Baby Bird Productions asked me to shoot some basic store front properties for one of their clients, Federal Realty’s premiere properties at El Segundo Plaza. This means an early morning shoot to capture what looks nice in the morning light, then taking a break midday through the high sun, and then in the later hours shooting the buildings that look great in the evening light. The best part of the shoot was the fact that they wanted a dusk shot in the evening. I chose a composition featuring the restaurant Marmalade Cafe and the Mac store since it was in a good spot for late light to skim the front, and architecturally pleasing. First I prepared by selecting an angle well in advance, then I staked out my space in the parking lot and waited for the sky to turn a rich deep blue. From then on it was a matter or waiting and bracketing. I did ask a couple of shoppers walking out to their cars if they could drive in front of me so I could be sure to have some trail lights in the foreground. The few people I asked were happy to oblige. After shooting the dusk image, I ventured over to El Segundo Plaza's The Edge area for a night shot. All the light in the sky was gone by then so it was purely black. The area was well lit enough that I could still make a nice image with a long exposure. During the editing, I chose an image of the restaurant that had a balance of deep rich sky and night lights on the building. I composited some trail lights from another image in the foreground. A night time image from The Edge was a straight capture. Thankfully, it all worked out and Baby Bird Productions and Federal Realty were happy.
Above, Marmalade Cafe and Mac store. Below, El Segundo Plaza's The Edge district.