Driving Home a Design Teams Vision via Dynamic Imagery of Connective Corridors

When photographing spaces for commercial clients, it’s often important for us to come up with a set of images that weaves the story of the design functions together in a way that is clear and concise. One way of doing this is to show how various spaces connect to one another to help give the viewer a better idea of how a project flows throughout. Design teams often utilize a number of strategies to engage project functions with its circulation spaces in order to create an environment that feels dynamic and open. For photographers, this can be a unique sort of challenge. Corridors with adjacent meeting rooms and/or offices often feature glass partitions that pose the ever present challenge of reflections and unwanted distractions, so we are tasked with how best to convey both this circulation core as well as those connected spaces.

In the examples below, we use a number of techniques to transform what might read as too busy of an image into ones that help to tell a rich story of the design teams visions. When on site, I am careful to think ahead at how I might assemble the final imagery, which allows me to work strategically and to focus on individual portions of the frame that will later easily be able to be put together. In both of these cases, I used a mixture of a base layer using the available light and frames taken using strobes and flagging to both control reflections and give the space within the glass walls some shape. As you can see from the before and after versions of both scenes, this allows a clear and concise depiction of how these spaces relate to one another.

Before: Makers Gym by IA Interior Architects

After: Makers Gym by IA Interior Architects

Before: Digital Matrix Systems by Perkins+Will

After: Digital Matrix Systems by Perkins+Will

Overcoming Challenges to Create a Clean, Descriptive Image of a Tight Space

Every composition when shooting workplace interiors comes with a unique set of challenges. Reflections, varying color levels and temperatures, malfunctioning building systems and more are often things we have to overcome in order to convey the overall design intent and vision. In the image below, we were tasked with showing a fairly complex space located at the end of an office space that contains a variety of spaces - two phone rooms, an open breakout space, work stations, offices and an adjacent conference room - WHEW. To make things even more tricky, lighting levels between the spaces were very inconsistent, particularly the central breakout space which was only lit with one large pendant, making it appear quite dark in an image with available light compared to the corridor and adjacent rooms. And on top of everything, I wanted to capture all of these spaces in one image in order to show their connectivity, so opted to do a vertical stitch using my 24mm tilt shift lens to help illustrate the open ceiling of the corridor.

When approaching a shot like this that joins multiple spaces which all could benefit from supplemental lighting, my instinct is generally to treat them individually, with an overall plan to combine them strategically in post. To begin with this strategy, I first run through a round over ambient frames in order to capture things as they are. From here we begin shooting each individual space with supplemental lighting at a fast enough shutter speed to regulate any ambient light that we could not control. Once this has all been captured, all that’s left to do is to jump into the computer to piece it all together, which is where the video below picks up.

As with most of my interiors shots created in this way, I first run through some quick RAW processing in Capture One to get each frame that will be used dialed in at the levels and white balance that I want including one frame specifically for the ceiling information which I spend a little more time on ensuring that the white ceiling doesn’t have any color contamination. From here I move into Photoshop, run a script I’ve got to auto merge and align the images, and can begin the exposure blending, color corrections and retouching. Since beginning to share these processing videos, I am frequently asked about the time it takes to do this work in post and the value of it. This image took 50 minutes from start to finish in the computer. As for the value, all I can say is that with time, I feel that I have become very efficient in the way I go about both my post-processing and shooting on site and think that with some practice, these things can take far less time than they may first appear. Workplace interiors and similar spaces are inherently challenging ones to photograph, but the reward of providing clients with images that convey their designs as cleanly and straight forward as possible is invaluable.

