Architectural photography at night or in twilight

I love the look of architectural photography at night time or more specifically during twilight and as it is getting dark. It can create great marketing images, bringing out the “I want” in a person, “I want to live there”, “I want to stay there”, etc. It allows the photographer add light to create the look the client desires or that he / she is looking for. There is a magic time when the light inside and out is just nicely balanced.

However only sometimes is it as simple as clicking and the final image is produced. Often in Dublin as with the rest of Ireland the weather does not play ball. Sometimes the building is not completed. On occasion the lights do not work properly or the tree is covering the foreground with leaves.

Here is the rear of a very nice home in Dublin:

Architectural photograph. this is a single exposure of the rear of a house in Dublin at twilight.

Clearly this is not an image that makes you think “wow, I want”

So some light Light has to be added:

Light painted architectural exterior

It is still not just there. The eye is drawn to the scaffolding. The garden look untidy. While the inside does not look perfect. Now has to be fixed up in photoshop:

Architectural photo of the rear of a home in Dublin Ireland.

This is the modern version of light painting. In this case I control the camera remotely, and walk through the scene adding light to elements that I want highlighted. This is done over multiple exposures, for example one exposure may be for the tree having light added, the next exposure might be for the grass, and another photo may be for the exterior of the home. Here is a short video to show how it comes together.