Studio Livingston » Styling

Photography: Lighting Interior Photographs

David — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:31:51 +0000

A photograph holds a composition and captures light. Throughout the years, the lighting style in my photographs has been soft, natural and light handed. Whether working with digital cameras or film cameras, the need is the same: to reduce the contrast between the highlights and shadows. I like the analogy of what we can see versus what a cat can see. A cat sees in the brightest of day and the darkest of night whereas we need sunglasses at day and a flashlight at night.

For the camera, the photo print or the monitor, we need to compress the light range of shadows and highlights to a narrower range. Compressing this light range can be done by filling in the shadows or controlling the highlights. Lighting for photographs needs to first address this compression.

The second part of lighting is capturing the fall of light into a space, making the photo inviting. Working with the sun, I watch how the light plays in a room and I seek to be shooting when a natural glow is present. I often still need to bring my own lights to fill in the shadows and maintain a “natural” lighting feeling.

The third part of lighting is defining form and keeping color rendition true.

Here are examples of photographs that have a natural, available light quality yet all needed some of the two hundred pounds of equipment that I bring to my photo shoots.

Photo Styling: Real Simple

David — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:17:38 +0000

Following the lead of magazines like Real Simple and Dwell, here are examples showing a minimum use of styling elements. Florals are non traditional and not floral at all. Items are tidy and not placed askew. Quiet restraint, with a touch of the natural, rules the day.

Photo Styling: A Harmonious Palette

David — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:58:27 +0000

Styling interiors is much like finishing a puzzle, putting in the last piece to create a whole. Here are some examples of styling elements that blend in, add life, give texture and feel natural.

For me the elements of scale, color and texture need to come together supporting the balance and harmony of the space.

Art Direction: Ironies Furniture

David — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:55:15 +0000

Ironies is a California based luxury furniture manufacture always at the design forefront. Here they show off not only great furnishings but also a clean modern take on styling.

The principals of Ironies and I took a great monochromatic assemblage of forms and textures and used a lighting and photography style to create a soft mood.

Photo Styling: Sub-Zero

David — Fri, 04 May 2007 19:28:29 +0000

Photographing a home to feel inviting and natural in a fresh style is truly an art form. Recently I shot a project for Sub-Zero, who wanted an editorial look for their magazine.

Here from Sub-Zero are styling guidelines that are right on the money and a great help in prepping for a photo shoot.

Photography should look warm, lived in, fresh, approachable, natural, and inviting. It should not convey a contrived, dramatic, or perfect image. Propping should follow the same approach.

Overall Objectives:

Less is more. The composition can be simple and still luxurious.

The purpose of all our photography is to:
Inspire readers
Make the room feel inviting
Convey informationReveal how the kitchen functions
Explain the layout
Show the relationship of kitchen to adjoining areas

Props should:
Look realistic
Be logical
Reflect a level of accessible good taste
Use only natural flowers, and in moderation
Bigger is better and less is more is our desired look

Props should not:
Be moved from one shot to another
Use lighted candles in day shots
Be too messy, crowded, busy, hectic or overwhelming
Combine incompatible objects (e.g. onions and bananas)
Be cliché, such as the dish towel draped on edge of counter

Details should:
Show something not easily seen or not clear in an overall shot
Use scale effectively
Guide the eye to important features

Antonio Martins San Francisco Pad

David — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 19:04:24 +0000

Leaving a great career with Hyatt Hotels International Properties, Antonio Martins is now a rising star in the Bay Area design scene. We spent about five hours creating these vignettes to tell the story of a young SF bachelor and his pad.

Antonio has years of experience directing and styling photos for Hyatt. During our shoot he had at the ready a wide range of flowers, art and props to make these photos come to life.