BEFORE

AFTER

How to Create Differing Views of a Multi-function Space as Efficiently as Possible

A common practice in architecture and interior design is for design teams to create spaces that can serve various functions depending on the occupants needs. As photographers of these spaces, we are often asked to show this flexibility images that illustrate multiple arrangements within. In years past, I would go about this by creating these images one after another from scratch, resulting in the capturing, lighting and assembling them each as singular images. With some practice I was able to develop a technique that allows the creation of these views as efficiently as possible by treating the first overall image as the base, and replacing only the altered portion of the scene as needed. Though this likely seems logical upon reading, I’ve found that it helps to hear someone talk through their thinking and process before it clicks in my head and changes the way that I organize myself during a shoot and in post-production to have as efficient a workflow as possible.

In the example shown, we are standing in the lobby of an Austin Law Office designed by Perkins + Will and are looking down a corridor separating a large board room on the right hand side and a series of meeting spaces on the left. These spaces on the left are designed with moveable partitions separating each of them to allow the occupants to expand or contract their capacity as needed. To begin, we kept the partitions closed and simulated a meeting in the visible meeting room, showing it as it would most often be used. Once we completed the photography of this overall scene, we then decided to show an alternate version with a person setting up the space to be a larger meeting area, while also showing them moving the partitions to illustrate the technology used in their design (this has an added benefit of not having to completely rearrange the space to accommodate a larger group). Once we established this alternate scenario, all we had to do was focus on that particular part of the image while shooting, knowing that we would be able to insert it quickly and efficiently in our post-production workflow. In this case, we chose to keep the model on the right as is for both images, with the thinking that the images won’t be shown side by side on a website or in print, but most likely just in presentations to clients to illustrate the moveable partitions creating a flexible space.

I have found this method useful in a variety of scenarios, including shooting a space with a closed and opened door giving a view into the function beyond, flexible furniture solutions (i.e. sit/stand desks), variations on people using a space, exterior views with moveable walls allowing for an indoor/outdoor connection, etc.

Using Flash to Control Reflections When Shooting Through Glass

A few months back, I posted a video and write up describing a handful of techniques that I employ in order to effectively shoot a space that is behind glass without distracting reflections that distract from the design beyond. This video shows a recent example of one of these images from a project we shot with Perkins + Will of an office space in Dallas. This particular space featured a soft seating area in front of a large graphic wall. To add to the difficulty of capturing the space and how it sits within the larger context, the enclosing glazing features a film with a grid pattern which proved challenging when attempting to figure out how best to show the detail of the it, the wall graphic and some models using the room.

By dividing the room into two halves when determining how to light it, we are able to recreate the practical lighting that exists within it, giving a pleasing and natural quality of light. This lighting technique in conjunction with fast shutter speeds allows us to remove the majority of reflections from the camera side of the glass, however we did encounter some harsh reflections in the left hand chair from our strobes bouncing off of the white frames in the left of the frame, leading us to have to flag off those frames using black cloth.

Once lighting was complete, all that was left to do in post was to composite the information together and do some color corrections to end up with the below result.

Using Patience and the Pen Tool to Create a Clean Interior Composite

For my latest video, I returned to an earlier screen recording (partly due to some more recent screen recordings being in the wrong format) of an image we created for IA Interior Architects in 2019. This particular example helps to illustrate how Photoshop’s Pen Tool can often be the best way to create a clean transition between the exterior and interior, particularly when it comes to a large workplace interiors with a darker interior core and perimeter of floor to ceiling windows.

Making selections in Photoshop can be an incredibly powerful mechanism for isolating specific areas, whether that be to assist with color corrections, blend exposures, or incorporate models and other portions of individual frames where the lighting might not allow for simply brushing in masks. Though I employ a large variety of methods when creating selections, the one that I’ve come to lean on the most over the past several years is the Pen Tool. The pen tool, though very tedious at first, can provide the most accuracy in a relatively short amount of time once using it is mastered and becomes second nature. One great resource for learning the ins and outs of the tool is a website called The Bézier Game, which walks you through using the pen tool to create increasingly complex shapes. After honing my skills at the tool, it’s now one of my most used and is often something I reach for when beginning to create a selection of any kind.

