Help needed ...interior architecture

BlueHoseJacket · January 20, 2009

I work for a genral contractor and I been asked to take some pictures of some our projects for an upcoming presentation (we are a small company and have never really put together a marketing brochure with photos of our work). Unfortunatley we do not have time to go the professional route and will probably only print the pictures for this presentation on a color laser jet printer.

I indicated that I do not have the equipment required to get the wide angle shots or lighting the owner is looking for in these shots. We do interior office construction so I will be shooting inside and it will typically be a shot of the reception area of a tenant space. I suggested that we rent a wide angle lense for the shots...the owner agreed and indicated that if the shots came out OK ...he would buy me a lense for future shots of our work:barb.

My questions:

What lense should I rent? I am shooting with a Canon XT (I was looking at the Canon EF S 10-22mm, f3.5-4.5 USM?

I do not have any off camera flash equipment...but most of the lobbies will be fairley well lighted. Will I be OK? or am I wasting my time and his?

Any suggested camera settings (in general) for this type of work?

THANKS FOR ANY COMMENTS!

Sam · January 20, 2009

Where should I start with this?

OK, I think your industry is pretty competitive, and with the economy probably more so.

Let me ask you one question: If you were the buyer, and one bidder came in with poorly lit, distorted image printed on color laser jet printer, lacking detail, and demonstrating a lack of quality, and a second bidder came in with well lit, , images that conveyed quality, and attention to detail, which company would jump to the top of your list?

I'm not sure how a construction company can effectively convey to a client your competence, and high quality work, without high quality images.

I think I would start with that premise.

As for lens etc, I think your pretty limited with a crop camera. I think a 24 mm tilt shift would be too long. The 10-22mm might be your best choice, but you will need to remove some distortion in post processing. Next you need to shot on a tripod. Research the best time of day for any light streaming through the windows, reflections etc. Bring some white, and black sheets of foam core, (anything white or black will work) to control light, and reflections.

That's all that comes to mind.

Good luck!

Sam

Qarik · January 21, 2009

The Tokina 11-16mm has gotten some really good reviews and is relatively cheap wrt to price/performance and is a 2.8. If you are not using high quality prints though..I imagine any old wide will do.

JohnBiggs · January 22, 2009

I love my 10-22. The images are great. Go with it.

John

kdog · January 23, 2009

The Canon 10-22 is an excellent choice for interior shots. With a lens that wide, you can stand in a corner and get the entire room. Plus, it's got great optical quality.

BlueHoseJacket · January 25, 2009

Here are a couple shots from day one our photo expedition. I ended up renting the Canon 10-22mm and have been very please with it. I am not getting everything I want ...but for the first time shooting shots like these I am fairly pleased. Please give me your thoughts/suggestions

Art Scott · January 25, 2009

Job well done
this is the first time I have seen this thread and I am very glad that Sam did not scare you so bad it kept you from trying.......Sam did have valid points...however rules (especially photo rules) were made to be broken with the intention of acquiring good images.......And VERY GOOD IMAGES YOU DID GET!!!

bow

thumb

thumb........Hopefuly your boss will see the talent and buy that lens for you......one thing you should have.....well maybe not should have......rather one thing I would have done is shot the 2nd photo with out the light over the counter on......you may want to get a ND filter (ND2, 3, or 4) to help balance the lamps that tend to glare at us at times like those:D.......over all it is a job well done......be sure and keep notes on what you did so the next time it will not be a guessing game for you

I have seen photos in Architectural Magazines that were not as good as yours............

ian408 · January 25, 2009

I think you did pretty well for your first time. You say you're not getting what you want. Can you elaborate at what it is you'd like to add to these?

One of the trends in architectural photography is the use of High Dynamic Range to show more features.
You also need to watch the foreground. An example is the last lobby shot. If you could, move more camera left and back to pick up more of the chair and floor covering or move the furniture for a better shot. Also watch the White Balance. The stair (I think that's what it is) and the break room look pretty good but the last two are a tad yellow.

That 10-22 looks like it's doing a great job for you. If you want to go wider, I'd suggest a full frame body rental. You won't be able to use the 10-22 (it's an EFS lens) but could find something similar to work with.

Lastly, with some careful PP, you may also consider some pano shots as a way to include more of the scene. Please note, you will need some sort of panoramic gear to make this work properly.

BlueHoseJacket · January 29, 2009

Thanks everyone for your comments. I am finally finished shooting the shots for this project and I am suprisingly pleased with the results. As I originally posted I was taking the shots with only the available lighting in the rooms and natural light when available. My biggest obstacle was my lack of experience...I have never taken these type shots and am typically a "snapshooter". So thanks for the encouraging comments.

ian408 · January 29, 2009

No problems with the magnet in the first one?

BlueHoseJacket · January 30, 2009

I stayed at the door way and never went into the room...it did make me a bit nervous.

ian408 · January 30, 2009

BlueHoseJacket wrote:

I stayed at the door way and never went into the room...it did make me a bit nervous.

I don't know what the field strength is but the effects reach beyond the room for many of the larger systems. By the look of it, it's a superconducting magnet--pretty cool stuff. I worked for a company that received the first FDA approval for MRI systems.

Sam · January 30, 2009

I'm with Art.........I am glad I didn't scare you off! These are good.

The distortion is pretty minor, (in my opinion), and can be adjusted if you wanted to spend the time, but I'm not sure anyone but us would notice. Some of the shots could use a white balance adjustment.

Here is one I adjusted a little, I do hope you don't mind.

A note, these are soooo much better than my first attempt!

I think the room may have looked more like this:

Sam

BlueHoseJacket · January 31, 2009

Sam,

mine are good only because I had Dgrin to lead the way...otherwise...I am lost in a sea of confusion.

I agree, MOST of the shots I got were a little off on white balance and I have no problem with the adjustments you made.

pathfinder · January 31, 2009

Sam wrote:

I'm with Art.........I am glad I didn't scare you off! These are good.

The distortion is pretty minor, (in my opinion), and can be adjusted if you wanted to spend the time, but I'm not sure anyone but us would notice. Some of the shots could use a white balance adjustment.

Here is one I adjusted a little, I do hope you don't mind.

A note, these are soooo much better than my first attempt!

I think the room may have looked more like this:

Sam

Sam, I am sure your white balance is better technically, but I kinda like the warmth in the OP's version myself

Just goes to show how subjective WB really is.

I think for someone's first effort at architectural shots these are really good too!

Help needed ...interior architecture

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