vray bathroom lighting advice

[sundialsvc4]

What you have now is a really good foundation to work from. The models are good, and the "foundation makeup" is evenly applied to the "face." Right now, nothing stands-out: it is entirely neutral. Perfect.

Walk into a real bathroom and "look at the light." Notice the color, direction and character of both the light and the shadows. Observe what your eye "keeps coming back to," and study why this is so. (In your final composition, where do you want the viewer's eye to "keep coming back to?")

Your model would naturally look better if the flooring were more distinct in color and texture. In the real world, an interior designer would probably choose a base color that's on the opposite side of the color-wheel, just for variety. Flooring tiles often have a slight texture so that people won't slip and fall when they step out of the shower. In fact, almost everything in a bathroom has a texture so that water-spots are less noticeable. Highly directional "key" lighting is often used. The tonal range of light areas to adjacent shadows is therefore often rather sharp. You'll see that in real bathrooms, e.g. at fancy hotels and conference centers. These will give you ideas.

It may sound a bit goofy, but look at as many Kohler ads as you can find. They've got a way to make a bathroom look sexy, and you can study the composition ... take it apart. That's one of the reasons why I subscribe to Vanity Fair magazine: the first forty or so pages are a photography lesson every month.

There is definitely something to be said that a good set-piece will not merely depict the scene, but will sell it. It will not simply be accurate, but will in some way be either unsettling or pleasing.

From your neutral starting-point, add spices sparingly, and salt even more so. Make one change at a time, and save each file-version. Keep careful and accurate notes. If you know how to do compositing, it will serve you well here.

As for your concern about "it will cut out too much of the light," remember that in any form of studio photography the practical lights, that is to say "the light-sources that are visible in the scene," are not really relied-upon to be the sources of illumination. Instead, they provide "a plausible explanation for" the lighting that is there. I would suggest, however, that anything which might be classified as "special effects" ought to be fairly late on your to-do list. It's easy to get distracted by such things, to not-much useful effect. (For one thing, you don't want the viewer to decide that "what's outside the window" is more interesting than the shower-stall. You don't even want him to be distracted by the curtains. Even though the window is a bright-spot, hence naturally drawing the eye, it's not the subject.)

[llihneb]

sundialsvc4,

Thanks for the fantastic reply. Your detailed and informative response has given me lots to consider. Not sure whether I'll have enough time to work out how to do everything (still learning the basics) - but I'll give it a shot

Cheers,
Ben

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