Willow Construction

Small Home with Big Heart - Homewood AL Residential Photography /  by Tommy Daspit

Twilight Exterior of the front-  I actually came back a week later to get the exterior from the interior. One of our frequent late after noon thunderstorms struck and kept on striking for the several days that followed. Finally last Friday it looked like we would catch a break and I rushed out there. The light was absolutely perfect and I was able to get this just before ANOTHER thunderstorm hit that evening. Weather plays a big part in what I do and sometimes you just have to be ready to move quickly or be flexible.

My daughter did a little behind the scenes video of me loading all of my gear in the back of the car for this shoot. People are always amazed at how much is involved in putting a project together.

My oldest daughter, Aanae, is a great photographer in her own right. She wanted to assist me on this shoot. Little did she know, cleaning is a big part of residential interiors photography! I carry a cleaning kit with specialty cleaners for wood, st…

My oldest daughter, Aanae, is a great photographer in her own right. She wanted to assist me on this shoot. Little did she know, cleaning is a big part of residential interiors photography! I carry a cleaning kit with specialty cleaners for wood, stainless steel, acrylic, glass, stone, and flooring. It's much better to fix it in real life than to "fix it in Photoshop".

A lot more goes into the creation of an image than pointing a camera and pressing a button. When it comes to architectural and interiors photography color accuracy is especially critical. Architects, designers, and builders use my images to market their services but also as design consultation tools with clients. It's vitally important that the images accurately reflect the paint and material colors. I use a color reference chart with each scene to use in post production. I have a calibrated monitor, use colored gels on my lights to match ambient light color temperature, and have a calibration profile for each lens and camera combination I own. All of this combined helps me create images with the most accurate color possible. 

The final image is a composite of multiple shots. I use Gobos (the large blackout cloth on the background stand) to control reflections in glass. That way you can actually see the amazing tile in the shower instead a big white square from the window…

The final image is a composite of multiple shots. I use Gobos (the large blackout cloth on the background stand) to control reflections in glass. That way you can actually see the amazing tile in the shower instead a big white square from the window light. 

A house doesn’t have to be big to be a great home. This recent project I photographed for Willow Homes, Willow Design Studios, and Triton Stone Group in Homewood, epitomizes that idea. 

Like other projects from Willow, this three bed, two and a half bath house, fits in perfectly with its historic Homewood neighborhood. It blends a timeless style with modern functionality and quality. I especially love the look of the white painted brick with the rough exposed beams on the front porch. On the inside, the kitchen is just phenomenal. The exposed brick wall looks like it was taken from a hundred year old downtown loft. All the materials, combined with open shelves, and well designed layout, make for a kitchen that will always look great!

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Builder - Willow Homes
Interior Design - Willow Design Studios
Tile, Counters, and Plumbing Fixtures - Triton Stone Group

See more of my residential architectural and interiors photography portfolio.

Willow Homes Craftsman - Birmingham AL Architectural Photographer /  by Tommy Daspit

As with most of my images, this one is a blend of strobe and ambient light. I really liked the quality of light and shadow being created by those fantastic plantation shutters. My assistant Crys is actually outside with a large strobe on a light stand shooting light into the window. This allowed me to embellish the natural light and give it more contrast.

Another great house by Willow Homes and Willow Design but this one was a little bit of a departure for them. Until this home in Crestwood area of Birmingham, I’d never photographed a home of theirs outside of Homewood. It’s great to see them expanding beyond their niche market and into Birmingham, Mountain Brook, and beyond! Wherever it is, I’m always thrilled to work with Jason, Katherine, Allison, Lizzy, and the entire Willow team. Every project has great portfolio opportunities for me and I love seeing them grow as a company! This Craftsman inspired home was no exception. I loved every aspect of this project but I must say that the master bathroom and kitchen were some of my all time favorites. I am super jealous of the matte finished appliances. They just look amazing and are much easier to maintain than stainless steel. Then there’s the contrast of black and white for the master bath. I’ve never seen a tub like that and how it all came together with simplicity and class is so impressive!

