Very Large Lighting Problem - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

08/18/2008 02:16:11 PM · #1

The client wants to shoot this at night.He wants the light from inside to shine though and to light the back with strobes.My plan of attack will start by metering the light coming through the windows and setting the strobes 1 to 2 stops lower.

How much light am I going to need , 1600ws , 3200ws? How many?

If anyone has done anything similar I could really use some help.

Thanks
Bruce

Patrick_R

Canon EOS-60D

08/18/2008 02:19:01 PM · #2

go to strobist and scroll down three or so posts to "one light real estate photography" he did something very similar and the results were awesome
link

08/18/2008 02:26:44 PM · #3

Thanks Patrick. It's a good starting point.

Man_Called_Horse

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

08/18/2008 05:50:18 PM · #4

First of all do you have a budget?

Secondly, how much detail do you need?

Thirdly how much depth do yo need?

These are questions you should be asking your self.

Are you using tungsten indoors? Why?

Ar you using daylight outdoors? Why?

Night shoots usually need a lot of light, it's the nature of the beast.

Ask yourself what exactly it is you want to see and most of your questions will be widdled down .

robs

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

08/18/2008 06:22:49 PM · #5

There are flickr groups for Real Estate and (a much smaller)Painting with Light and I suspect you are going to need a little of each.

Man_Called_Horse

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

08/19/2008 12:44:11 AM · #6

Took a look at your profile.

Your fastest lens is a f2.8. Is this the lens choice for the night work?

Let me give a recent example of a night scene we did on the show that I am currently on, Leverage

We were on a ranch in Thousand Oaks, CA owned by Rupert Murdock.

The ranch is not a typical ranch with cows, and bulls, but, this ranch raised thorough breeds. Race horses.

The scene in particular was a night for day scene, meaning, even though it was night out, we had to simulate day using HMI lamps. Every lamp from a 125w Joker to the big boy 18Kw LTM HMI.

In order for us to get the job done, I had two 1400 amp plants feeding two 440v transformers, bumping down to a usable 120/240v power supply. In simple terms...big juice.

I had four 18Kw's, four 6Kw's, four 4kw's, four 2.5kw's, four 1200kw's, four 800w, two 4oow, two 200w, and one 125w HMI all working at 9pm at night lighting a stable.

A total of 131.325KW of light. Kilowatts, not watts.

So, back to your shoot.

Do you have an idea of what your needs may be?

Have you done any test's to see what your needs are?

Just trying to help.

Message edited by author 2008-08-19 00:46:01.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

08/19/2008 01:14:49 AM · #7

Thomas
Thank you for your interest. Sorry for the late response I just got home from work.
The client is an architect that wants this on his website or possibly published. He wants a shopping list to make the shot work , he already provided me with a 24mm tilt shift lens and time for practice.
I'm thinking 4 1600's with bank light soft boxes. Color balance will be tricky with the interior lights.

Good starting point?

Man_Called_Horse

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

08/19/2008 08:12:18 AM · #8

Originally posted by Blind_squirrel:

Thomas
he already provided me with a 24mm tilt shift lens and time for practice.
I'm thinking 4 1600's with bank light soft boxes. Color balance will be tricky with the interior lights.

Good starting point?

Certainly is.

trnqlty

Nikon D90

08/19/2008 11:08:09 AM · #9

It sounds to me that you're thinking of something like these below.

I offer this 'twilight' service for real estate agents looking for a truly unique image of their property. These all used 3-4 750 or 1250ws photogenic strobes. The key for these is timing. Turn every single light on that you can find in the house. Position your lights outside to accent whatever part of the house you like. I've never used softboxes for these since the lights are so far away so on that note I'm not sure. You want the sun to be setting or rising behind the house. At a certain point, probably about 30 minutes after sun down or before sun up. The light of the sky will balance out with the exposure you need to get the lights of the house to show. If its too late, you'll get the straight black sky like I did in the second shot above. What a difference it makes to have the deep blues. Shoot away, you've probably got about 10 minutes to get it right. If you have powerful model lights, I sometimes use one to paint the house as well, just in case their are some spots that aren't hitting like you want. Hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions

Message edited by author 2008-08-19 11:09:31.

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

08/19/2008 11:14:51 AM · #10

dang. I got beat to the punch. The secret, as far as I know (and I'm no expert), is to shoot at the right time of evening. Don't wait for the sky to get as dark as you want it to look in the picture. If you are going to primarily shoot one composition, keep shooting shots as time goes on and the sky gets darker. As trnqlty says, eventually you'll hit a sweet spot where the brightness of the sky is within the dynamic range of the house lighting. At that point you can do tons of stuff in photoshop to get the exposure you want.

The trees, however, may need strobes. That I don't have experience with.

08/19/2008 11:45:45 AM · #11

Thanks guys

I have to go back to work. I'll post a diagram of my idea for the shoot after lunch. Feel free to pick it apart.

08/19/2008 01:59:08 PM · #12

FWIW this is my lighting diagram.I was thinking about setting the lights on the deck and aiming them at the roofline and using the spill light for the face. My thinking is that this will eliminate hotspots. The AB 400s would fire into the white ceiling in the screened porch.

This is by far my biggest model.

Thanks for the help

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

08/19/2008 02:14:18 PM · #13

Can you go on an evening ahead of the shoot and just shoot the house with all the house lights turned on (interior and exterior)? That may reveal areas where your additional lighting is needed (or not needed).

What direction is behind the house? (ie. where will the sun have gone down) That will also make some difference in how illuminated the sky is.

08/19/2008 02:26:21 PM · #14

We will be spending a minimum of six hours at the house starting mid afternoon till we get it right. The back faces north with the sun setting at about a 10 o'clock angle looking off the deck.

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5