EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: David Hume Kennerly
FEBRUARY 2010
TOOLS, TECHNIQUES & CREATIVITY
INTERIORS, EXTERIORS, LIGHTING & SETS
The Architectural Photographer’s Craft
© Jeffrey Jacobs, All Rights Reserved
We
Test
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Panasonic Lumix GF1
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A SOURCE INTERLINK MEDIA PUBLICATION
TECHNIQUES
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE:
PRO’S CHOICE:
Jack Neubart
Jack Neubart
Jeffrey Jacobs’s
Architectural Magic
approach with all optics. Where required,
he’ll add a polarizer.
or night, the thrust of his lighting
centers on tungsten and HMI
illumination. HMIs produce a powerful
blast of light, and they’re generally
Hot Lights And HMIs Take The Lead
relegated to placement outside a
Jacobs owns four Calumet
structure. He’ll use these lights to
monolights that he brings out only
simulate sunlight or even moonlight
when there are people in a shot or
streaming through a window (portable
when he needs to stop action. Day
generators may be needed outdoors).
Tungstens can be anything from Lowel
L-lights (which are easily hidden and
crew used a water hose to wet the
oftenJeffrey
usedJacobs’s
as kickers
or accent lights)
parking lot. It’s a trick automotive photographers
useGE
to pretty
a street
andcleanest
fill in empty space
fittedoften
with
bulbsup(“for
the
with reflections. Then it was a matter of adding
light”)
to
much
larger
fixtures,
such
numerous lights to the outside, on the ground, from
theSource
far edge Fours
of the building
all the To
wayhelp
to the near
as ETC
and Arris.
of that smokestack-like structure (which used
with edge
all
this
lighting
is
first
assistant
existing floods). Additional lights outside and inside
added as needed, including the entrance, for a
Tricewere
Patterson.
total of 80+ lights. The exposure was 10-12 seconds.
Jacobs
rarely uses a meter,
Client/architect: Bauer Askew Architecture.
preferring instead to depend on
experience. He will bracket exposures,
not so much to guarantee a usable
exposure but rather to create
components that he can use for a final
composite. He will, for example, shoot
an interior, tracking the changing
light of day and employ that light
to highlight needed features in that
interior. Once that’s done, he’ll lock
down the camera to ensure perfect
alignment, set up his lights, and make
additional exposures at night. Or he
may reverse the process and start at
night and work till dawn or sunrise.
And instead of using an automated
HDR (High Dynamic Range) merge,
he manually merges the individual
captures to bring out all the detail, at
times with the help of digital artist
Jeremy Paine. The result of all this
effort: a richly textured scene flavored
with every available nuance.
Jacobs leaves us with this
thought: “It does not matter how
lights you
it’s what
youstop
do there.
Butuse;
Jacobs
doesn’t
back till 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon.” many interior.
agic hour is a time
to have
a the sky
He willYou
alsodon’t
use have
twilight,
so that
Magic hour, those moments at dusk with them.
that I always strive
hundred
lights atotapestry
make a of
successful
becomes
cool and warm
when the sky loses its brilliance but
for and work around,”
photograph.
You havethe
to have
hues, enriching
scenegood
even further.
not its deep blue color, is a favorite
observes Memphis-based
And the
youstory
have gets
to beeven
ablemore
to interesting
time for architectural photographers. light. And
architectural photographer Jeffrey
understand
I know
I
when
you learnit.that
the “hero”
shot of
It provides ambient light that fills in see and
Jacobs (www.jeffreyjacobsphoto.com).
need athe
light
when I(or
feel
the need
to
structure
interior)
itself—the
key
shadows, thereby reducing contrast.
