ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY AT NIGHT: My 5 Most Important Tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ค. 2024
- Night photography is an important and dramatic element in the documentation of any project. Here is a review of my five best tips to produce great architectural photographs at night.
Purchase my e-book "Architectural Photography and Composition" here
www.stevenbrookephotography.com/
A Complete Guide to the History, Practice and Techniques of Architectural Photography and Composition.
360 pages, over 300 photographs contained in this e-book.
Everything you need to start your own architectural photography practice or master your existing skillset.
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Thank you once again, connecting being architecture student, with photography as a hobby could go a long way and interrelate with one another.
Great tips, thank you Steven. So valuable what you are doing. Keep shooting :)
This is cardinal importance information, Steven. Thank you for this, again.
Thanks for the crash course! I have my first real estate night shooting tonight. I'll do my best to apply these tips!
I hope your photography session goes well.
I love how you tie in artists over the centuries that illuminate photography. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, experiences and information. I’m always learning.
Another great video. Thanks Steven!
This was a great refresher from your ebook content. Thank you!
Thank you very much for the professional advise.
Classes like yours really make the difference.🙏
Don’t forget about lawn sprinklers on timers to come on at night can definitely ruin your shot
Very valuable! Thank you!
Really helpful and well presented. Thanks so much.
You're very welcome.
I love this guy. It's like sitting in on a College Lecture. This is not just another Real Estate or Architectural "how-to" channel... it's knowledge from the mountain top. Bravo sir! I've learned so much from your videos.
Also please release your book hardcover/paperback 😆
Thank you for your kind remarks. I'm pleased that you are finding the videos of value. Initially, we found that a printed book would be prohibitively expensive to print, with a resulting price that would be especially steep for students to purchase. However, any part of the book may be printed. We are now exploring print-on-demand possibilities.
Lovely and very relevant contents. I have learnt a lot from this channel. Thanks Steven for enlightening us through your videos.
तुम्हारा बहुत स्वागत है।
Great tips Steven! I love your work, the information ,and your book!
Thank you for your kind comments.
Sir, I would like to thank you for your immense generosity. I have recently landed a one week architectural photography project for a client and your teachings have made a tremendous difference on every aspect of my work on this project. Also, watching your videos and seeing your educational approach is taking me back to when I was a University student. I will certainly buy your book. Again, thank you.
Thank you for your note. I am very pleased to know that these videos have helped you with your work. Good luck in the future.
How did your one-week project go?
Steven--great stuff. I'm going to deal with this daily rain in the Amazon in July, I didn't consider nighttime might be a big solution. Which will require some extra planning and maybe luck.
Well, ok, yes, some luck could be involved. If you shoot the same elevation three nights in a row, each night will be different to some degree.
Super
thanks, love the channel, do you think that a shift lens is essential for high end architectural photography work ?
I definitely do. There is no substitute for being able to control your composition in-camera, and for keeping the verticals of your building properly rectified (without having to resort to post-production). The ability to stitch several images to create one very wide view without distortion is an added bonus.
Having very little night photography experience and wanting to develop that skill, I really enjoyed this video. However, I'm dealing with a situation where the interior lights are warm (tungston color) but the primary exterior light - which is quite bright - is a true-white LED. In addition to its contrasting color, it also overwhelms the interior lighting (due to the physical configuration of the building). I'd rather not have to replace the bulb if I can avoid it, but I'm not sure how else I can overcome this issue. I would appreciate any direction you can offer. Thanks.
Hi, Kenneth - This is an issue we all face at one time or another. Is there a simple solution? No.
And the time constraints , especially in the winter months, complicates things even further. For the record, I don’t try to change lightbulbs. Plan to make a wide bracket for each set of photos. Often the slightly underexposed shots will give you more latitude in processing. And this gives you greater flexibility in layering images to accommodate the overly-bright bulbs.
This is my basic approach. There certainly are other ways to do this. But I always try for the simplest, cleanest approach. It involves pre-visualizing the color mismatches and exposure issues, knowing that there are ways to make these corrections in Camera Raw and Photoshop. And, as I have indicated in other videos, I use Luminar NEO for layering, especially for these types of extreme lighting situations.
