*Snaidero USA kitchen remodel ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2018*

Kitchen Remodel Photo Shoot For Snaidero USA In Agua Dulce, CA

August 31, 2018 in Kitchen Photography

I was recently hired to photograph a kitchen redone by Snaidero USA in Agua Dulce, CA. This kitchen underwent quite the transformation from what it used to look like:

The kitchen before the remodel (photo used with permission of Lucy Nixon Realty Inc) — The kitchen before the remodel *(photo used with permission of Lucy Nixon Realty Inc)*

The designer and I first discussed their goals for the photo shoot and then we both got to work right away. I walked around mapping out different compositions and figuring out which gear would be required...

*Behind the scenes of the kitchen photo shoot ©Ryan Carr - Legacy Listing Photography - 2018*

...while the designer staged the counter tops to add some life to the kitchen - details are important!

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After spending an embarrassingly long time fussing with the bar stools (those things are never fun to get the same height!), I was finally able to start taking photos. Some people would be surprised to see how much time and work goes into a photo shoot before a single picture is ever taken.

As usual, I utilized some supplemental lighting to control the look of the final images. The space already had great natural light, but it's helpful to be able to add my own kiss of light here and there to draw the eye if needed.

The place looked great and photographed even better. The client and I had good communication throughout the shoot and it was great being able to bounce different ideas off each other.

We both agreed that the glare/hot spot from the skylight had to go!

Overall, the photo shoot was fun, the client was delightful to work with, and the final images turned out great!

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

Home Remodel Photography In Hermosa Beach, CA

June 18, 2017

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.

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. :)

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

The Devil Is In The Details

June 18, 2017

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.

Final Delivered Image - Luxury Real Estate Northridge, CA

Luxury Real Estate Photography In Northridge, CA

July 27, 2016

This house was a dream to photograph! Not only was it five minutes from my place, but this house offered a lot of unique photographic opportunities. There were quite a few lighting challenges to overcome, but they were the rewarding kind.

At this shoot, I had a couple of furry helpers following me around. I thought I had managed to keep them out of the final images, but I did miss one...

I don't usually use umbrellas when photographing and lighting a room, but when I do it is almost always in the kitchen.

Here is a quick behind the scenes video of how I lit the previous kitchen shot:

I really liked how this one point perspective image of the kitchen turned out. I was able to leave most of the lights in place from the previous photo and just focus on the composition.

When I entered the master bedroom and adjoining rooms, it became even more apparent that a musician owned the place. I liked his style and he pulled off what I believed to be an impossible feat: making pink walls work!

This backyard was fantastic! What a great place to throw a party...not to mention what a fun backyard to photograph!

When I do luxury real estate and architecture photography, I normally have to travel much farther than my own neighborhood. What a great hidden gem in my own backyard. Getting the chance to do luxury real estate photography in Northridge, CA was a welcome reprieve...especially since I got to skip the 405 freeway!

The final delivered photograph of the kitchen - Real estate photography in Brentwood, CA — The final delivered photograph of the kitchen - Real estate photography in Brentwood, CA

Luxury Real Estate Photography In Brentwood, CA

April 29, 2016

Being a real estate photographer in Brentwood is great! This was an enormous house I photographed recently for Edward Tinney of Nourmand & Associates. This house was just off Sunset Blvd and despite the size, I actually managed to get through this property shoot pretty quickly. This was largely due to the fact that this place was a joy to photograph!