Architectural photography at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) recently underwent a major face lift with the addition of a new parking structure with enclosed walkways to the terminal building and a beautiful new canopy that sweeps across the area between the parking structure and the terminal building, covering the entire pick-up and drop-off areas.
I was hired by the architects to photograph the project. There were a few interior photographs interior photographs on the shot list but the majority of the required images were exterior photographs exterior photographs.
The architect flew in from Texas for the shoot. We met him at the information desk at 10:00am and did a quick walk-through of the facility before beginning the photography.
We began the architectural photography architectural photography in the late morning with the sun shining through the canopy and striking the “Welcome Wall”. I did a variety of exterior photographs throughout the day, finishing the exterior photography well after sunset. At 11:00pm traffic had slowed so we did a couple of interior photographs of the nearly empty terminal building before the next plane arrived and the building filled with people. By midnight we were finished.
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Twilight photo shot 20 minutes after sunset
One of the first shots of the day. The sunlight through the canopy was very cyan.
I used six florescent fixtures with cool white tubes for fill.
Categories: exterior photography, Interior Photography, Architectural photography, Twilight photography
Tags: Gerald R. Ford International Airport architectural photography twilight photography
Great photos. Can you tell me more about the florescent fixtures you used in the last shot? Are you actually lugging a bunch of residential type 4' fixtures and a variety of tubes to a photo shoot, in addition to regular photographic lighting equipment? It sounds like a great solution for those type of spaces, but I wonder about the practicality of mounting them on stands, wiring them with cords and transporting all the fragile bulbs.
Thanks very much.
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I'll admit that it's not the most elegant or high tech lighting solution, but it's fast and works great! For this project I did bring a full compliment of flash equipment, a large package of color correction gels plus the florescent fixtures (with cool white tubes installed) and a box of warm white tubes. All I needed here was some color balanced fill and the cool white tubes matched the color of the ambient light. Often I find that one warm white tube and one cool white tube in each fixture provides a great color balance, but each space is different.
I use $10 shop lights from Home Depot that I've wired with 8 foot cords. I have a looped chain permanently attached to one end of the fixture and I hang the fixture vertically from a light stand. For the terminal interior the lights were elevated to about 10 feet. Since these tubes draw so little power we just run one main extension cord to a power source and then use light weight extension cords to plug in all of the fixtures. Once we are sure of the color, we're good to go. Just unplug or add a couple of more fixtures as needed. It's great for broad fill or to lighten up an area in the background. We've put them under desks in offices and behind columns in large spaces. They are actually very fast to set up.
They're certainly not the answer to every interior, but I find them a very helpful addition to my lighting arsenal. And I've never had a tube break in transit.
I will add that I always carry a Gossen Color Pro IIIF meter. This is a three color meter that works with flash and continuous light. It's not as critical a tool now as it was in the days of film, but I still use it for every interior project!
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Thanks for the quick reply. That sounds like a great solution, and I'm definitely going to give it a try. I've tried gelling hot lights or strobes to match florescent lighting, and have never been very successful. It always looks a bit different. I've also tried compact florescents in Smith-Victor reflectors, but they aren't very powerful. So four foot fixtures with two bulbs would definitely be better, but I'm still wondering about the practicality of lugging them around. Not to mentions finding a case big enough to fit the fixtures and bulbs.
Thanks again.
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These are great! I'm impressed with your ability to get these shots people free even though you say there were people and planes! The color and crispness is fantastic!
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Hello Curt, you have a great architectural & interior photography! I’m sure many people like the interior design of “Gerald R. Ford International Airport”. I really love the photo of you with “six florescent fixtures with cool white tubes for fill”. I will share your blog to my friends and fellow photographers too.
Thank you for sharing!
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It is really great to see your work and learn from your explanations and your answers to other comments. Have you designed a custom bag you carry all your lights in so they don't break?
Anna
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Hello Anna,
I prefer to use "off the shelf" cases because of the high cost for custom made cases and bags. A few years back I purchased 20 military surplus aerial camera cases. They were a little banged up but they're great for lights and power packs. They ship well on airlines and are close to indestructible. Thanks for reading! Curt Clayton
www.claytonstudio.com
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