Large-scale Architectural Twilight Exterior

Nikon D200, Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX @ 22mm, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/13 sec.

I'm out on the road for work and get to perform in some pretty interesting venues. As soon as our bus pulled up to the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts, I knew that I was going to want to try to make a twilight exterior shot of it. I had the foresight to bring my camera, but I had left my tripod back at the hotel. Bummer. Luckily I was able to handhold the camera and compromise a bit on aperture and ISO.

After arriving at the venue, unloading the equipment truck, and doing a soundcheck, I ran outside to see what was happening with the light. The trick to exterior twilight photos is to wait until the waning daylight balances with the manmade lighting fixtures. In this case, I got lucky and was able to get outside just as things were starting to get interesting.

The shot I saw in my head when the bus first pulled up was head-on from the front of the building. So I walked out across the street to try to get a good shot of the whole building from the front. I could only go so far back before a line of trees got in my view, and I wasn't able to get an unobstructed view of the front what with the landscaping and streetlights. Then I saw this:

Gaining an elevated position can be a huge help when photographing larger buildings.

Jackpot. The field behind me must have been used for marching band rehearsals or football practice. Who knows. All I know is that they left their tower there. Against my better judgment, I climbed up the tower. Nearing the top, I was starting to think it was a bad idea as those tires don't create the greatest sensation of stability. Regardless, the view was great from up there and it solved a lot of my obstruction problems. After shifting my weight around to get into shooting position, I had to wait several seconds for the darned thing to stop swaying before I could take a steady shot.

Nikon D200, Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX @ 18mm, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/20 sec.

Notice how the streetlights don't obscure large parts of the building. From ground level they actually appeared to stick up above the building, which was very distracting. There were some power lines in my shot, but those were really easy to clone out later so I didn't mind.

The shot at the very top of this post ended up being my favorite even though I snapped it while waiting for my Jimmy John's order to arrive. Being down on the ground can lead to a more dramatic angle, although you need some working distance. I was way back at the corner of the property (past the lower right side of the other photo), shooting at an equivalent of about 35mm.

The front elevation is interesting, but the building really seems to come to life when photographed from an angle. You can really see the juxtaposition of straight lines and curves, as well as the interplay between the different vertical layers.

A final note: These photos were made hand-held at higher ISOs and larger apertures than I would typically prefer for architectural photography. 1/13 of a second was really as low as I felt comfortable hand-holding, and as it was, I was using mirror-lockup mode to minimize blur from the mirror slapping around inside the camera. So what would I prefer? ISO 100. f/8-f/11. These settings would have resulted in a shutter speed closer to 1 second. That's clear tripod territory, but when you're stuck, you have to make do!

Hollin Hills Mid-Century Modern Flip

Nikon D200, Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX @ 18mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/15 sec.

Hollin Hills is a unique little community situated a little south of Old Town Alexandria in Virginia. It was one of the first planned communities to be constructed after World War II. It is comprised entirely of mid-century modern homes designed by Charles Goodman, so when I found out that I would have the opportunity to photograph one of these homes, I was ecstatic.

Nikon D200, Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX @ 25mm, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/30 sec.

We'll be looking again today at the work of house flipper extraordinaire, Teresa Bosch. The bones of the house are the same as they were half a century ago, but Teresa and her team did a beautiful job of remodeling the home. I won't go as in-depth with the process on this one, but I do want to point out a few things that I had to do in order to create these photos.

Take a look at the two living room photos above. One is the natural light shot, and the other is what it looked like once I added my lights to the scene. I used two large umbrellas outside, coming through the windows near the couch to camera right, which simply augmented the existing natural light. Then I scraped a gridded speedlight with a warming gel across the fireplace to bring out the definition in the fireplace and the stonework.

Nikon D200, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro AT-X II @ 13mm, ISO 200, f/8, 1/13 sec.

In addition to the interior shots and the normal exteriors, I also did a twilight exterior shoot. On a house like this, it would really be a crime not to do a twilight shoot. The beauty of these homes is in their floor-to-ceiling windows and the houses just glow beautifully when the sun goes down.

Nikon D200, Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX @ 29mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1 sec.

Twilight photos are fairly simple to make, but you have to be ready for the light when it is just right. That means a lot of running around to make sure that all of the interior and exterior lights are on, so that you can be ready during that 10-15 minute window when the natural light comes into balance with the home's light fixtures. The photo above was a crucial shot, because Teresa really wanted to show how the home's tower became illuminated at night. The two windows that you can see at the right (on either side of the chimney) are at the top of the hall bath (see below). Teresa's team put an LED strip up there in order to create a cool vibe at night, and it came through very nicely. The problem was the far left window which is above a hallway. Even with the hall light on, it wasn't bright enough to appear in the photo. In order to get that window to light up (as seen in the photo above), I put a speedlight in the hall with a warming gel. It was triggered via PocketWizard radio remotes (with their impressive 1600 ft. range).

Nikon D200, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro AT-X II @ 13mm, ISO 400, f/8, 1/50 sec.

Twilight photos can really transform a house. Check out the daylight exterior shot below from a similar angle. The house looks nice enough, but you're at the mercy of some harsh shadows and the windows look uninviting.

Nikon D200, Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX @ 18mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/60 sec.

I hope you've enjoyed the photos of this house as much as I enjoyed shooting it. Be sure to keep an eye out for more house flips from Teresa in the future. Her work is stunning!