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Category: Indoor/Low-Light Photography

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Interior Photography - Simplified?


My husband and I have a company, designing and installing home theaters and entertainment systems. I'd like to take good "snapshots" of the rooms we do, for our Web site. I have a Sony DSC-F707 (fixed lens). To date, my photos turn out dark. I've been putting the camera on the tripod, hitting the self-timer, and hoping that the exposure would be long enough using ambient light - but it's not! In fact, it looks only slightly dark when reviewed through the lens, but when I get the images home, ugh! Do digital cameras experience reciprocity failure? Will some slaves be the answer? Do I need to use an incident meter and manually set my exposures? I try to get in and out of the houses quickly, to avoid annoying the client. I need to find a way to get good pictures, with minimal hassle. Thanks!


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August 03, 2007

 
- Gregory LaGrange

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  Simple interior photography is to use available light and use a flash to enhance or add a little to darker places if needed, instead of the flash being the light for the room. Camera meters can be fooled by uneven lighting and a very reflective object. So if you have manual, use a longer shutter speed - and the tripod.


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August 03, 2007

 

John H. Siskin
 
 
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This shot required 5 strobes to balance the light. 4 Norman 200B units and a Calumet Travelite.

John H. Siskin

 
 
Hi Valerie,
Interior photography is probably the most technically difficult specialty there is in photography, since interiors are so different and require such wildly different lighting techniques. First, I would explain to clients that pictures of your installations are critical to your business, and you simply must take the time to do them properly. Many of my clients make arrangements for me to come in after the installation is finished and spend hours creating photographs they will use to promote their businesses.
Your Sony will probably allow you to change the exposure with an exposure compensation dial, which will be easier to use than a meter. Also, reciprocity is not a big problem with long exposures, but noise can be. Long exposures on my camera, for example, are almost useless because of noise. The best way to approach this would be with several strobes, but I do not know the sync situation with your camera.
You might want to look at this article, which I did for Photo Techniques: http://www.siskinphoto.com/magazine2c.html. I do not know if it will help, but you might want to take a look.
Practice helps! John Siskin


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August 04, 2007

 
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