you can really only do this on first, maybe second, floor locations.