Inside and Out

When England footballers leave their old teams, they often leave big holes in the pockets of the people who supply them with vast amounts of cash. The local Maserati dealership, lap-dancing clubs, casinos, Champagne merchants, waxing salons, and grape-peeling services all feel the burn as thousands of pounds of annual fees are withdrawn suddenly. Landlords are another of those who face the prospect of financial ruin caused by the transfer of a star player. I was asked to shoot the ex-home of a major player who had departed from the Black Cats for pastures new in the South. This gigantic gaff is part of a development inhabited solely by multi-millionaires – whose mere Range Rover fuel bills often come to ten times what I actually earn in a year. That, by the way, is NOT an exaggeration. This was a six-bed jobbie with the usual enormous kitchen, cinema room, various lounges and wings with cavernous bedrooms etc. All for the princely monthly rental of six grand a month. Your council tax …

After shooting this lovely house during two visits in the daytime, it was time to shoot the classic twilight image. Trouble is, it was 2 weeks after the summer solstice, and sunset wasn’t until just before 11pm. It’s getting harder to set off for work at 10 in the evening nowadays. The owners were having supper out, so I set up by myself – using my Nikon D800 and my old-school Manfrotto 055 tripod, which almost needs it’s own vehicle to get from A to B. It extends to about 8ft, which makes it ideal for using on big exterior shoots. 
As I’ve detailed in previous posts, here and here and here, twilight shots need some planning, then very quick execution due to the fact that the light only lasts for about 15 minutes before everything goes completely dark. The ideal time is about 30 minutes after sunset when there is a small amount of light coming from below the horizon which is just enough to provide a dark blue sky, and a base light on the building itself. All the interior lights are swi…