Lesson Two- Magic Hour, Dawn and Dusk

Dawn and dusk are favorite times for architectural and interior photography. Rich blue skies not yet gone black or just emerging from the dark of night, balance beautifully with the lighting a photographer can create to illuminate the exterior of a building. An interior scene which includes an important window view is easier to balance in this light than when shooting against bright sunshine. Dawn and dusk create a strong mood and are frequently called Architectural Digest Lighting.

Moonrise at the Loch Lomond Marina made a perfect book cover for my "Hidden Treasures of San Francisco Bay." Moonlight and magic hour combined to make this image.

Carnelian room overlooking the City By the Bay. Our food on the table lit by a number of tungsten mini spots balances with dusk and the lights of the City. This image was one exposure on a 4x5 transparency, pre Photoshop. That's why they call ihis time of day "Magic Hour".

Designer Richard Cardello created this Pacific Heights masterpiece. We're looking north across the city, San Francisco Bay and the hills of Marin. Extensive tungsten photo lights compliment the chandelier and ceiling spots.

The before photo on the left was taken with "natural light." The one on the right was created to be shot at evenings dusk. I worked with my clients Randall Whitehead Lighting and Erickson Zebroski Design Group, both of San Francisco, to make the image. This great modern house that they designed and built made a 10 page spread in California Home and Design magazine.

Sedona Rouge hotel in Sedona, Arizona. This photo could have been held for the upcoming dramatic lighting section, but the canvas that allows us to paint in the lighting and give the mood is Dusk, or Magic Hour. Not daylight, not pitch dark, but just that wonderful 15 minutes on either side of the day. Love projecting shadows of the wine glasses onto the stucco wall.

This new Marin home by architect Fani Danadjieva Hansen. I dropped down the hill a bit to place the house against the dusk sky. Landscaping required some delicate directional lighting to make everything balance. Amazing views from the almost entirely glass walls. We'll see those later in one of the interior lesson sections.

The much photographed Mission in Santa Barbara, home of Brooks (photographic) Institute. I couldn't resist, however. Moon added later, but I think it belongs there.

A Lamborgini house, by Kathleen Buoymaster of La Jolla. Again here is this wonderful difference between inside and outside: both important, both lived in.

My client, the company Pacific Plaza Hotels, in Alameda CA. had 14 Best Westerns. We decided to go for the theatrical, dramatic, transformative look on all their properties. Occupancy is up! Which photo do you feel depicts a place you'd like to stay in? These photos are not taken, they are carefully crafted, using extensive photo lighting and the right time of day.

Yeah, now looking warm and inviting. Shelter for the night in a most intriguing property. Humbolt Inn, Best Western Plus, Eureka, CA.

Same story. Point of View, Great Lighting, and the correct time of day, show this property to its best advantage. Pacific Plaza Hotels, Best Western Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn, Oakhurst CA.

After presenting my CEU course for ASID at the Seattle Design Center, I got to explore downtown Seatlte. Again Magic Hour wins the day. Illumination is half from the sky, half from the lights of the city.

The Running Y Resort and golf course needed some new shots to perk up its presentation. This is dawn, about an hour before sunrise. The full moon setting over the ridge was an unexpected bonus

Dusk was the time to shoot for the Best Western Plus Hilltop Inn in Redding, CA. All their light sparkled and a handy flashlight added a hint of color to the purple flowers.

This could have been saved for the upcoming dramatic lighting section, but again, what we see out of the windows could only look like this at magic hour. The blues are a great compliment to the featured pink art piece and wood always looks its best under direct tungsten spots. By having the interior light come from a number of different directions we create pools of light, and a three dimensional look not achievable any other way. The city through the windows gives us a setting for this very interesting suite. St Regis, San Francisco, cover feature for Hospitality Design Magazine.