Commercial photography on location

When you’re undertaking commercial photography on location you have to plan for the light not being there.  The reason why I always carry lighting with me, even if I don’t use it, is that impossibly dark corners need to be brought to life or the direction of the natural light swapped around if it’s coming from the wrong place.

Some quick examples below. The first set of people pictures were on location for the University of Kent at Canterbury. Either the window light was so weak that the room was almost dark or it was coming from the wrong place. Why not turn on the room lights? This has the tendency to pump yellow or green tinged light, and from above which is not flattering. More often than not I create a new window or light source by placing a flash light out of shot.

The second set of interior pictures were for Shepherd Neame. Sometimes, depending on the time of day /year , window light can be very weak. It just doesn’t have the power or reach to bring a room to life or get into the shadows to lift them. Commonly I place light sources out of shot to create new directional light sources (to illuminate particular areas) and avoid simply flat lighting it by pumping too much in an even spread. Less is more, placed selectively.

If you would have a project that might involve some additional lighting or you’re finding it hard to photograph, so please get in touch.