Absorption
LIGHT. CAMERA. PATIENCE.
It’s easy for us to get infatuated by gear. Gear is satisfying and its mere presence often brings a sense of accomplishment; it can be comforting, really. But it can also get in the way.
For several years now I’ve worked with an architecture and design firm in Montreal, shooting projects both here and in the US. These are multi-million dollar properties, some commercial but mostly private. The places we only get to see in magazines.
And what I consider the most important piece of equipment on these shoots might surprise a lot of folks: it’s time.
“TIME IS ON MY SIDE, YES IT IS.”
During a camera launch for the GFX system someone in the audience asked a question about existing GF lenses: the person felt their apertures were too slow and wanted to know if faster glass would eventually be added to the line. The reason? They needed this for real estate and interior design shoots.
I held my tongue. But I badly wanted to raise my hand and just whisper: tripod.
Our cameras are photon accumulators, and we have total control over the flow of this accumulation through our exposure triangle: shutter speed, aperture, ISO.
Shooting an interior space, where everything is still, where no movement enters the equation...this is the lap of luxury. The work becomes solely about composition, the proper camera settings and time. For me, it’s almost monk-like.
I usually bring one flash on these shoots: it used to be a speedlight, now I favour the Godox AD200. But I rarely use it and when I do, it’s either for effect or as an accent light. For example:
The bulk of the images, however, are shot by using a tripod and simply dialling in the amount of light needed for the proper mood to be conveyed. Technically, this means:
Lowest ISO possible.
Aperture-priority AE exposure (1).
EVF or LCD to preview that exposure (making sure PREVIEW EXP/WB IN MANUAL MODE is set to ON).
Self-Timer set at 2 sec.
For each image I frame the shot, set my aperture for depth-of-field and then simply dial exposure compensation up or down until it looks right. The self-timer avoids potential camera shake on longer exposures. I use the same setup for exteriors.
Review, rinse, repeat.
It becomes about absorbing a space: the goal is simply to identify the components and allow these to reveal themselves on their own. It’s very peaceful, everything hinging on pure observation. And with this method, every single lens I own can be put to work; in fact, my workhorse for years has been the XF 10-24mm f/4 and I’ll often whip out the XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 (2).
I will use faster lenses for handheld details shots: the XF 35mm f/1.4 remains a big favourite in my camera bag and it’s usually mounted on its own body, ready to go instantly. This way I can go around a room, shoot additional material without disrupting the main setup. In this case I’m typically back to aperture-priority and Auto ISO—making sure to keep an eye on those ISO values, so I don’t overdo it.
ADDITIONAL TIDBITS
This work is always shot in raw for maximum versatility in post. When faced with difficult exposure situations (very high contrast, mixed lighting etc) I’ll bracket as a security precaution. With the camera on a tripod, I’ll usually just do this manually without bothering to switch to an actual bracketing mode (3).
I love fast glass.
But Time really is the great equalizer.
………………………………
The dial’s +3/-3 range is usually enough. When it isn’t I just use the shutter dial instead (switching to full manual exposure in the process).
Now that’s slow.
C1 doesn’t have built-in HDR. I use Pixelmator Pro as my external editor.
