Lights On, Lights Off: How Lighting Crafts A Story
Lighting Sets The Mood
When capturing property content, every detail matters. From staging the property, sourcing the right soundtrack, down to the lighting and mood setting. When it comes to capturing content, one of the questions we get asked most is whether to have the lights on or off.
How It Makes A Difference
When it comes to having the lights on or off, there are a few things to consider. Time of day is important. Understanding how the weather and external lighting will affect the shadows and contrast of the property features is critical to getting the perfect shots. Time of day is always considered, along with surrounding features and buildings that may affect lighting.
‘Lights On’ in property means using the property’s internal lighting (think lighting fixtures) rather than relying on the natural light coming into the property. Internal lighting helps to illuminate the space, giving it a warm and inviting feel.
‘Lights Off’ prioritises the natural lighting the property has, which results in a natural tone to photos/videos, and can be a great way to increase how spacious and open a property feels, along with highlighting how much natural light the property gets.
The Lights On Approach
Lights On can add a warm and ambient feel to photography and videography, whilst highlighting certain features of the property. Think of showcasing feature wallpaper or extenuating the luxury inclusions in a kitchen. This option can be a great approach for dusk shoots, where it creates a lantern effect and adds character and charm to content, selling a warm and inviting lifestyle as opposed to just showcasing the property.
When using artificial lighting, we can create different colour temperatures, further amplifying certain moods and tones within the property, creating more drama and effect.
The Lights Off Approach
Lights Off allows us to show off the natural light that the property gets, creating a more authentic and raw feel. Without competing light sources, Lights Off allows the property features to shine, giving photos and video a more architectural feel. Lights Off can create a timeless and elegant feel to a property.
Lights Off can create a more balanced effect, reducing any potential glare in windows and resulting in a more cohesive look and feel.
How To Select
So when is it ideal to use Lights On vs Lights Off?
In residential real estate, Lights On is perfect for storytelling, where the agent or creative agency wants to create an emotional pull to the property and wants the audience to feel something. Lights Off is a great option when the home has been designed with large architectural features, has large windows or is a more minimal style of home. This allows features to speak for themselves.
In commercial real estate, we would use Lights On at dusk to showcase the vibrancy and activity of an area or property. Lights Off would be used for internal daytime shots to give the space a more architectural and expansive feel, especially in large office spaces or properties where there is an abundance of natural light.
For property videography, we often get asked to shoot both during the day and at dusk, allowing us to showcase both natural lighting and artificial lighting. This can help sell more of a lifestyle and overall feeling for the property, allowing potential buyers to see the property at all hours of the day and how lighting affects the space, both indoors and out.
Your Creative Content Team
Next time you’re planning a shoot, think about how you want your property to feel, rather than just how it looks to potential buyers. The right lighting doesn’t just highlight the space or sell a property; it creates a feeling, an experience.
If you’re unsure of the best option, chat to our team. We are experienced in crafting narratives for residential and commercial properties through captivating videography and photography.