“I arrive at the location before sunset
information,
and Iselected—normally
use that
image
that is finally
And of equal importance, it provides a provide
(or before sunrise, as the situation
create past
or enhance
depth
andthe night
happens
midnight,
when
richly colored canvas on which to paint light to
warrants). After 10am, depending on
dimension
a scene.”
sky isinpitch
black.
a structure, as well as a cool-colored
the time of year, the usable light is
Jacobs begins shooting from the
backdrop outside a window for an
pretty much gone. And it doesn’t come
always shooting interiors with the Phase
One back tethered to a Mac laptop, I
use the computer to review focus at 100
percent. It usually takes no more than
two exposures to get it right.” Other
lenses in Jacobs’s employ are 47mm
and 72mm, and, when needed, he rents
a 24mm, applying the same focusing
W.O. Smith Community School of Music, Nashville, TN
36
© Jeffrey Jacobs, All Rights Reserved
To Request Information on RS# 75, See Page 6.
Working With The Magic Hour
“M
February
30 February
2010 SHUTTERBUG
2010 SHUTTERBUG
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE: Jack Neubart
Click here to view this article online.
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE: Jack Neubart
Janet Huckabee Arkansas Nature Center, Fort Smith, AR
Here the primary concern for Jeffrey Jacobs
was
bringing
out the texture
of the stone
always
shooting
interiors
with and
the Phase
putting the building in its proper context in
One
back
tethered
to
a
Mac
relation to its surroundings. Aside fromlaptop,
lighting I
the
exterior
interior ofto
thereview
building,focus
that at 100
use
the and
computer
meant lighting the trees in back, as well as
percent.
It
usually
takes
no
more
the shrubbery and other landscape features than
intwo
front.exposures
He arrived onto
siteget
at 4:30pm,
in time
it right.”
Other
to capture the sweeping colors and textures
lenses
in
Jacobs’s
employ
are
47mm
in the sky, and shot the building itself at 2:30
inand
the morning.
the more
thanneeded,
100 lightshe
on rents
72mm,Ofand,
when
this shot, only two were there to begin with.
a
24mm,
applying
the
same
focusing
Client/architect: Haizlip Studio.
32
February 2010 SHUTTERBUG
To Request Information on RS# 75, See Page 6.
Photographing this new church was another
all-nighter. After capturing the sky in late
afternoon and early evening, Jeffrey Jacobs
and crew set up lights and shot till 4:30 in the
morning. Then he waited till dawn to shoot an
exterior. They packed up and left by 9:30am.
While existing lights were left in place (and may
have been dimmed), numerous spaces would
have remained in shadow without the 100 lights
Jacobs added. In fact, he had to fashion some
lights from components he always carries with
him when he started running out.
Client/architect: Hnedak Bobo Group.
Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN
36
Photos © Jeffrey Jacobs, All Rights Reserved
moment he and his assistants arrive at
a location, capturing various nuances
in the sky. No, his skies are not always
deep blue or rainbow colored, but those
times of day routinely add a texture that
a shot needs. When a brighter sky is
called for, he won’t hesitate to use that.
And not every architectural assignment
requires that he add lights, but most do.
He’ll truck all his gear to a location—he
rarely flies these days, as driving to most
locations proves more economical. And
he seldom rents lights, since what he
February 2010 SHUTTERBUG
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE: Jack Neubart
TECHNIQUES
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE:
PRO’S CHOICE:
Jack Neubart
Jack Neubart
Jeffrey Jacobs’s
Architectural Magic
Reid Hospital, Richmond, IN
always shooting interiors with the Phase
One back tethered to a Mac laptop, I
use the computer to review focus at 100
percent. It usually takes no more than
two exposures to get it right.” Other
lenses in Jacobs’s employ are 47mm
and 72mm, and, when needed, he rents
a 24mm, applying the same focusing
approach with all optics. Where required,
he’ll add a polarizer.
Hot Lights And HMIs Take The Lead
Jacobs owns four Calumet
monolights that he brings out only
when there are people in a shot or
when he needs to stop action. Day
Minolta SR-T 101, but the school had
cameras
student use.
or night,4x5
theview
thrust
of hisfor
lighting
Over
the
years,
like
many
others,
centers on tungsten and HMI
he
made
the
transition
from
film to
illumination. HMIs produce a powerful
digital,
and
today
works
with
blast of light, and they’re generally a Cambo
Wide
DS with a Phase
relegated
to placement
outsideOne
a P 45 back.
