now this is a for real question, and i would appreciate the feedback of the serious photographers http://www.flickr.com/photos/giltwerks/2235186235/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/giltwerks/2235974996/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/giltwerks/2235974632/ i will go back there and take more photos of my work, what suggestions do you have to get some good images for my portfolio? i have some lights and umbrellas (photo set ups) with the blue tungsten lights in them... i didn't like the pics i got with them though... regular hi intensity lights?? i don't want to use the attached flash because i've already been advised not to use it by a few of my pro friends, but i cannot afford a proper adjustable flash right now, any tricks of the trade would be appreciated. (now is the time for antoni to appear, he is an architectural photographer, me i'm kind of a hack who's been corraled into this for many reasons) i did the finishes in those pictures, that is really my forte photography is what i do for enjoyment and art.

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I would love to see these with the tungsten lights turned on and no flash!

It's not the light that is the problem with these photos, it's the framing. You have sections in each one that aren't finished. For example, in the first you have the chandelier cut in 3/4 and the "tissue" has no corners. In the second, I would have focused more on one section of the bathroom rather than the cluttered finish you have allowed. In the third, the ceiling doesn't lead the eye anywhere. to be honest, I don't think these are very good. Look again and look into the corners of the viewfinder to see ALL aspects of the photo. Don't allow yourself to be surprised by things you did or didn't see

You know I'm not a pro, so take this with a grain of salt. If you are simply trying to show some particular features, only you will know whether you have done an adequate job. If you are trying to take some pictures that are suitable for Architecture Digest (whatever...), then you know you missed the mark. I agree with the comments about framing the subject. The subjects are not going anywhere and they are not getting impatient, so take all the time you need. You are already using a pretty wide lens, but on the Olympus 4/3 system, it's actually kind of hard to get a nice wide angle view without spending huge dollars on an ultra-wide lens. Your 14 mm is "only" an effective 28 mm, after all. Olympus has an 11-22 zoom ($675) and a 7-14 zoom ($1,595 - ouch!) to go with their 4/3 format. Capture the entire vault in the first chandelier picture. Center the other chandelier, framing it with the dark wood on the ceiling. (Chuck the rule of thirds!) For all of them, correct the barrel distortion in Photoshop. It's particularly a problem in the last two, but I assume it's there in the first one, also. It's just concealed by the fact that the ceiling has so many curves in it. As far as lighting, I can't comment. I'd be afraid that they would create some hot spots in such wide angle views, but see what the pro's say about that. I'll limit my constructive comments to what I actually understand. Just take your time with composition. If you will be doing more of this stuff, consider getting one of the wider lenses.

Sorry Cap'n, but these are terrible images for you portfolio and you don't need to know anything about architectural photography to get good ones to show off your work. These are more akin to detail shots. For the two with the chandeliers, lay on your back, or shoot straight up using a tripod. The subject is your finish work. Use the chandeliers as compositional elements however you like. Sam's suggestion of centering them would work well, I think. For the bathroom shot, get in close and include one of the accent panels/tiles, again as a compositional element. Lighting is going to be a problem since you want an even light. For the straight up shots, you can bounce off a sheet (or two) on the floor. The bathroom shot is more problematical. Using a longish lens and shooting from as far back as you can, you can bounce off the ceiling. Get up close and you get in the way of your lighting. For any of the 'environmental' shots, I would take a much closer shot of just your finish work to highlight the artistry and subtle details of what you do. Kinda like an artistic 'paint chip.' :) Those would be the shots that I would do because they are your basic product shots. I would extend the portfolio shots at some point to include before and after. These would be interior architectural shots and that is a whole ball game in and of itself. These kinds of shots are what I call Sizzle Shots after the old saying by Zig Ziggler that 'You don't sell the steak, you sell the sizzle!' You see these kinds of shots all the time for carpeting, flooring, etc. They show the overall effect of whatever is being sold on the environment and are shot in such a way that the environment doesn't become the subject. For those kinds of shots, I strongly recommend getting a pro who is familiar with advertising photography. Composition in these kinds of shots is more than following some sort of layout rule. To much of the environment and it's not a product oriented shot anymore, to little and it doesn't create the sizzle - the you work on the graphic elements of composition. Oh, you need to get the exposure right. Those images are underexposed. I can't remember if you are shooting digital or film. If your shooting digital, then corrections to color and exposure are fairly easy to make and the lights you have may be just fine, once you have the exposure down within +/- 3/4 stop. Shooting film, you will have to scan in the images to make your corrections and they may not be as good. The main thing is to get even lighting and avoid having different color temperature light sources. Take one image with a gray card in it and use that for color correction on the remaining images. I imagine color accuracy is an important factor. Oh, final thought. Remember that length of exposure compensates for lack of light. If your lights can only give you an 8 sec exposure, make an 8 sec exposure. Just don't move the camera and use the timer to make the exposure, not your finger. This is just stuff that I remember from my way, way back intern days, so I would expect better advice from someone more involved with this type of photography. Vance

Yeah I know I'm not a photog, but I can see problems in images. These are cold images, they need to be warmer (listen to perki on that one). You need dramatic warm directional light . You need dramatic framing.