Bedroom no flash
Bedroom with Flash
There are many situations when a photographer needs to convey interior AND exterior details in the same image. Since exposure values are so different between inside and outside, it is impossible to show detail in both areas in one shot. You have to choose whether to blow out the windows entirely to show the interior, or underexpose the scene to look through a window. There are ways to get usable images out of those two options, but nothing beats achieving the desired results in a single image. The way to do that is to add light to the interior to match the brightness outside. It is a great skill to develop, but be patient. There are infinite variations in lighting, window issues, time of year, etc.. A method that works in one circumstance may not work in a dozen others, and sometimes you get a perfect balance without any effort at all. It is a fantastic challenge. That being said, a few basic technical tips will get you started. We will be using a single strobe to achieve these results (adding more strobes will make better shots, but it’s not always practical to spend 3 hours shooting a 2000 sqft house).
The location of the space in relation to the sun is going to have a lot to do with how you approach a scene. I will address the most difficult situation: A room in a regular house (not a mansion) with only north side windows, dark walls, dark floors, and mixed lighting (incand and indirect sun).
Shadows are hard to kill in this type of room, you will have to learn how to work with them. The approach is to apply only enough light to add highlights to the surfaces that will accept it. This type of room is dark and shadowy, the perfect photo will convey the darker vibe without the scene drowning in shadow. I happen to like a shadowy house (the photo is of my office), so don’t be afraid to let a space speak for itself.
Here is the rig: Nikon D300, Sigma 12-24mm, SB-800 on a short tripod tethered at the hot shoe with one of those springy cords.
The pics:
Cameras matrix metering no flash
The exposure setting selected by the camera at f4.5 is 1/125(ISO400). This allows us to see through the windows, but the detail inside is non existent, and the right side of the photo is almost entirely dark. The first thing I did was to add the SB-800 set at the automatic setting (iTTL).
Flash added - SB800 with automatic settings.
This image has the same exposure settings, but an SB800 set to full automatic mode has been added. Very little detail has been added. Still an unusable photo. In order to provide the light needed, we will bypass the automatic settings used by the camera and add the amount of light needed manually.
Flash added - manual mode at 1/4th power
This image has the same exposure settings with an SB800 set to Manual mode. The amount of light applied is 1/4 of a full blast. More detail have been added to the image, but it is harsh and there are still deep shadows on the right side of the photo. By reducing the output of the flash unit, we will be able to balance the scene a little more, then finish the balancing in Photoshop.
Flash added - manual mode at 1/8th power
This image was made with the flash at 1/8th power. While the over all image is dark, it has better balance and can be edited to be just right. The key is to get a balanced exposure while on site, then trust your editing skills to bring it home.
Edited image
This image has been edited, and is the one I would use to best represent the space. There are a couple of things left to do on this image, removing the reflection from the computer monitor as well as removing the shadows cast behind it will enhance the shot.
The differences between the initial shot and the final image are dramatic. You can see that by just adding a little light to the scene, we are able to add depth and color to a very challenging scene. Here are the images together:
Initial exposure
Final image
To enhance the image further, consider putting a second SB800 on the floor on the right side of the image (around the corner). This will add a very attractive sidelight, and soften any shadows created by the main flash unit.
It’s all about trial and error from this point forward, try to balance every room in your house at different times of day, also different times of the year. Eventually, you will be able to solve almost any situation.
