Client: Brian Ceraban Architect, Ceraban Design Architecture + Ecology.
First time client, Brian sent me some scouting shots, a site plan and a floor plan to determine what was the best approach on a limited budget. The project was located on a 100 acres, just outside of the the town of Plymouth. The walls are 18″ thick made out of straw bail construction. My approach let’s do the money shots before the sun comes up on the inside and the outside, then move to capture other shots.
This was our first shot of the morning. We arrived 45 minutes prior to sunrise to set the stage. Pre sunrise is one of my favorite times to work. I tried to pick an angle that would show off the house and not show that the landscaping was not complete. In the finals we could certainly add grass in photoshop.
We immediately moved to the inside the capture the inside and outside without any harsh contrasting light. Let’s start with a long shot one point perspective and use the blue light out the windows to help set a colorful mood.
Let’s move closer, shoot quick because the light is changing fast.
They were ready for me when I showed up, cold brisk morning and the fire was already going in the fireplace.
Clean, simple remove the clutter and shoot before it get’s to bright outside. Let’s move outside to capture that early morning light.
Major clean up and problems we can to solve to get the right shots. All of these views required shooting from a sloping grade from a ladder which had to be leveled to be safe. We shot from three or four locations from the ladder which all gave us a different perspective.
Let’s move slightly to the right to capture more of the tall windows. Early morning light, we had to wait for the sun to move because a tree was casting a shadow on the far right wall.
Let’s capture a vertical view for a possible magazine cover.
Nice sky, great day to shoot, love a straight elevation. It would have been nice to have the flower bed in the foreground planted with some color.
Shot from the ladder, let’s burn down the rocks in the foreground, so the house looks better.
We had to wait for the sun to move to the south to light up the stone wall, patience wait for the light to be right, it makes all the difference.
I just like being able to shoot thru the trees to give the viewer a different perspective. It’s just feels natural to have the tree branches frame this view.
Let’s move slightly down the hill, place the trees in the right place and I think it’s a wrap.
Brain asked if I could shoot some photo’s of him with the house behind him. OK let me grab some supplemental lighting and see what we come up with. 
Let’s move to the other side of the house to try to get some back lighting.
Hat or no hat?
I like this view of Brian holding his hat. I have had a client one time say that architectural photographers can’t shoot people. I am very diversified in what I can do, no assignment to to difficult to tackle.
Here is a little view of what the straw bail looks like, pretty awesome. It would have been nice to have some little rope lighting on the inside so the straw would light up. Sometimes I just have to work with what I have and do my best.
Not a bad view to come home too.
Ed did a great job photographing my project within a tight budget. Ed is resourceful, thorough, and detail oriented which, as an Architect, I really appreciate. Ed typically scouts his projects and provides recommendations prior to the photo shoot. This helped us prepare for the photo shoot and anticipate any surprises. To keep costs down, Ed used photos and drawings that I provided him in lieu of visiting the site which worked pretty well. Ed came up with the idea of a dawn photo shoot in order to capture dusk-like
photos and avoid a full day of shooting which would have exceeded my budget. Ed demonstrated his experience and expertise throughout the photo shoot. I appreciated that he was able to accommodate my on-the-fly request to photograph me with the house in the background. He did not hesitate and pulled out the necessary equipment and took the time to provide me with some nice shots. He also did a nice job touching up the photos as required.
Working with Ed was easy and enjoyable. I would highly recommend him for
professional photography.
Brian Ceraban, Architect
Ed Asmus Photo Journal 