• In Live View - if you have it - set the color balance as close as you can to the existing conditions. Determine what is the dominant light source - daylight, LEDs, or tungsten. It probably won’t be exact if you have multiple light sources. Rule of thumb: go warmer rather than cooler.
• Earlier in the process, use a higher Kelvin setting to accommodate the existing daylight. Yes, the incandescents will be quite warm. As the sun sets and the sky and ambient light diminish (the Blue Hour), the color temperature is set lower to accommodate the dominance of the incandescent lights. Again, you can use Live View to set the temperature and check each shot to see if you have to keep adjusting. These are global color settings you make in-camera. You must shoot RAW to be able to work successfully in post-production. When the light starts to change rapidly, you won't have time to fuss with the color temperature.
• For any of these shots (late afternoon, early evening, evening) do the best you can to set the color in Camera Raw. Do as much as you can here as Camera Raw is non-destructive. You may use the white balance tool as a starting point to get a true white. This will usually give you a tonality that’s a bit too cool and will need to be adjusted. You can also use the Color Mixer (saturation) menu to change specific colors; but be careful not to overdo this.
• Once you open in Photoshop you have options. IMAGE > ADJUST > SELECTIVE COLOR offers the chance to change a specific color rather than making global changes with COLOR BALANCE. Quite often, it’s the YELLOW channel that needs the greatest correction as that channel easily picks up an overall color mismatch. Here’s a video on how to do it: th-cam.com/video/ojKRzK-D45c/w-d-xo.html
The other technique I use often, especially with commercial projects that use mercury and other horrible green/cyan lighting, is IMAGE > ADJUST > HUE/SATURATION. This allows you to select and correct a specific area of your composition that has an unwanted color tone by desaturating the offending color. Often, it’s the cyan that needs correcting. Here’s a video on how to do it: th-cam.com/video/9Lmei_RPufc/w-d-xo.html
This takes practice. Each day, each night will be different. Cloud cover, air quality, etc all have an effect. Night shots can be difficult - but often the most rewarding photographs of a project.
Good luck with your work.
Nice video! I’ve got two questions, if I may: (How) do the leaves not get unsharp/blurry by their movement in the 20 seconds night shot (12:30)?
How was the lighting done with the pool photo at minute 1:40 ? Thanks (Bought the book!)
Thanks for your note. This is a very good question!
RE the leaves: in LUMINAR NEO, when you merge several exposures, there is the option before you do the merge to choose which photograph to use for
"ghost reduction". Knowing this is an issue, I make certain to have one very underexposed frame to use as the reference for just this function. And I select "high" for maximum control. The results are almost always good. Will this technique work if the conditions are extremely windy? No, not as well. And you will have to do tedious post-production work to eliminate the 'ghosts'. That said, there are actually times when slightly blurry leaves can add to the mystery of a shot, especially for evening landscape work. This is a matter of taste and the mood or idea you are trying to convey.
As for the pool: those were the existing lights. I made one exposure for just the lights so they wouldn't be blown out, and several other longer exposures for the rest of the image. Merging in (then) Aurora produced an image with a proper balance.
Clearly, the key to doing this successfully is to examine each exposure as you take it to be certain that you have at least one with the highlights properly exposed and one with enough detail in the key shadows. Usually two or three additional exposures will handle the range of midtones.
Please write another book... There is so much valuable information in your videos that I feel I don't support your work with the purchase of just the one book :D
Thank you for your note and kind comments. Several new books are in the works. In the mean time, please check out my other books at stevenbrookeeditions.com. These include books on Rome, Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Seaside, and Miami. And thanks again.
Hi Steven. What advice can you give for building an architectural photography portfolio? How can one find and gain access to good locations to photograph? I hope you are doing well.
