Many clients are surprised to hear that I prefer it not to be sunny when I’m shooting interiors. But the stronger the sun, the stronger the shadows, making it very difficult to achieve a balanced, well lit and consistent image. While the human eye is quite capable of dealing with extremes of light and shade, cameras are not yet so advanced. So, give me grey skies every time, for beautiful soft lighting. If the sun insists on shining, I can usually work around it by shooting the rooms on the opposite side of the house, and waiting for the sun to move round a bit.
Exteriors are quite another matter however. Blue skies and bright sunshine enrich and enhance architectural details, with strong shadow providing dramatic effect. Of course, many of my shoots involve both interior and exterior shots, which can make things complicated. The chances of having optimum conditions for both, are rare.
At least this year I’ve been fortunate enough to have lots of sunshine just when I’ve needed it. The two case studies featured below, are very different architecturally, but both benefitted from almost cloudless skies.
New-build house in Clapham (1 in a row of 3) by Squire & Partners
Street Elevation
Garden Elevation
Victorian stucco fronted villa in St. Johns Wood, refurbished by Studio Indigo.
In addition, here is a selection of other recently shot exteriors, of various styles and eras.
Mansion block in Knightsbridge
Mayfair block on Mount Street
1920s semi in Chiswick
Georgian house in Bristol
Edwardian Terraced House, South London
Cotswold Manor House
A Notting Hill terrace
Neo-Baroque, Knightsbridge
Georgian terraced house in Marylebone, shot at dusk.
