Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I just landed a job shooting a newly constructed Harley Dealership and creating a flushmount album for a trade show exhibit. This is beyond what I have done, but hey thats never stopped me before. I'll be using a 5D, and renting a 24mm TS lens to do all the showroom, service room, and outdoor building shots. I have plenty of supplemental lighting if needed.
I am looking for advice from those who do architectural or real estate photography on things that I should consider. Thank you in advance.
First off. Congrats on landing the job. That is very cool!
Secondly. If you have never used a 24mm TS lens before, get it before hand and practice a lot with it! They can be very challenging at first when trying to understand/use the tilt/shift movements.
Thirdly. Visit the dealership before the shoot. Take some 'study' pics with your camera and a suitable lens in the range in which you wish to shoot.
Fourthly(a). I think you might find the 24mm a little long. The place is no doubt going to be packed with bikes, gear and stuff in the way. You might try taking a wider angle lens if you hve it. Favorite lenses amongst arch photogs are the 16-35 II and 14 II. Although, your using a full frame camera which will definitely help.
Fourthly(b). Maybe go for a high shooting angle looking down towards the shop floor. This might serve to get the bikes out of the way in your foreground, and also you'll be able to show off the size of the showroom and all the stuff they carry.
Fifthly. You have some off camera lighting? It might be a big challenge with all the chrome and shiny stuff in there but no doubt that some areas will definitely be darker than others. Store lighting is never good.
Sixly: Make sure you balance the shot for the ligthing (ie...tungsten), etc. even if your shooting RAW. It's always best to get it right during the shoot. Will save you time/guessing later on in a RAW editor.
Seventhly: Bring a ladder and an assistant to move said ladder for you if you can afford it.
X2 on the lens choice. I initially didn't think I'd use my Sigma 12-24 on my 5D, but I love it for interiors. (Not all, but it's there when ya need it!) Just watch what you include in the edges of your photos! It really stretches things towards the edges.
Also, pick up some previous Harley print material so you know what kinds of "looks" they are looking for.
Thanks Nowhere Man and FSJ Guy. I was planning on getting the TS a couple days ahead of the shoot to practice. The reason I was leaning towards the TS instead of the 16-35 or 10-24 is because of keystoning and hoping to not have to correct in PS work after the fact I am not sure if there is a wider TS? Good advice on the high angle and ladder, for outdoors I am having the const company bring in a lift. On the WB, I recently began using the digital gray card, makes batch processing pretty simple in capture one, as long as you shoot one frame in each light situation. I have two novatron packs, two quantum setups, and 1/2 dozen light guns...so this should be fun...
1 - Pay careful attention to your light sources to keep them balanced... daylight coming in the front glass plus strong tungsten lighting the rear of the store - never a recipe for a clean photo unless you really like masking and gradients in photoshop.
2 - If at all possible, shoot tethered to a laptop for reviewing on a larger screen. If a laptop isn't possible, one very cool thing I've seen is using a small 7"-9" portable DVD player instead - hooks right up to the 5D or any other dslr with standard AV cables. It's extremely difficult to catch small out of place shadows, reflections, errant electrical cords, etc on your 2.5"
You might want to take a 17-40 or 16-35 with you as well for the tighter spots that the 24 won't fit in. And remember to shoot square and not higher than ISO 100.
Shooting tethered is a must if this is your first time. Your cameras histogram won't tell the whole story shooting interiors. Have fun! Don't forget to shoot the details, along with the big picture.
