At Clark + Aldine, our mission is to create purposeful and functional spaces where you can experience life in a space that truly feels like you. Because of our love for beautiful spaces and design, it’s extremely critical to capture and portray them through stunning photos and video.
Today, I’m taking you through a simple shot list routine that I go through each time I’m capturing one of our spaces.
PRE-SHOOT PREP
1. LIGHTING – Which day and time?
Time of day and lighting is extremely important and unique to each space. Most of the spaces I’ve captured have been solely with natural light. However, there ARE times where the windows are either lacking, very small, or covered from the outside and I’m forced to bring along lighting gear.
When I’m walking through a space with our Design Team, I always walk through the space with lighting in mind. I try to walk through a space at least two different times of day to know when the lighting will be best, keeping in mind “Which lighting will best show off this space and highlight the design + details?”
2. DETAILS – What are we going to capture?
In order for me to know what shots we need, it’s vital for me to meet ahead of time with our Design Team. I need to know exactly which spaces and elements to capture and how many photos are needed. Another important thing I need to know is how the photo/video will be used once it is edited and processed.
Ask yourself: “Which platform(s) will this be living on?”
After determining this, it’s much easier for me during our walk-through to visualize how I want to capture the final shot(s). These walk-throughs are much like what a dress rehearsal is to a play or performance.
3. TALENT – Who is needed on shoot day?
Determining who is needed on-site for a shoot ahead of time can prevent any headaches on the day of the shoot. If it’s possible for me to shoot solo, that is usually the most time-efficient approach. But more often there are times where a designer is needed on site to be in some of the shots for “Styling B-Roll” or detail shots where I want to show off how something in the space functions. We want to make sure we have more eyes on the subject to ensure the smallest details are considered.
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