Hi I am new at this and trying interior photography and looking for improvement. I am struggling between using bracketed expose vs using flash, gave it a go... And quickly got discouraged especially in the kitchen with the time it takes to get your flash position correctly. My initial approach was to use shoot through umbrella, then realized it's not that efficient use of time trying to squeeze it in to a smaller room and for larger spaces one is not enough. I am very new and trying to figure out wich direction to go. How do you guys approach shooting interiors
I've never done flash work for interiors, but bracket around 3-5 exposures depending on the scene. 5 seems to be a sweet spot for scenes where I need to expose for the highlights outside like in this shot. I typically will go -3EV, -2EV, -1EV, 0EV, +1EV and blend those in LR. I like to go really heavy on the highlights. It's easier to recover shadows. Also, in that first shot, the part of the chandelier sticking out is kind of distracting, so I might have worked around a way to either shoot with it all in or all out. Make sure any pets are out of the shot as well. :)
That's quite some impressive HDR work, would love to see how you did it. Very impressed with the windows. How long did it take?
Thanks! I'm fairly certain that shot and this one were both a five shot bracket. I started at -3EV and ended with +1EV with 3 exposures in between. I just used LR's HDR merge feature with auto tone turned on, then adjusted white balance, sharpness, etc. from there. I didn't do any extra work on the windows, although I have had to do that in the past.
I was not sure how to deal with the cat, it followed me every where. Should have asked the owners to take him. Thank you for your input most of my shots where using 3 bracketed exposures I will consider using more in the future
I would have considered shutting the blinds, the stripes across the kitchen in the #2 shot (and the reflection in the glass door in #1) is really off putting, especially where the flooring changes and it starts to run up the units.
Also a flash on the stairs and in the two adjoining rooms in image #2 would have made them look more inviting.
But i am a big fan of flash, and take longer than I should because I hate to sit reviewing images thinking what I should have/could have done.
Michael, thank you!!! very insightful. I will keep that in mind
John, thank you i will try that. I need to learn to slow down a bit and think, I find myself rushing through and under the pressure when I am on an assignment.
I haven't found a technique that works equally well under all circumstances, but my primary technique these days is to use flash. Yes, it can create some harsh shadows and some glare on shiny surfaces, but I can remove many of the flash-produced shadows and much of the glare by blending a flash shot with an ambient-light-only shot in Photoshop. I also try to minimize shadows by positioning the flash with the same perspective as my camera lens. (The flash unit is mounted on a monopod so I can easily move it around. My flash unit is a Flashpoint 360 -- which is the same as Godox and several other brands -- and it's easy to manipulate while still having lots and lots of power.) Plus, I shoot at medium power to reduce harshness and with no reflector so the bare bulb is bouncing light around like crazy throughout the room, hopefully softly filling in some shadows. Still, it's the blending of flash and ambient shots in Photoshop that's the most important step to avoid having rooms that are too flashy.
Why do I prefer flash? For many reasons: 1) It produces colors more faithfully because it overpowers the color casts produced by ambient light. That's especially important in a house where you might have blue window light, yellow incandescent light and green fluorescent light all competing in the same shot. 2) When windows are present, I can meter for the exterior light and then use flash to fill the room (plus blending with an ambient-light shot). This allows me to get really impressive views through windows. 3) Flash produces sharper details. I was having trouble with HDR shots because they often appeared muddy and required a lot of extra editing. 4) My clients like the brightness of my shots. Though it's usually obvious that I'm using flash, flashed rooms appear brighter and cleaner than ambient-only rooms, which makes them more appealing in advertising. Some of the houses I shoot are really rather dark and sometimes dingy. And I'm sure you're aware how much light that dark furniture sucks up. A pop of flash can make all the difference in making a house appear attractive.
I realize that many real-estate photographers and their clients prefer natural light, and I strive to make my flash/ambient blends look as natural as possible. However, I believe that I get more-consistently attractive real-estate photos with flash. If, on the other hand, I were shooting for Architectural Digest, I would probably go more for natural light.
I don't always use flash, and sometimes flash isn't successful. As insurance, I take a 5-stop bracket of every setup as well -- just in case. As I said at the beginning, I still haven't found a technique that always works perfectly in every situation, but -- for now -- I'm going to keep working with flash.
Hi there, I've found this chaps tutorial useful in relation to flash. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ2mnifvR8g
Thank you!
I blend flash and ambient exposures.
Flash gets me good, contrasty color and the ambient gives me the direction of the light.
Of course I set up my lights to mimic a natural feel.
While it is difficult in the beginning, practice will make it second nature.
Place an ambient layer on the top of your image stack with the mode set to luminosity and adjust with opacity and masking.
Practice, practice, practice.
Thank you Sir!
Hi Ruslan, I started using just bracketed exposures using ambient lighting, then tried flash, as usual experienced harsh shadows and issues with tight spaces. Through trial and error, I developed a process and equipment workflow that has worked well for my clients. I use up to 4 speedlights (1/8 power to obtain high output) off camera on a heavy duty light stand to shoot straight up close to the ceiling to bounce off (large light source) this allows for a more controlled color rendering. I then use LR enfuse to auto blend the photos to create a base image to bring into photoshop to work on additional color correction, contrast and any problem areas that need special blending.
Great photo! thank you, that makes sense I am in the process of upgrading my equipment
I use Yongnuo speed light flashes as they are relatively inexpensive in comparison to Canon speed lights. My Yongnuo have stood up well under the heavy use cycling 200 to 300 flashes each house. I switched to rechargeable NiMh AA with help cut down on battery costs. :)