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Author Topic: Lighting Architecture  (Read 45890 times)

Bevan.Burns

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« on: March 02, 2008, 03:20:21 pm »

I guess this question isn't strictly related to DMFBs, but I'm not sure which other forum to post this in, and most of the architectural shooters seem to hang out here. I was just wondering what sort of lighting setups you guys use? I'm most interested in how strobes are used in the context of shooting architecture. Are they used in place of existing lights, or just to complement them? What sort of modifiers (umbrellas, softboxes) do you use?
Any and all comments appreciated!
Bevan
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stevesanacore

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« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2008, 06:31:16 pm »

Quote
I guess this question isn't strictly related to DMFBs, but I'm not sure which other forum to post this in, and most of the architectural shooters seem to hang out here. I was just wondering what sort of lighting setups you guys use? I'm most interested in how strobes are used in the context of shooting architecture. Are they used in place of existing lights, or just to complement them? What sort of modifiers (umbrellas, softboxes) do you use?
Any and all comments appreciated!
Bevan
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Please don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you should work as an assistant to some architectural photographers if you want to learn how to light.  Your questions would take a few volumes to answer.

Maybe if you were more specific?
« Last Edit: March 02, 2008, 06:39:38 pm by stevesanacore »
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david o

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« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2008, 06:52:05 pm »

I do myself interiors... so I think I am use to do it, though there is always something to learn, and I am far from accomplished in that domain. And some client would require some kind of feeling, some others and there is your personal taste...  

Let say that you can use strobe, continuous, kino flo, daylight only, mixed of all, to support daylight or to fill some part of your frame.
You can use softbox from small to large... umbrellas... rarely direct except to ceiling...

That is just a huge domain to go through. Look at the place, figure out the focal point of the room... and play with your light...

For interiors none of them are the same...

the advice to start as an assistant is the best road to go...

keep us posted
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Morgan_Moore

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« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2008, 07:03:32 pm »

Quote
I guess this question isn't strictly related to DMFBs, but I'm not sure which other forum to post this in, and most of the architectural shooters seem to hang out here. I was just wondering what sort of lighting setups you guys use? I'm most interested in how strobes are used in the context of shooting architecture. Are they used in place of existing lights, or just to complement them? What sort of modifiers (umbrellas, softboxes) do you use?
Any and all comments appreciated!
Bevan
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I use flash, between an on camera little one (generaly bounced backwards) to up to 6 elinchrom heads usually with softboxes and maytbe improvised flagging to keep the light off the ceiling

It depends on your camera, the ambient light, room size, whether you can control your access time (do you have to shoot it now or can you hang around til the light gets perfect) the DR or the scene and a host of other stuff

Mostly I am trying to make the scene look as it looked to the eye but am trying to close the DR in the image by lifting the shadows

With multiple exposures and blending one could argue that this is not required and could therefore say that the answer is -dont light at all !

S
« Last Edit: March 02, 2008, 07:22:02 pm by Morgan_Moore »
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marc gerritsen

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« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2008, 12:56:03 am »

When you use extra lighting you will mess with the lighting design which I feel is an integral part of the overall design, therefor I will use only a softbox strobe if there is not sufficient light coming from a window or so. With the way I shoot is that I want to show the place as the designer or architect intended it, 'au naturel'  I find that a lot of interiors are looking too fake due to the over-useage
of strobes and other lighting methods.
I would rather use either a good time of day to use the right kind of natural light coming from outside or choose to shoot at night with longer exposures.
Even if there is no direct sunlight coming into the interior the feel is totally different from when you shoot on an overcast day, try it in your own home and you will see the difference

On the assistant issue; you do not have to be an assistant to learn and asking questions here is certainly a very valid way of learning things. Other than that you can buy a couple of books and try some set ups. You can be an assistant for a while and see how some people shoot but you will only really learn when you will develop your own style and systems. I certainly come from the 'jumping into the deep end school'

good luck
Marc
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rainer_v

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« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2008, 02:40:38 am »

i do same than marc. i work in 95% without additonal light.
sometimes i wait till the mix of ambient light and built in light looks good, or i stack exposures.
very rare that i use additional light,- even in  very dark environments the light usually is enough to shoot without added lamps. i.m.o. the results looks more natural than perfectly lit interior shots.

[attachment=5370:attachment]
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jonstewart

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« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2008, 03:43:50 am »

Quote
When you use extra lighting you will mess with the lighting design which I feel is an integral part of the overall design, therefor I will use only a softbox strobe if there is not sufficient light coming from a window or so. With the way I shoot is that I want to show the place as the designer or architect intended it, 'au naturel'  I find that a lot of interiors are looking too fake due to the over-useage
of strobes and other lighting methods.


