Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Twilight Photos

Twilight photos can be a great way to show off a building, especially if the purpose of the photo is for marketing.  The dramatic effects that can be achieved can really make a property stand out in print or on the Web.

The best time for these photos is shortly after sunset, and the best lighting may only last a few minutes. The best timing will vary with the weather, the time of year, the orientation of the property, the intensity and character of the building's built in lighting, the color of the building's exterior (especially how light or dark it is), the photographer's own concept for the photo, and perhaps the intended end usage of the photo.  

For architectural photography, which generally demands the highest quality, often only one photo will be created per twilight shooting session.  For real estate photography, which is generally less demanding, and where ultimate quality may be less important than cost and quantity, more photos may be needed to fill out a brochure or website.  In the latter case, one killer shot may be sacrificed for a number of pretty good shots. 

Twilight photography can also be effective for interiors, and sometimes good lighting for the interiors will occur earlier than that for an exterior shot, making it easier to obtain several excellent shots in the same shooting session, although this can require careful planning and execution, and perhaps an assistant to help move equipment quickly for the next shot.  The bigger the property, the more difficult this becomes.

Below are a couple of examples of twilight shots.