I love Craftsman houses. The warmth of the natural materials, the intimate character of the spaces, the clean lines and solid workmanship…it all adds up to an elegant and inviting simplicity that I find irresistible. And the light! I don’t know why it is exactly, but Craftsman interiors tend to be bathed in the most beautiful light. Sunny day, overcast day…it really doesn’t matter. The quality of light inside a Craftsman just always feels right. (Maybe all those multi-paned windows have something to do with it?)
When I walked into this house, I had my usual Craftsman-induced reaction: ‘Ahhh, this is going to be fun!’ The fireplace, the built-ins, the extensive millwork were all there. And of course, the light. The key to this shot was going to be to not interfere too much with all of that lovely natural light. I still had to add some fill light in both the living room and the dining room, to bring up the shadows and brighten things up a touch. But for the most part, lighting this shot came down to letting the natural light speak for itself.
Funny thing about photographing a Craftsman: I usually end up feeling like the house did most of the work.