Marc
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Marc,
In this part of the world, AD's and editors will most often specify for domestic houses; NO house lighting to be used. All to be done artificially, to make the room seem  as if lit by only natural light.

Now, really, I'm just satisfying the client, but I do agree with your general premise about making the place looking fake is a bad thing.

The other factor perhaps, is that here, people generally don't spend a lot of money on lighting design, the way they do in the US (and I'm sure other areas as well).
J
« Last Edit: March 03, 2008, 04:17:30 am by jonstewart »
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KevinA

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« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2008, 04:50:44 am »

A long time since I shot interiors for money. I did quite a few stately Homes, these were designed in a time when artificial light was a bunch of candles, so max use of daylight was built in, however the ceilings were very ornate and needed to be seen. I was shooting film then, I would often have nearly 20,000j of Broncolor just pointed towards the ceiling with softboxes from the window direction just to lift the ceiling from deep shadow and keep them a natural colour. Now I suppose I would stack exposures and save the expense  and effort of all those heads and power packs.

Kevin.
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marc gerritsen

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« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2008, 06:18:09 am »

Quote
Marc,
In this part of the world, AD's and editors will most often specify for domestic houses; NO house lighting to be used. All to be done artificially, to make the room seem  as if lit by only natural light.

Hi Jon
Which part of the world do you mean?
But it is true what you are saying when i was shooting for magazines in Australia,
they specifically mentioned no artificial light. I always thought it was because of
the hassles of combined light sources. But it was also easier as the architecture in
Australia is somehow more focused on the exterior than here in the East where it is all about
the interior and consequently there is a lot less natural light that comes in.
cheers
Marc
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David WM

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« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2008, 07:00:28 am »

Quote
I was just wondering what sort of lighting setups you guys use?
Bevan
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It usually varies depending on the client's requirements, and how much of your time they want to pay for. I use a couple of softboxes with elinchrom floor packs and have a couple of bowens prolights, which I may use with a honeycombe to fill dead spots. I like to bring the light in from as far away as possible so I don't get that feel of having the edges of the scene bright falling off towards the centre of the image. I like to make the interior vibrant, but with believability. In some situations the natural light is nice and just needs a bit of gentle fill to help the shadows, while in other situations the natural light may be dismal and I may go with the flash as key and ambient as fill, but not so as to be obvious that the lighting is artificial.
I don't always get the time to light like that, and feel that a lot of interiors lighting is often not called for in architectural photography where the emphasis may be more on the design and construction of the building than creating beautiful interiors that nicely show off the texures of the furnishings etc.
It depends on what you are shooting, what is important to your client and the style you may want to signature your work with. Even with interiors magazines, there are some that like a bright lit feel with vibrant colours which needs some lighting and others which cultivate a moody natural light look, which don't appear to have any additional lighting.
David
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stevesanacore

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« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2008, 07:06:49 am »

An avenue of study for you may be in books on cinema lighting.  I got my start in lighting from studying to be a cinematographer before I became a still photographer. When you study cinematography in a good film school, the first thing they teach you is lighting, not cameras. As we all know, the light is what makes a photograph great.

As still photographers we have the choice to use continuous or strobes. I have used both depending on the situation.
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jonstewart

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« Reply #11 on: March 03, 2008, 07:28:33 am »

@Marc
UK; it's not always the case, but very often. I find in Northern Ireland here, that lighting design does NOT play a major part in the design process when building a house, barring having a very expensive light fitting hanging from the centre of the ceiling! It's just down to the clients requirements; better be prepared to use candles if asked!

@ KevinA
20000J of Broncolor; I hate to think of how much that cost (either to hire or buy!) but I can imagine trying to fill those huge spaces.

@ David WM
Just curious; how do you find the colour of the Bowens and Elinchrom lights together? I have Bowens, but might like some Elinchrom, hence the question.

Thanks to all
J
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JessicaLuchesi

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« Reply #12 on: March 03, 2008, 07:56:41 am »

Being far from an expert on the field ( I do interiors, but as a complementary part to culinary photos now, to set the atmosphere of the restaurant for the magazines ), one thing I learned is that, when you're inclined to using natural lighting, the time of the day where you shoot is a big part of the result.
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David WM

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« Reply #13 on: March 03, 2008, 08:33:19 am »

