f e a t u r e d   p h o t o g r a p h

Residence - NW Washington, DC
DW Ricks Architects

 

 

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When the architect pulled out the site plan of this project I heaved a big sigh of relief – the front of the house was facing south. Even if tall trees and buildings were to be found lurking across the way, the front would still have an excellent chance of being painted by the low-tracking, fall sun. So, the biggest battle in making this photograph had already been won – its lighting.

Sunlight and building exteriors go hand in hand, at least when it comes to photographing them. I'll take a sunlit facade over one in shadow any day. Even northeast or northwest-facing facades, which may capture only a small amount of raking sunlight in the early morning or late afternoon, prove much easier to photograph than a north-facing, always-in-shadow, facade.

My musings about sunlight and facades soon faded when the architect turned to other drawings and told me more about his work, all of which had been done on the left and rear of the home. Only exterior shots of these areas would be needed as no new work was visible from the front. The rear would be the most important of the exterior shots, and it was facing due north – never to be touched by the sun.

Thoughts about sunlight quickly switched to thoughts of a partly cloudy day. I'd capture the north-facing rear as the sun was going behind a cloud. This would help to lessen the high contrast, backlit condition, and more exposure could be given, which the all-in-shadow rear would desperately need. But I knew this would yield only a small gain at best – skys would still be rendered blank white or nearly so, and a north-facing facade looks flat and lacks interest regardless of how appealing the design may be.

The morning on shooting day was fine – sunny, but with some clouds – just right for Plan B. The architect and I did a walk-through, made the final decision on what shots were needed, and then he was soon on his way. I came up with a shot plan based on the sun's position throughout the day. I'd start with the rear exteriors (sun never being a factor), move inside (sun helping the kitchen), and then move outside again for the shots of the left side (catching afternoon sun).

Now and again exteriors require as much prep and setup as interior shots – such was the case with the rear. Lots of leaves, outdoor furniture, a play area with a swing set being reflected in the large bay window – these things and a few others all had to be handled. The morning was nearly over when I had the scene squared away, albeit, still flat and dreary looking with the facade getting no help from the sun. I made a couple of dimly inspired exposures hoping that my considerable morning efforts would at least help out in some way. (Cursor-over the image to view this first capture.)

I was behind on my shooting schedule, but, with the rear of the house done, the interiors all went routinely. As I was setting up in the rear addition living area, featuring a large bay window, the idea of how to make a better shot of the exterior came to me – of course, take advantage of this sizable window and capture the rear at dusk when the interior could be lit to balance with the waning, outside, cool light.

With my enthusiasm rekindled I finished up in the living area, and was now back on schedule. The later afternoon sun was still painting the left side of the house, and those shots went smoothly. As I was finishing up the owner came out to see how things were going. He had to catch an early evening flight, but there would be enough time for the dusk shot, and the day's fine fall weather was still holding up.

Back inside, I set up lighting for the living area again, but quite differently from the interior-specific shot made earlier. After adding porch light, to better balance with the interior, it was only a short wait for dusk. Skylight changes quickly at dusk, and optimum shooting conditions fall into a very narrow window.

I made several exposures as dusk waxed along, and I was glad I had stayed to make this additional shot. I felt it would be much more complementary of the architect's work than the first hope-and-pray capture. As it turned out, the architect was pleased that I had stayed for this shot, too.

    Copyright © Bill Reeves

 

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