As
an
adjunct,
he’ll
use
structure. He’ll use these lights atoCanon EOS
(usuallyorwith
tilt-shift lens),
simulate5D
sunlight
evena moonlight
“when
I
need
to
shoot
an interior
streaming through a window (portable
and
exterior
at
the
same
time” (which
generators may be needed outdoors).
camera
does
what
depends
on the
Tungstens can be anything from Lowel
situation
and
the
client’s
needs,
L-lights (which are easily hidden and
Jacobs’s
crew used
a water
hose to in
the
with
view
camera
always
oftenJeffrey
used
asthe
kickers
or
accent
lights)wetthe
parking lot. It’s a trick automotive photographers
forefront).
The
P
45
lets
him
shoot
useGE
to pretty
a street
andcleanest
fill in empty space
fittedoften
with
bulbsup(“for
the
withexposures
reflections. Then
it wasminutes,
a matter of not
lasting
light”)
to
much
larger
fixtures,
suchaddingjust
numerous lights to the outside, on the ground, from
seconds,
with
results
as
noise-free
theSource
far edge Fours
of the building
all the To
wayhelp
to the near
as ETC
and Arris.
edgeas
of those
that smokestack-like
structure
(whichof
used
exposed
for
a
fraction
a
with existing
all thisfloods).
lighting
is
first
assistant
Additional lights outside and inside
second
(thanks
to
the
camera’s
added as needed, including the entrance, for a
Tricewere
Patterson.
totalbuilt-in
of 80+ lights.
The
was 10-12 seconds.
frame
subtraction
Jacobs
rarelydark
uses
aexposure
meter,
Client/architect: Bauer Askew Architecture.
process).
With
these
nighttime
preferring instead to depend on
captures,
there’s
only
so much
experience.
He will
bracket
exposures,
light
you
can
throw
at
a building,
not so much to guarantee a usable
so
exposures
tend
to
be
exposure but rather to create long. The
camera,
components
thatbyhethe
canway,
use isforsupported
a final on
a
Gitzo
with
a
three-way
head, plus
composite. He will, for example, shoot
sandbags
for
a
secure
stance.
an interior, tracking the changing
W.O. Smith Community School of Music, Nashville, TN
Working With The Magic Hour
Velocity 9x
model 5769
36
© Jeffrey Jacobs, All Rights Reserved
To Request Information on RS# 75, See Page 6.
Carry Like a Backpack,
Access Like a Shoulder Bag
with Tamrac’s all new
Velocity Series
light of day and employ that light
Getting Around Camera And
to highlight needed
features
in that
Lens
Limitations
interior. Once that’s done, he’ll lock
With this
4x5 Cambo
field camera
down the camera
to ensure
perfect
system,
you
cannot
view
alignment, set up his lights, and and
makefocus
at
the
same
time.
“So
what
additional exposures at night. Or heI did was
establish
the hyperfocal
for
may reverse
the process
and startdistance
at
each
lens
that
I
use,”
Jacobs
points
Velocity 9x
night and work till dawn or sunrise.
model 5769
out, “and
I setanthat
distance on the
And instead
of using
automated
lens
in
advance.
Through
HDR (High Dynamic Range) merge,experience,
I’ve also
established
an f/12.5
he manually
merges
the individual
exposure
with,
for
example,
captures to bring out all the detail, my
at 35mm
lens.
That
roughly
covers
everything
Daylight played a key role in lighting this atrium, providing an uplifting sense of this environment. Jeffrey
times with the help of digital artist
Jacobs set the camera up at 4 in the afternoon and started capturing the sun’s highlights in the kites, the
from 6 feet to infinity. I don’t see this
dappled light, light on the trees and canopy outside, as well as separate exposures of the sky—continuously Jeremy Paine. The result of all this
approach
as aflavored
limitation. In
as the changing daylight highlighted various features. Then at night, they turned off all the existing lights
effort: afocusing
richly textured
scene
and lit the wood, brick, and furniture—essentially anything that needed light—as a separate capture.
fact,
I’d
say
not
having
with every available nuance. to focus each
Client/architect: HDR Architecture.
