Photographing a home that has just been remodeled is always a lot of fun so I'm always happy to book these gigs. After finishing their work remodeling a home, companies will hire me to create photos of their work which they can then use to market their services to others.

This particular set was for a lovely home overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Hermosa Beach. The house was bright, cozy, and you could smell the ocean coming in from the balcony door.

Sadly. there was only a narrow window of time to shoot this one, so had to work swiftly. I had to hastily get my gear set up...

...and quickly move my camera around and take a few test shots until I landed on this composition:

While this shot was quite nice as is, it needed some help so that I could capture what it really felt like being there. I added several lights to sculpt the shadows better and allow the pretty blue sky to become visible.

The finishing touch was to crumple up some old newspaper in the fireplace to give me a few seconds of fire while I took the final shot:

Delivered photo of the living room ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

Is this the look of a satisfied photographer?  I'm not sure, but it's the only photo of me from the shoot — Is this the look of a satisfied photographer? I'm not sure, but it's the only photo of me from the shoot

I took three different photographs of the kitchen (easily my favorite room in this house, but I do love to cook!). I mainly used light to embrace the light pouring from the ocean-facing balcony and filled in the shadows on the side of the surfaces opposite the windows. The lights allowed me to control the color casts from the various light fixtures, but still allow their true color to be apparent.

To finish off these kitchen shots, I just needed to spend some time with Photoshop (and coffee!) to remove all of the unsightly mechanical elements like light switches, outlets, and vents.

Delivered photo of the kitchen ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

As I said earlier, I was short on time so I had to work fast to grab some key detail shots. These are very helpful for showcasing the choices my client made to deliver the best space possible.

Delivered photo of the dining room ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

Delivered photo of the stairway ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

Delivered photo of the bathroom faucet ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

Delivered photo of the kitchen faucet ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

Delivered photo of the master bathroom ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

Delivered photo of the guest bathroom ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

Delivered photo of the upstairs bathroom ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017

The shoot went amazingly despite the time constraints. The homeowner was thrilled with their new home and the remodeling company loved the new marketing photos of their work.

An added bonus from this shoot was that I got to hang out by the ocean in Hermosa Beach after the shoot was completed. :)

Wider shots are generally more time consuming to compose and - since you can see so much more of the space in a given composition - can be subsequently more demanding to get the supplemental lighting just right.

Photographing the detail shots is a much more fluid and artistic process...

Once the wider photographs are complete I move onto the detail shots. I attach a longer, prime lens and take my camera off of the tripod so that I can move around the space free and unrestricted.

*Delivered detail photo from a shoot in Sherman Oaks, CA ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017*

*Delivered detail photo from a shoot in West Hollywood, CA ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017*

It's fascinating to see how showing less sometimes tells even more of the story.

Sometimes the smaller details, like the light fixtures and faucets, get lost in the wide shots and since a lot of time and care is put into choosing them they really deserve their own separate photo to show them off.

*Delivered detail photo from a shoot in Pasadena, CA ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2017*

Although shooting this way may ultimately take less time to shoot than the wider, locked off shots they are no less important. Often these vignettes can lead to some of the strongest images in a set.

Home Remodel Photography In Hermosa Beach, CA

The Devil Is In The Details