Quote
@ David WM
Just curious; how do you find the colour of the Bowens and Elinchrom lights together? I have Bowens, but might like some Elinchrom, hence the question.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=178829\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I have the Bowens Prolite120 (1k) which are designed as a fairy short duration unit (2 flash tubes with large electrodes). They are quite blue and I use a warm gel to balance with other flashes. I also have an espirit 500 which doesn't have the cool characteristic. The elinchrom  (3 k heads) is pretty much neutral. I have some of the short duration heads as well as some normal ones, but the output seems consistent regardless.   I don't have any Elinchrom monoblocks.  I do have a 3 old Profoto heads  which I use in a Northlight 6'x3' softbox in the studio adapted to run off an Elinchrom 6k pack. They are very warm (and slow), but I gel them to neutral.
I think it would be good to have matching lights, but if you are not buying a complete set in one hit then I imagine even different models in the same brand will have variation, so its a matter of being aware of what your lights do and how to use them.
David
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jonstewart

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« Reply #14 on: March 03, 2008, 10:32:00 am »

Quote
I have the Bowens Prolite120 (1k) which are designed as a fairy short duration unit (2 flash tubes with large electrodes). They are quite blue and I use a warm gel to balance with other flashes. I also have an espirit 500 which doesn't have the cool characteristic. The elinchrom  (3 k heads) is pretty much neutral. I have some of the short duration heads as well as some normal ones, but the output seems consistent regardless.   I don't have any Elinchrom monoblocks.  I do have a 3 old Profoto heads  which I use in a Northlight 6'x3' softbox in the studio adapted to run off an Elinchrom 6k pack. They are very warm (and slow), but I gel them to neutral.
I think it would be good to have matching lights, but if you are not buying a complete set in one hit then I imagine even different models in the same brand will have variation, so its a matter of being aware of what your lights do and how to use them.
David
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Thanks for the detailed reply, appreciate it. My mainstay is 8x500J Esprit heads, and there is some variation between the heads, but not enough to cause great concern, Sounds like Bowens and Elinchrom could be mixed successfully.

Profoto; Spent some time on their stand at the big trade show here, last week, and as soon as I collect a spare GBP20000 (or so) I might be inclined to switch over! Seems to be 'better' than Broncolor (Probably going to get slated for some for that remark - feel free to point out Broncolor's advantages if you wish... I'm all ears.)

Thanks
J
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samuel_js

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« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2008, 12:29:36 pm »

Lightning interiors is supporting the existing light IMO. The available light can be enough in most cases but extra strobes can help to reveal details or to clear uncomfortable shadows.
There's a chapter in "The negative" by Ansel Adams dedicated to interior lightning. It's a must read.
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rainer_v

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« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2008, 01:13:16 pm »

Quote
Lightning interiors is supporting the existing light IMO. The available light can be enough in most cases but extra strobes can help to reveal details or to clear uncomfortable shadows.
There's a chapter in "The negative" by Ansel Adams dedicated to interior lightning. It's a must read.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=178873\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
things changed a lot since digital, esp. with our hiend equipment, in terms of dr and sw possibilities to compensate dark shadows and hilights e.g. in windows.
also there is a change in the common reception what looks nice and what not. it was absolutely nomal in the 70/80/90s to lit churches till they looked even and completely illuminated,- using therefor even very complicate setups. nowadays (nearly) everybody will see a natural lit church shot better than an even illuminated one.
further in big environments its another thing than in smaller rooms, and ofcourse its imporant to know wherefor the shots are.
a higlossy interior magazin with nice(?) arranged  flowers, coffee- cups and newspapers on the tables wants another look than architecture magazins or books. here sometimes( often)  i remove all this stuff as far as possible before shooting. how far one  goes here depends also on the personal style of the photographer and there will not be a better or a worser way.


[attachment=5375:attachment]


[attachment=5376:attachment]
« Last Edit: March 03, 2008, 01:23:46 pm by rainer_v »
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EricWHiss

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« Reply #17 on: March 03, 2008, 01:24:43 pm »

Rainer,
What software are you using to stack photos?  Photomatix or Enfuse? or ???
Thanks,
Eric


Quote
i do same than marc. i work in 95% without additonal light.
sometimes i wait till the mix of ambient light and built in light looks good, or i stack exposures.
very rare that i use additional light,- even in  very dark environments the light usually is enough to shoot without added lamps. i.m.o. the results looks more natural than perfectly lit interior shots.

[attachment=5370:attachment]
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rainer_v

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« Reply #18 on: March 03, 2008, 04:56:54 pm »

Quote
Rainer,
What software are you using to stack photos?  Photomatix or Enfuse? or ???
Thanks,
Eric
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=178890\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

photomatix
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Bevan.Burns

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« Reply #19 on: March 03, 2008, 06:03:45 pm »

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Ranier, you have a really wonderful website. I really enjoy all your images. It's inspiring photographs like that that keep a young student like me going. Thanks!

Bevan
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