µshot
Request
F2.8 EX
Circular
Fisheyeme
HSM.
is a4.5mm
benefit.
ItDC
has
allowed
Jacobs
leaves
us with this
to
make
photographs
where
focusing
architecture. His interest in capturing thought: “It does not matter how
needs—and more importantly, in the
would__________________________________
have
been
impractical
lights
it’s what
youstop
do there.
Butuse;
Jacobs
doesn’t
back
till designs
2:30 or began
3 in the
building
as afternoon.”
a photographymany interior.
numbers he requires—is
beyond
what
agic hour is a time
Name you
to
impossible.”
with
them.
You
don’t
have
to
have
a the sky
He
will
also
use
twilight,
so
that
Magic
hour,
those
moments
at
dusk
student
at
the
Art
Institute
of
Atlanta.
is Velocity
available
at
any
rental
house,
even
that
I
always
strive
6x model 5766
Velocity 7x model 5767
Velocity 8x model 5768
Velocity 10x model 5770
Company ________________________________
The aonly
times
hecool
has and
to adjust
hundred
lights
to
make
a
successful
becomes
tapestry
of
warm
when
the
sky
loses
its
brilliance
but
He
was
given
an
assignment
to
create
a
in majorAvailable
cities such
as
New
York
or
Los
forin and
work
around,”
five sizes for every photographer from enthusiast to professional.
Address
________________________________
this enriching
stratagem
is when
shooting
You havethe
to
have
hues,
scenegood
even further.
not
its deep
is aup
favorite
portfolio.
Oneblue
day,color,
he’d set
his view photograph.
Angeles. In fact,
there are
certain lights
observes
Memphis-based
interiors
involving
tight
City
_________________
State
______Zip
____
For
a freehimself
80 pageif
color
1-800-662-0717
light. And
And
youstory
have
to beeven
able
tospaces,
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gets
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time
for
architectural
camera
looking
out at photographers.
Colony Square
that he will fashion
needcatalog,
be. call toll-free:
architectural
photographer
Jeffrey
“where
I
need
more
depth
for
understand
I know
I of field
when
you learnit.that
the “hero”
shot of
It
ambient
fills
in see and
in provides
Downtown
Atlantalight
just that
as the
right
As long (www.jeffreyjacobsphoto.com).
as he has the bulbs and fixtures,
Jacobs
added
foreground.
In
that
case,
I’ll
light
when
I(or
feel
the need
to
structure
interior)
itself—the
shadows,
reducingthe
contrast.
light was thereby
hitting it—and
scene cameneed athe
clamps
Gaffer’s
tape,
he’s
set.sunset
“I
arriveand
at the
theVelocity
location
before
See
Series
VIDEO
SIGMA
CORPORATION
OF
AMERICAkey
®
use
a
tape
measure
to
calculate
the
provide
information,
and
I
use
that
image
that
is
finally
selected—normally
And
of
equal
importance,
it
provides
a
alive
for
him.
From
that
moment,
he
was
(or before
sunrise,
as
the
situation
and over 170 other products at
15 Fleetwood
Court, Ronkonkoma,
NY
11779
focusing
distance,
and
then
I’ll
rack
His Camera
Geardepending
Of Choiceon
create past
or enhance
depth
andthe night
happens
midnight,
when
richly
canvas
which
to paint
hookedcolored
and he’d
foundonhis
calling
as an light to
warrants).
After 10am,
www.tamrac.com
PHOTO, LUGGAGE & COMPUTER CASES
the
focus
back
a
little
bit.