Hi, Chad. Thanks for your note. You are certainly not the first to ask this question. Before you start to develop your portfolio, make a plan: your portfolio must include Exteriors, Interiors, and some Landscape. Here are some suggestions:
(1) HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE. Make a quick survey of the most important buildings in your area, both residential and commercial. These are ideal to show a potential client, as they are probably familiar with the buildings. Consider shooting these in color, but also converting to b/w, which works well for historic architecture. Offer to share your photographs. Most museum houses etc do not have budgets for professional photography.
(2) CONTEMPORARY WORK, irrespective of the architect. Pick the best new architecture in your area (and elsewhere, of course) and photograph Signature Shots of each. (I have a video on what constitutes a Signature Shot.)
(3) INFRASTRUCTURE. Bridges, factories, roadways, etc can make very dramatic photographs. Consider doing some of these at night, as well.
(4) INTERIORS. You must have a selection of interiors, both residential and commercial. Public buildings (permissions will probably be necessary) provide larger spaces that can demonstrate your ability to handle such situations. Again, historic structures provide opportunities; and if you offer to give them copies, they may be more cooperative.
(5) LANDSCAPE, both private and public. I would have examples of both. Remember, landscapes are best photographed early morning and/ or late afternoon - permissions will be probably needed for public gardens.
(6) DRONE PHOTOGRAPHS. These are great additions, but not essential. Real estate clients expect to see these, however. If you have a drone, consider several for your portfolio.
TARGET CLIENTS. If you have an architect whose work you wish to shoot, select several of their projects and photograph them, even if they have been previously photographed. Then, try to make an appointment to show them what you’ve done.
REVIEW. When you are finished, critically examine your entire portfolio. Toss out anything that is not first-rate. Be ruthless. Look at the work as if someone else had done it. If you are including both color and b/w, separate them. Remember the first rule of architectural photography: verticals must be aligned. Delete any images that are off-- even slightly. Every shot must be a home run: shot at the right time of day; properly proportioned; perfectly processed.
And finally, your portfolio is a continual work-in-progress. Always be adding new work and removing lesser work.
@@stevenbrookephotography Thank you for the detailed response.
Chad. In response to your question (and others) I have just posted a video on putting together an architectural photography portfolio. Please check it out. I hope it will be helpful to you. th-cam.com/video/yebFVp6UDio/w-d-xo.html
You mentioned dialing in f/11 (12:27). Why close down that far at night?
I’m guessing to keep everything in the shot in focus.
Hi, Paul. F/11-f/16 is the sweet spot for all my lenses. Even at night, I want to be certain that I am wire-sharp edge to edge. When I shift my PC lens (which I do to some degree for at least 75% of my shots) this is even more critical, as I am getting to the extremes of the lens's curvature. Given that I am on tripod and using a cable release, the longer exposure is not an issue. The only time I consider opening up the aperture to get a shorter exposure is when there is significant wind and I don't have a protected spot from which to photograph.Then I will (reluctantly) open up up f/8. The newer sensors are so good that alternatively one can consider increasing the ISO to 200 without incurring excess noise.
@steven brooke with modern mirrorless sensors I will confidently shoot to 800 ISO at night or even higher. Post processing clears up what little noise I get.
Yes, there are definite improvements with the new mirrorless cameras.
Will purchase your e-book soon. Just want to ask you, what your thoughts or has you heard about "PhotoPills" apps? I already went ahead and buy Sun Surveyor, thank to your recommended. Really like your content.
John. I didn't k now this app. I went online to check it out and it does seem to be quite useful.
I've been using it for years, along with the Photographers' Ephemeris. Absolutely brilliant and essential, both of them.
Thanks, Beno.
Question 2: How often do you use a tripod in daylight?
I use a tripod for *every* shot under any and all light conditions. I *never* hand-hold any shot. Even my iPhone, when I use it as an adjunct, is on its own, lighter-weight tripod.
ok thanks.
On average, how often do you use off camera flash?
Do you think you'll ever switch your main camera to a mirrorless?
I use dslr D800 36mp & love it.
Thanks for your great videos in general.@@stevenbrookephotography
I don't use flash of any kind. If/when my Canon 5DS dies I will probably switch to a mirrorless camera. But not before then.