Anyone who photograph’s spaces, particularly commercial spaces, knows that there are certain ones with the potential for great imagery, but whose challenges jump out at you from the moment you encounter them. This image is a perfect example of that. Upon entering this space which serves as a break area for a workplace, it was immediately clear to me the potential that it had - warm would ceilings with great depth and texture, a variety of great furniture that are rich in color, unique lighting design and interesting geometry. Also very apparent the moment I entered was how each of these elements along with the wall of glazing that enclosed the space on two sides created a very challenging scenario for an image that shows the entirety of the space cleanly and with the lightness that you feel when you’re inside of it.

In order to tackle the variety of challenges within the space, we had to mentally break the space up into sections in order to cleanly light the furniture and finishes to best reduce color cast and reflections from the outer perimeter. A circular polarizer was also used to create ambient frames that cut down on that reflective glare as well, knowing that all of the above frames would be combined strategically in post-production in order to create the final result seen below.

Piecing Together a Complex Multi-Layered Interior Space

In workplace design, there are some spaces that are just inherently difficult to capture cleanly no matter how you approach them. That was the case with this space at the Khoros office designed by Austin’s Urban Foundry Architecture, where they created a dynamic work environment with multiple breakout and collaboration spaces mixed in with the workstations themselves. These spaces were given separation through the implementation of screen walls which help visibly and physically divide the functions, but while doing so, make a particular challenge for us photographers. To add to the challenge, this shot in particular was created towards the end of a very full day of interiors, which led to our pushing through the photography as quickly and efficiently as possible. After coming up with a comfortable way of arranging the existing furnishings to our selected composition, we proceeded to capture a variety of flash frames attempting to isolate varying sections of the space in a way that made sense to me when thinking down the line of how I would approach the compositing in post-production. This led to thinking of the space as a foreground, divided into two - left and right, a middle ground, and the remaining background information. The lighting within the space was very challenging, so choosing to light the majority of the two nearer spaces with supplemental lighting was a no brainer, but the nature of the screen walls meant that this would be quite the challenge once back to the computer.

In this video, you will see as I struggle through piecing all of these sections together to create a clear image that describes the spaces and their connections well.

Balancing the Lighting Behind a Translucent Wall Installation in Post-Production

Some of the spaces that we are tasked with showcasing as architectural photographers are inherently trickier than others. During a recent shoot of a very thoughtfully designed children’s museum in Corpus Christi by Page, one of these spaces was a waiting area outside of the hospitals PICU. The waiting area features a translucent wall with an installation on it which separates the area from an adjoining corridor to allow for some privacy. Walls like this make a major impact on a space, but can be particularly challenging to photograph accurately for a variety of reasons, so we had our work cut out for us. Opposite the corridor from this glass wall is another large window that looks down on a lightwell/atrium connected to the hospital’s main concourse which further complicated any attempt at getting a clean backlit shot of the entire wall in one image. As a result, we wound up taking a series of shots where we backlit the wall in sections in order to clearly see the wall itself free from reflections and color contamination from within the space that we were shooting.

This video shows the entire post-production in Photoshop as I assembled several frames to end up with the final result - a clean, straight forward image of this colorful yet calming space. Throughout the first half of the video, you’ll see as I concentrate on this installation feature specifically, piecing together a final result that shows it evenly lit and without distraction. This was achieved by using a number of techniques from compiling those backlit flash frames mentioned above as well as creating adjustment layers to make local adjustments in areas where there was inconsistent lighting due to the constraints we were dealing with on the opposite side of the glass.

Finally, the image really comes together when we finish it off by incorporating life into the scene using a family seated in the waiting area in the foreground and a doctor at the elevator bank - all of which couldn’t have happened without the thoughtful planning and participation from the design team and end users!

