Sometimes the only photography choice is the pragmatic photography choice.

Working with Sue Cade we had hoped to photograph internal shots of lighting and the lighting company staff as well members of the RSPB team who had built this Canadian style log cabin on the edge of Woodbury Common. However this is Britain and it rains, and yes, sometimes when one is trying to do an external photograph of a building the weather plays foul. I suggested capturing the interiors and people shots as planned and offered to return when it stopped pouring, trying to arrange four people and weather is not far off lottery odds.

Twilight Photography

location PhotographyThe following day, a Saturday, started well with reasonably clear skies but as the afternoon progressed the foul weather moved back in. At such a point there is a fine line, clouds can be interesting but they can also make things wet.

My plan was to arrive as the light was falling, turn all of the cabin’s lights on and wait until the sky and the building found balance; simple as that really. Ideally I would have shot tethered but the skies were threatening so the Mac was safe in the car and the Nikons had their cagoule on just in case. The camera was tripod mounted on one of the Manfrottos and the exposure was triggered remotely. I had planned to do something awesomely interesting with lots of radio triggered speedlights but in the end all that was needed was a bit of added light to the front of the building; I fired a single speed light at the building a couple of times whilst the shutter was open. The job was after all to capture the cabin’s lovely lighting.

And then it rained, hugely. The gear was in the car, the shot was in the can as they say, and I was off to get wet in a swimming pool.