The interior photography of the new Black Box Studio at the Detroit Art School was abit of a challenge. To get the true feel of a black box studio I would have preferred to light the stage with a few spot lights and then let the light fallaway, leaving the rest of the room in complete darkness; just a stage sittingin a black void.

However, this photograph was done for the architects and it was important to them that the entire space and all of the details and features be visible. Producing photographs that are not only esthetically pleasing but also show all of the details that are important to the designers is one of the biggest challenges faced by architectural photographers and interior photographers.

Our lighting consisted of several tungsten spot lights (fresnel and open faced) at heights of 12 to 15 feet. All light were placed at camera left. A black space like this really sucks up the light, so our exposures were much longer than we would use for a more typical interior space.

When you compare the photo of the new Black Box Studio with the black box studio at the old school, it’s easy to see why the students love their new school.