Light reading

[perfect_pixel]

Hello!

I have been asked to take some pictures of some property interiors by a friend who runs an estate agency. For free at first but I am hoping to maybe make some pocket money once I get some experience.

I am looking for a book to help me out at first with basic lighting and general techniques and found the following two:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Architectural-Photography/dp/0240516729/ref=pd_sim_b_4/202-2948452-6786244
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Interior-Photography-Lighting-Professional-Techniques/dp/0817440240/sr=1-7/qid=1162049703/ref=sr_1_7/202-2948452-6786244?ie=UTF8&s=books

I just wondered if anyone had read either of these or could suggest any others which might be useful. I think that I have a basic knowledge of taking pics but am looking for a book which will start with the very basics and not assume that I know anything in particular.

I will be using either a 350d or 20d (can't afford to keep them both but am struggling to decide which) with a Sigma 10-20mm (can't afford the Canon but I was lucky and got a nice sharp copy of the Sigma) + lights (TBC but probably Interfit because they are cheap!).

I prefer the feel and controls of the 20d but both take (in my hands) identical pictures and I can get more for the 20d to put towards the lights. But if anyone knows of a particularly good reason to use the 20d for interiors and not the 350 then please let me know!

Sorry to ask so much in this thread but I am starting from scratch and really want to try to make a go of this. Thanks in advance!

Steve

 

[minimeeze]

Think you need to have a word with Spencer (Ghandi) - this is what he does for a living.

 

[perfect_pixel]

Thanks minimeeze, I will try to PM him now.

 

[Gandhi]

It really depends on what sort of quality your friend wants out of the photo's. If he's just looking for better versions of the stuff he normaly uses from his compact then you should be ablt to get by on just the canon and a hotshoe flash.

my workflow kinda goes like this.......

1) tidy room! I can't state this heavily enough! 15 minutes dressing and tidying a room can save about a week in photoshop later. Make sure you remove everything like remote controls, magazines, any personal items etc. When clients look at a photo they want to imagine themselves there, not look into someone elses life.


2) Plan & Prepare....We do work for all sorts of clients, some of them helpful, some not. You will need to liase with the agents beforehand to find out how long the client expects you to be at the property and what there personal expectations are. I have walked into huge properties only to find the client thinks we're gonna be there for 15 minutes when a more realistic timescale is 90 minutes for an average sized house. Speak to the agent beforehand and ask him/them which shots they need, nobody really wants shots of the toilet unless is spectacular, gold or made of diamond! in my experience agents normaly want the main bedroom, lounge/dining room, kitchen, front and rear externals. Anything else is a bonus including 'feature shots' panoramics of views etc. You may also find that the brochures used by the agents are a set template that only allows portrait or more likely, landscape orientation.

3) the shots themselves.........

a) invest in a hot-shoe or tripod mounted spirit level! Wonky doors and celings are a nightmare as you will end up using the perspective tool in cs2 to correct them and lose the benefit of the wide-angle lens you're using.

b) try and shoot from waist-ish height as much as possible, it'll alleviate the problem mentioned above and looks more natural than shots taken from eye-height.

c) Lighting. I use a single sb800 most of the time, if the room is particuarly large/ open plan with arch or you can see into another room then I use the sb800, a borowed sb600 and an old toshiba unit to light the various areas. I wouldn't bother with studio lighting unless it's a very grand prperty. too many cables too much work etc. you'll be able to shoot most rooms wioth a single pro flashgun. If you're shooting in a kitchen or lounge then you will need to balance the colour of the flash with the colour of the ambient lighting, i.e green for flourescent and orange ish for tungsten lighting, but beware, if you include the window in these balanced shots it'll make the daylight look strange!

d) exposure......The way I tend to shoot is to spot meter the light coming through the window and set the exposure manually for that, then use flash to illuminate the room. If you don't want to show whats outside then I tend to use 400iso, f8, 1/20th of a second and let the flash sort the fill lighting itself. btw, always turn all the room lights on, put the fire on if possible and use a w/b that's slightly warm, it looks more inviting!

e) All normal photographic rules apply, thirds, lead in lines etc. I tend to shoot from the corner of the room unless there is a strong architectural reason to do otherwise (arches, fancy floor, sightlines etc)


Hope those few pointers help? Anymore questions then feel free to ask, I can't promise an immediate reply but will do my best......

quick and shameless plug.........http://www.quidos.co.uk are the people I work for, some good examples on the website. If you can vbe bothered to have a surf look at the websites our clients on the website!

Enjoy though, it's good to have a shuffle around other peoples piles!