In need of advice!!!

[Zeke]

Hopefully some of you seasoned veterans can point me in the right direction! I've been commissioned to produce the photos for a print promotion for an upmarket lighting store. I'll be shooting in various venues where the store has installed various lighting solutions - houses, apartments, restaurants etc. I need to capture the mood/vibe of the room, as created by the particular lighting used.

Here's the scenario:

I'll be shooting interior architecture type shots - focussing mainly on the lighting. I'm thinking I'll need a wide-angle lens of some description, wondering if anyone can offer me any suggestions and/or advice.

I'll be looking to produce shots such as:

http://www.sonicwest.com/yellow/Lighting_Design_images/lighting_solutions_stair.jpg

http://www.lightingdesigninternational.com/images/houses/home_kitchen.jpg

[Jonny]

Depending on the size of the room you are shooting i would say that you will most definately need a wide angle lens. A tripod is a must too.

[Mohawk]

Tuff call, don't know what you have equipment wise, then there is your budget. And it sounds like you are going to be all over the map subject/size wise (Wide open spaces and close quarters).

Do you have a 1.6x crop camera? Or something closer to a full frame?

If a 1.6x crop, something like a 10-22mm or 16-35mm zoom or some fast primes like the Canon 15mm, 24mm and a 35mm. And a fast 50mm 1.4, just in case.

Or you could go with a tilt shift lens.

Maybe rent some lenses and experiment a bit prior to the shoot, I know I would. Sounds like this is all new to you.

Mike

[Zeke]

Sorry guys, I'm shooting with a 20D and I've already got the 50mm 1.8, tripod.

[Mohawk]

Fast and wide! Use a tripod with a shutter release and practice the old "mirror lockup". You don't want any camera shake. I'd say a 10-22mm, 16-35mm and your 50mm. And maybe a 24-70mm.

This is the one area that the 1.6x crop 20D can really be a pain, low light, wide angle shots. This is what prompted me into the 1DMKII.

Also, will you need any lighting? Like a couple of soft boxes for some fill? Something else you may need to consider. Will they let you tour the sites where the shots will take place prior to the final shoot? That might be a good idea before you get much deeper.

If you have a camera shop nearby, see about renting some lenses. Or some shops will rent them via the mail. You bit off a bit of a shoot here, I hope you have the funds and knowledge to pull it off.

Mike

[Zeke]

Thanks for the advice/feedback!

At the end of the day, I might be better passing this one up to someone with more experience, however, a wide angle lens would be a very nice addition to the kit! ;)

[PhotosGuy]

You could try doing a pano to get a wider shot, which would also give you a larger pic file to work with.
The lighting is the product in this case. Since you would be showing the lighting that's already there, you could probably use RAW & RSE to provide a small amount of "fill light" if you needed it, but you wouldn't want to change the character of the shot by adding much of your own.

[jfrancho]

I'm not sure that a fast lens is necessary if you use a tripod. It may help with autofocus, though. I would be sure to carefully consider your settings, with special attention to depth of field. DOFMaster (http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html) will be a big help here, since you are essentially making landscape pictures, albeit, on a smaller scale and indoors. Anything you can do to make an interesting composition will help exceed your clients expectations. This site (http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Photography_lessons/a_about/_Teaching_composition.html) lays out some tried and tre guidelines for good composition techniques. His opinions are arguable, but the site is didactic, nonetheless. One last thing, instead of merely considering focal length, consider other characteristics of wide angle lenses. For instance, the venerable "kit lens" can produce some truly pleasing effects on focussed light output, when stopped down - sort of a six pointed star effect. It may payoff to have a few different lenses in the same range that produce different images. Make sure the client's expectations are mutually agreed upon, and see that you do your best to exceed them. Good luck, sounds like a cool assignment.