Architectural photos at the wrong time of day.

[Art Meripol]

I have several architects and commercial designers I work with documenting their projects. Often they schedule a shoot at the worst time for exterior photographs. The schedule is usually around the needs of the people inhabiting the facility. So I'm often going back pre-dawn or dusk for the exterior shots. But sometimes I can't make that work and have to make the light I'm give work instead. This was shot this week with the facade of the new medical building facing away from the sun which was coming over the top of the building. Thank goodness for a file with a lot of dynamic range and for today's excellent RAW editing software. Thoughts and critiques welcome.

 

[Brian Moore]

You've done such a nice job of post-processing on this, Art, that it looks almost like an artist's rendering. I can imagine the shadows you had to deal with. What post-processing software do you use?

 

[Art Meripol]

You've done such a nice job of post-processing on this, Art, that it looks almost like an artist's rendering. I can imagine the shadows you had to deal with. What post-processing software do you use?

Thank you Brian. I'm a long-time Adobe user and as much as I have enjoyed Capture One (always use their mobile app for tethering on location) and some others I have tried I still find that Lightroom Classic and PS fit me well. Generative AI remove in PS is such a help in removing powerlines and bolted down trash cans etc. I do use some plug-ins like Topaz and On1. When I do an edit like this I generally try to edit as soon as I get home while it's still fresh. But I don't deliver to the client until I have another day to review with fresh eyes and make sure I didn't go overboard.

 

[Brian Moore]

But I don't deliver to the client until I have another day to review with fresh eyes and make sure I didn't go overboard.

Very wise!

That Generative AI tool is very helpful indeed. I just used it half an hour ago to remove some tree leaves protruding into the top right corner of a frame in a picture of a tall building I'm going to post later, and I used it yesterday to remove some barely perceptible power lines that I hadn't originally noticed in the top right of my picture of Eastern Washington.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

Definitely to me the photo looks like a 3D render. It is not a criticism, I simply would never have said it was a photo.

EDIT: I showed the photo to my son who is a 3D professional and asked him, "Do you think this is a photo or a 3D render?" and he stared at it 5-10 seconds and said, "It's a photo, heavily photoshopped."

Of course, as long as you and your customers are satisfied, @Art Meripol, everything is OK.

 

[Art Meripol]

Definitely to me the photo looks like a 3D render. It is not a criticism, I simply would never have said it was a photo.

EDIT: I showed the photo to my son who is a 3D professional and asked him, "Do you think this is a photo or a 3D render?" and he stared at it 5-10 seconds and said, "It's a photo, heavily photoshopped."

Of course, as long as you and your customers are satisfied, @Art Meripol, everything is OK.

I see what you're saying. It's definitely a 'worked' file. But too the building is brand spanking new. The concrete, curbs, grass, asphalt ... everything is brand new. Grounds crew was there washing and blowing off everything before I shot ( what a luxury!) so it's very very clean. And I did eliminate some things like a pickup truck and some yard tools I could not move. I replaced some holes in the grass. All these edits are typical for a shoot like this. Looking back at it I do think it's lost some character that deeper shadows and a brighter sky would give it. But the builders want to see every detail in materials. I do like to give them a somewhat 'romanticized' version when possible. This one it wasn't. It was already approaching 100 degrees by the time I shot mid-morning. There wasn't much in the way of romance. That is what I love about shooting dawn/dusk. So much more beauty.

 

[Brian Moore]

I see what you're saying. It's definitely a 'worked' file. But too the building is brand spanking new. The concrete, curbs, grass, asphalt ... everything is brand new. Grounds crew was there washing and blowing off everything before I shot ( what a luxury!) so it's very very clean. And I did eliminate some things like a pickup truck and some yard tools I could not move. I replaced some holes in the grass. All these edits are typical for a shoot like this. Looking back at it I do think it's lost some character that deeper shadows and a brighter sky would give it. But the builders want to see every detail in materials. I do like to give them a somewhat 'romanticized' version when possible. This one it wasn't. It was already approaching 100 degrees by the time I shot mid-morning. There wasn't much in the way of romance. That is what I love about shooting dawn/dusk. So much more beauty.

I'd love to see the original image, Art, if you're willing to share it as a compare/contrast type of thing. On the other hand, I understand if that's something you don't like to do.

