Backlighting

[MontanaTrace]

I just took delivery of a Canon SX60. I'm learning about the in-camera HDR and would appreciate any tips or suggestions on where I can find info that will help me learn the best uses of this feature.

Additionally, I shoot real estate. My typical challenge: Owners want a well lit photo of their massive great room and the view they have through floor to ceiling windows. The ceilings are often 20' - 25' high. The views are as important to them as the giant log room and huge fireplace. Washed out views are no good.

 

[tirediron]

...Additionally, I shoot real estate. My typical challenge: Owners want a well lit photo of their massive great room and the view they have through floor to ceiling windows. The ceilings are often 20' - 25' high. The views are as important to them as the giant log room and huge fireplace. Washed out views are no good.

Isn't this interior photography day one stuff? Easy-peasy. Meter for the exterior and balance the interior exposure with flash. Sometimes lots of flash(es).

 

[MontanaTrace]

Thanks for your response. I do that. In Auto, not so good. Program much better. Still learning "A" and "S" on my SX60. Thanks for your response. Some rooms are much bigger than my flash. The lighting extremes are just that, extreme.

 

[tirediron]

Thanks for your response. I do that. In Auto, not so good. Program much better. Still learning "A" and "S" on my SX60. Thanks for your response. Some rooms are much bigger than my flash. The lighting extremes are just that, extreme.

This is the sort of work that's best done in manual mode, and for which a bridge camera is not best suited. It's not unusual to use six, eight or more lights "fill" a large, high-ceilinged room.

 

[MontanaTrace]

Thanks. Considering buying a couple to start with. Probably have to.

 

[Derrel]

I've found that getting a good sunny day indoor/outdoor exposure in the summer months involves something like f/16 at 1/125 second at ISO 100, and then in a big room plenty of flash power, like 400 Watt-seconds, or more. Depends on how bright the room needs to be rendered, and how big the room is. A buddy and I once shot a large winery, and "the room" was huuuuge. We ended up using 2,000 watt-seconds and four flash units on ISO 64 Ektachrome, and it looked pretty good. TODAY, you have a much better image with digital, even at ISO 200 or 250, so the need for flash power is less...but still...there is something to having a lot of flash power at your disposal. I'd buy a lot, and go cheap, old-school, meaning Speedotron Black Line, a good photo slave trigger, and the bridge camera.

You can dink around with four, five, six speedlights, and even hide a slaved speedlight or two inside of lamps as "fake desk lamps" and such, but if you really want to light up LARGE interiors...with 20 to 25 foot high walls and windows of equal heights...you might just as well buy high-powered tools. At least that's the way I look at it. This stuff is CHEAP on eBay. Today's market for studio flash has shifted to smaller, lower-power monolights designed for use on PEOPLE, which do not require much power, relatively speaking.

 

[raventepes]

In addition to what's already been said, you should also use the right metering mode. I like using (Nikon's) Matrix, as it meters for overall frame. I think Canon's equivalent is Evaluative. An option to use instead of extra lighting is simply to put your camera on a tripod and shoot in long exposures, which I actually prefer because it gives a more natural feel. Keep people out of the room and BEHIND the camera. Also, when you're setting up your shot, pay attention to your light meter. It's very crucial to how to expose your picture. I like to over-expose ever so slightly and adjust a little bit in post process. I'd also use as low an ISO as possible to keep digital noise down.

Just my opinion, but this kind of photography is part of my bread and butter.