Taking a photograph used to be about film, chemicals, and a dark room. These days it’s about megapixels, ISO sensitivity, and dynamic range. But what all photos have in common is light, and capturing the right amount of light in the right spot is one of the biggest differences between some dude with a camera and a great photographer.

Treehouse in Daylight

The daytime shot is simple enough. Just wait for the right time of day. Natural filtered light shows off the details in the rope, the wood, and even the grass. But one of the cool features of the treehouse is how it’s wired for electricity. To show how it glows in the dark we need to switch to night time.

Treehouse Before

Wired with electricity, this treehouse is easy to light from the inside, but you can’t see the lights in all their glory until the sun goes down. The trouble is that when the sun goes down, you can’t see much of the exterior.

Lighting Plan

Flood lights overhead lit up the left side and some of the leaves. The modeling lights with umbrellas lit the right tree and the ramp. Then, by carefully hanging a strobe light (SB-900) from the back roof and bouncing it off the side of the treehouse we can illuminate the rope bridge and the flag. Finally, a second strobe perched on the far window sill on 1/128 power brightens the yellow turbo slide and the far tree.

Treehouse After

Now we can see the depth of the structure, the texture in the wood, and the playfulness of the entire thing.

Any kids dream!