Architectural Photography: Natural light vs. shooting with strobe

In architectural and interior photography, the debate between shooting using only available light versus supplementing the lighting with strobes has been around for a long time. In my latest video, I discuss the thinking behind choosing to use flash to help best define the interior of a space we recently shot. When relying solely on the existing lighting conditions within a space that has no natural lighting, we often are presented with the challenge of whether we show how the lighting design alone defines a space or if we are to supplement that light with our own in order to best show the materiality, tones and forms within a space. In this instance, I opted for the latter while softly blending in the existing lighting where it made the most sense. In my experience, I find that when we rely only on the lighting within a space, we are often presented with strong shadows and variations in color that while not present when experiencing the space in person, can create bold visual distractions when translating the space into a two dimensional image.

Photographing a space with strobe isn’t without its problems though and we are often left balancing the benefits with the compromises. For example, in the second shot shown in the video and displayed below, there is some very clever lighting design including a cove light above the vanity and a recessed light behind the floating mirrors within it. The challenge of combining both soft, pleasant lighting of the space and forms overall and showing these light features is that if we’re able to achieve them both, we begin to create a very flat image, void of any shadows or depth at all. As a result, we have to make the decision of what is the most significant aspect to illustrate for our purposes. If shooting this space for the lighting designers or a lighting manufacturer, there would be no question that we would lean these decisions towards the lighting in the space but when shooting for the designer, we have to think about all of the other aspects of the space that they were responsible for in choosing how to best showcase it. Custom casework, finishes, furniture and overall spacial layout are all important to illustrate within an image.

Image taken using ambient lighting only.

Composited image using flash and ambient lighting.

So what do you think? If you’re a designer, how would you most like the space be represented in an image? If you’re a photographer, what is your preferred direction?

Controlling Reflections in Glass

Ahh, reflections. On set, I will often joke that reflections are the architectural photographer’s arch nemesis. Specifically with commercial and workplace interiors, our objective is generally to show spaces and how they relate as clearly as possible in order to convey the design teams intent without unwanted distractions. One thing that makes this a challenge more than anything else is reflections in glass and other surfaces. Over the years, through a lot of on the job learning, skill sharing with others and trial and error, I have come up with a few techniques that I commonly will employ in order to remove unwanted reflections in order to best tell the story we are trying to convey through a particular image. These can be boiled down to essentially either controlling the offending ambient light on the camera side of the glass or overpowering it within the space that you are trying to show through it. Controlling the ambient light most often means some combination of lighting controls within the space (i.e. turning off all lights on the camera side of the glass that might reflect) or flagging it off using window shades, black fabric/plastic, and other methods. When these options aren’t enough, flash has proven to be an invaluable tool within the space we are trying to convey by overpowering any ambient light therefore removing what is being reflected in the glass from the camera side. Very often we are using several techniques for an individual shot in order to get the best results.

Cockrell Foundation by Kirksey

Firmspace Austin by Page

Zebra by IA Interior Architects

Page Materials Lab by Page

In the video below, I walk through four different scenarios where we were shooting single point perspectives through glazing systems that presented challenges with reflections that we had to troubleshoot in order to get the best shots possible. One thing that helped me greatly over the years is developing an understanding of how reflections work. In the study of photography, we are often taught about the angle of incidence, which is a way of describing how light sources and other objects will be reflected in a subject matter back into the camera. In the case of this topic, it is one of the things that helps me think of what is needed to control objects being reflected into a surface that we are trying to show as transparent. The diagrams below are my attempt at illustrating the angle of incidence when shooting similar shots to the examples below from my video. I have found that our instinct is often to think that all we need to do to control a reflection is build a flag the same size as the surface of the glass area, when really it is far larger. In my career, I’ve done a lot of work photographing for the art community and shooting framed work behind glass was one thing that really helped me get a grasp on this due to the more controllable scale of artwork versus that of architecture and interior spaces. The angle of incidence can be thought of as the reflected angle of that of the projected line from the point of the camera lens to the outer most portions of the reflective surface (glass). This is a complicated concept to describe in writing, so hopefully the diagrams will illustrate this clearly. The import part is to understand that not only are we having to consider what’s directly behind the area of the glass, but also above, below, left and right of that area relative to the camera position and angle. For example, the diagram below shows that the two lights nearest the wall will not be seen in the camera view, but the subsequent to will show up, as will a similar portion of the floor below.