Since I’m
Visit
us
on
the
web
at
www.sigma-photo.com
dimension
in
a
scene.”
sky
is
pitch
black.
a
structure,
as
well
as
a
cool-colored
architectural
photographer.
theJacobs
time ofhas
year,
the
usable
light
is
been a photographer for
To Request Information on RS #55, See Page 6.
Jacobs begins shooting from the
backdrop
outside
window
for an
His own
cameraa at
the time
was a
pretty
much
it doesn’t
28 years,
overgone.
20 ofAnd
those
focused come
on
Tamrac’s photo sling packs
combine the comfort of a
backpack with the fast access
of a shoulder bag. Quick-Flip
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for super fast access to photo gear.
The front pockets feature Tamrac’s
patented Memory & Battery Management System™
that identifies available memory cards
and batteries.
“M
34
February
30 February
2010 SHUTTERBUG
2010 SHUTTERBUG
February 2010 SHUTTERBUG
SHUTTERBUG February 2010
33
Click here to view this article online.
always shooting interiors with the Phase
One back tethered to a Mac laptop, I
use the computer to review focus at 100
percent. It usually takes no more than
two exposures to get it right.” Other
lenses in Jacobs’s employ are 47mm
and 72mm, and, when needed, he rents
a 24mm, applying the same focusing
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE: Jack Neubart
approach with all optics. Where required,
he’ll add a polarizer.
Hot Lights And HMIs Take The Lead
Jacobs owns four Calumet
monolights that he brings out only
when there are people in a shot or
when he needs to stop action. Day
From page 6.
On The Cover
This month, we’re exploring the craft of architectural photography , as
indicated by our striking cover image taken by Jeffrey Jacobs of the Janet
Huckabee Arkansas Nature Center. To see more of Jacob’s stunning images, see
page 30...
To Request Information on RS# 75, See Page 6.
This article reproduced
with the permission of
Shutterbug Magazine.
36
shutterbug.com
February 2010 SHUTTERBUG
or night,
thrust interiors
of his lighting
always the
shooting
with the Phase
centers
on tungsten
One back
tetheredand
to aHMI
Mac laptop, I
illumination.
HMIs produce
a powerful
use the computer
to review
focus at 100
blast
of light,
and they’re
percent.
It usually
takesgenerally
no more than
relegated
to placement
a Other
two exposures
to getoutside
it right.”
structure.
He’ll
use these
lights
lenses in
Jacobs’s
employ
areto47mm
simulate
sunlight
orwhen
even needed,
moonlight
and 72mm,
and,
he rents
streaming
a window
(portable
a 24mm,through
applying
the same
focusing
generators may be needed outdoors).
Tungstens can be anything from Lowel
L-lights (which are easily hidden and
often used as kickers or accent lights)
fitted with GE bulbs (“for the cleanest
light”) to much larger fixtures, such
as ETC Source Fours and Arris. To help
with all this lighting is first assistant
Trice Patterson.
Jacobs rarely uses a meter,
preferring instead to depend on
experience. He will bracket exposures,
not so much to guarantee a usable
exposure but rather to create
components that he can use for a final
composite. He will, for example, shoot
an interior, tracking the changing
light of day and employ that light
to highlight needed features in that
interior. Once that’s done, he’ll lock
down the camera to ensure perfect
alignment, set up his lights, and make
additional exposures at night. Or he
may reverse the process and start at
night and work till dawn or sunrise.
And instead of using an automated
HDR (High Dynamic Range) merge,
he manually merges the individual
captures to bring out all the detail, at
times with the help of digital artist
Jeremy Paine. The result of all this
effort: a richly textured scene flavored
with every available nuance.
Jacobs leaves us with this
thought: “It does not matter how
many lights you use; it’s what you do
with them. You don’t have to have a
hundred lights to make a successful
photograph. You have to have good
light. And you have to be able to
see and understand it. I know I
need a light when I feel the need to
provide information, and I use that
light to create or enhance depth and
dimension in a scene.”
To Request Information on RS# 75, See Page 6.
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE: Jack Neubart
36
February 2010 SHUTTERBUG