 

[Art Meripol]

I'd love to see the original image, Art, if you're willing to share it as a compare/contrast type of thing. On the other hand, I understand if that's something you don't like to do.

sure! I am happy to share. Sometimes it is almost fun to compare and spot the differences both large and small. You will see the pickup on left I took out and even the landscaper. with the leaf blower on the right

 

[Gianluca Drago]

I see what you're saying. It's definitely a 'worked' file. But too the building is brand spanking new. The concrete, curbs, grass, asphalt ... everything is brand new. Grounds crew was there washing and blowing off everything before I shot ( what a luxury!) so it's very very clean. And I did eliminate some things like a pickup truck and some yard tools I could not move. I replaced some holes in the grass. All these edits are typical for a shoot like this. Looking back at it I do think it's lost some character that deeper shadows and a brighter sky would give it. But the builders want to see every detail in materials. I do like to give them a somewhat 'romanticized' version when possible. This one it wasn't. It was already approaching 100 degrees by the time I shot mid-morning. There wasn't much in the way of romance. That is what I love about shooting dawn/dusk. So much more beauty.

I'm glad you didn't resent my comment, although mine was not meant to be a criticism I'm sure some people would have been offended. Thank you.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

sure! I am happy to share. Sometimes it is almost fun to compare and spot the differences both large and small. You will see the pickup on left I took out and even the landscaper. with the leaf blower on the right

You definitely did a great job. And, yes, the building itself looks like a 3D render

 

[Art Meripol]

I'm glad you didn't resent my comment, although mine was not meant to be a criticism I'm sure some people would have been offended. Thank you.

Nothing to resent. Believe me. I've been critiqued by so many editors and art directors. Some of them were excellent at critiquing the work while others seemed to make it personal. I'm grateful to the former ones. I'm not thin skinned and I definitely know there is so much to know. I'm always grateful for another's perspective. It's hard to get but oh so helpful.

 

[Tony Warren]

I used to do all my serious architectural work in the darkroom and I am quite blown away with what digital has made possible. This is a perfect example. The end result will have delighted your client greatly. It brings out the design features and gives the building real presence. Definitely one for the brochure. My only comment is that the verticals may have been slightly over-corrected. The right hand wall looks to be leaning out just a little.

 

[Brian Moore]

sure! I am happy to share. Sometimes it is almost fun to compare and spot the differences both large and small. You will see the pickup on left I took out and even the landscaper. with the leaf blower on the right

Thanks for posting the original, Art. The contrasts between before and after make the post more meaningful,...at least for me.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

I used to do all my serious architectural work in the darkroom and I am quite blown away with what digital has made possible. This is a perfect example. The end result will have delighted your client greatly. It brings out the design features and gives the building real presence. Definitely one for the brochure. My only comment is that the verticals may have been slightly over-corrected. The right hand wall looks to be leaning out just a little.

This is a common problem with automatically corrected verticals (I think Brian knows it, I remember a modernist church shot by him), but in my opinion it cannot be avoided unless the scene is shot from a distance from the beginning.

 

[Brian Moore]

The right hand wall looks to be leaning out just a little.

You may be correct, Tony, but I'm not sure I see it.

 

[Art Meripol]

I used to do all my serious architectural work in the darkroom and I am quite blown away with what digital has made possible. This is a perfect example. The end result will have delighted your client greatly. It brings out the design features and gives the building real presence. Definitely one for the brochure. My only comment is that the verticals may have been slightly over-corrected. The right hand wall looks to be leaning out just a little.

Maybe so Tony. It's as close as I could get it using guided transform in Lightroom. I often think they should be more exact but no matter how careful I am I often feel a shot isn't quite exact.

 

[Art Meripol]

This is a common problem with automatically corrected verticals (I think Brian knows it, I remember a modernist church shot by him), but in my opinion it cannot be avoided unless the scene is shot from a distance from the beginning.

I use guided transform in LRClassic and really work to get them as close as possible. Sometimes I think exact isn't achievable.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

I use guided transform in LRClassic and really work to get them as close as possible. Sometimes I think exact isn't achievable.

I apologize my comment was unnecessary, you know much more about the subject than I do, I mean it. Time to go to bed, Gianluca.