Diagram of the angle of incidence when shooting a single point perspective of a wall with a window in it.

A similar diagram, this time with a flag behind the camera.

Hopefully the above information and below video give some insights on how you can go about troubleshooting similar challenges in your own work and help result in cleaner images for yourself and your clients.

Behind the Scenes: Post-Production with Perkins+Will of their recently completed ShareNow office project in Austin

Austin has proven to be an ideal location for tech companies to office, whether it be as their main headquarters or as a regional location. As a result, there has been a drive to create fun and dynamic work spaces in the area that foster creativity, flexibility and fun for the companies employees and it has been a pleasure to be a part of showcasing many of them.

One of the last projects we shot in 2019 was this great space in East Austin designed by the local Perkins+Will office for their client, ShareNow. ShareNow (formerly Car2Go) has located their new offices right in the thick of East Austin, a thriving neighborhood that encompasses much of what Austin is all about just minutes away from Downtown. The office features a variety of dynamic spaces, but none more fun than this employee lounge, featuring some beautiful furnishings and a balcony overlooking East 6th Street.

When we arrived at the project, there was a beautiful mid-morning light streaming into the space, so we knew that we had to start with this shot first, leaving us to scramble a bit to fine tune the staging of all the furniture and related objects. In this case, because the office was still fairly new, this also sent several of the design team members scrambling throughout the space to collect a few additional objects from around the office in order to help populate the shelves in our view. While they focussed on those items, my assistant and I focussed on the big picture items such as the placement of furniture and rugs, and how everything related to one another. Lighting wise, we added some touches of lights to help shape the furniture and large light fixtures as well as clean up the color of the ceiling and other warm finishes. The end result shows a bright, inviting area for employees to have a break from their day, change work environments, have informal meetings and more.

Lastly, in this video I touch on what’s coming next on the YouTube channel, which will feature a behind the scenes look at the composition, staging, photography and post-processing of an interior vignette that I’ll be doing from my home during the stay-at-home orders put in place under the current circumstances.

Behind the Scenes: Post-Production with Page of their recently completed Baker Ripley East Aldine Campus Project

Page’s Houston office recently completed a very engaging campus project for Baker Ripley’s East Aldine location. The project includes many unique spaces intended to help the surrounding community with support facilities for projects and businesses that members may otherwise not have access to including a fab lab (think makers space), commercial kitchen and much more.

For the second video in my YouTube series, I thought I would share a technique that many architectural photographer’s employ, which is the stitch panoramic. A stitch pano is a way to create a larger viewing area than available from a particular focal length by combining different frames using the movements that are possible with either a technical camera or tilt-shift lenses on a DSLR. One challenging part of employing this technique that those of us who are using a DSLR with tilt-shift lenses experience is a slight misalignment of those frames due to parallax which results from the movements happening in the lens while the sensor remains in one place. With technical cameras you are able to shift the sensor around while the glass remains in the same place, allowing for much simpler aligning. I mention this because some people will likely notice this slight discrepancy in the video, which I later went back and corrected for the final image.

This image was created in order to show a community room and its relationship with a couple of the other buildings on the campus and the courtyard that separates them. The space had great, large windows that provided lovely natural light. We aimed to emphasize the natural light a bit with the use of strobes while also cleaning up some of the color cast. Adding a couple of models (which included one of the designer’s from Page and the expert billiards hand of my asssistant, Spencer Young) provides a sense of scale and more emphasis on the spaces functions. The room was a little cluttered from daily use when we arrived, so we spent a fair amount of time clearing some unwanted items out and getting things just how we wanted them for the image. Staging also meant getting the pool table just where we wanted it so it would anchor this one point perspective, creating some symmetry in an otherwise asymmetrical space.