Silde back and forth to see the straight out of camera image and final edited image

Each final image is a composite of multiple images. I blend ambient images with ones lit by my strobes. In this case I have a strobe outside the left window to add contrast to the natural light. There's another one behind the camera filling in the foreground. In Photoshop I remove anything that distracts from the finished design and balance the colors with a calibrated reference target.

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Willow Homes 702 Morris - Birmingham AL Commercial Photographer /  by Tommy Daspit

View more of his work on his homepage: http://tommmydaspit.com

Last week I had the privilege of photographing another Willow Homes project. Jason Hale and his team specialize in remodeling and new construction in the more historic parts of Birmingham. You will usually find their work in Mountain Brook and Homewood. The homes they build fit the style of those neighborhoods. They are new homes that don’t look out of place. It’s a rare talent to be able to do that and being from a town with many a historic home, I have a special appreciation for it.

This home is a perfect example of that. Right around the corner from the last project I photographed for them, this Craftsman style home fits the neighborhood perfectly. Inside you will find all the modern luxuries you would expect out of a new home, while still maintaining the feel of the exterior. The Willow homes style is easy to recognize, as is the quality work and attention to detail.
 

Timing on this one was pretty tight. The new owners were moving in the next day but there were some finishing touches that still needed to be completed. I worked around the finishing and cleaning crews to get the images you see here. I was a particularly challenging situation and it game me some unique opportunities to stretch my skills. For example, the dishwasher was having a custom panel made to make it look like a cabinet and not an appliance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite ready at the time of the shoot. So I made one in Photoshop! (I’ll be doing a behind the scenes blog post on this soon).

In the end I think it came together pretty well. I’m proud to show off theses images and I know Jason will be proud to show them to potential clients. He not only uses my images on his website, social media, and other marketing platforms, but also to help clients with their planning and designing process. If you are in the market for a home renovation or new construction, and you want someone who specializes in historic design, give Jason and his team a call!

See other projects I’ve shot for Willow Homes:

Sterrit Ave - Homewood, AL

Parade of Homes Project - Homewood, AL

Also, check out Frusterio Design, Inc who designed this house!

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Willow Homes - Birmingham, AL Architectural Photography /  by Tommy Daspit

I’ve gotten a little behind in blogging some of my recent projects. As some of you might know, my 18 month old daughter, Pippa, has been sick with high fevers for the past couple of weeks. This has put me a bit behind on everything but I’m working on getting back into the swing of things as best I can. I do want to thank everyone for all of the love and support we’ve been receiving lately! It’s been a tremendous help, I don’t know how we would have made it otherwise!

I’m really excited to show this project off. I’ve posted a few of the images in other places but this is the first time I’m putting them all together. Jason Hale of Willow Homes contacted me about photographing a couple of his recent projects. I’ve worked with him in the past and I’m always excited about working with him. Willow’s homes are beautiful and high quality. Their style is amazing and a true joy to photograph. 

The last home I photographed was a remodel of a 1950’s craftsman and was part of the Birmingham parade of homes. This one was a complete teardown and rebuild on a lot in Homewood. Jason wanted me to photograph the key point of this home as well as a couple of the kitchen and master bath for the home he did right next door. 

As soon as I drove up I knew this was going to be a good one. The design of the home, and the landscaping was just perfect. Going inside was even better! The homeowners were so very gracious in letting me take over the house. It takes time to craft images that truly showcase the builders vision and craftsmanship. It’s not something that can be done well in a couple of hours!

In addition to the standard daylight interior and exterior images, I was also able to create some pole arial shots and twilight exterior. For the pole arial images I use a modified painters pole that allows me to get the camera 16’ in the air for a higher perspective. I use a wifi connector to control and trigger the camera from below. This gives me the ability to get a high vantage point without having to sacrifice quality or run afoul of the FAA! The wifi system also allows me to trigger the camera remotely for the twilight images. I actually combined multiple photos to create the final images. I lit each room from the inside using a flash triggered by the same wifi remote system. Without it these images would be very difficult to pull off. This all takes time and skill to achieve a stunning look like no other!

Click on the thumbnails below to see the complete project. If you’re in the market for a remodel or whole home build I highly recommend Jason and the Willow Homes team! 

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See more of my Birmingham AL Architectural Photography portfolio.

Willow Homes - Birmingham AL Architectural Photography /  by Tommy Daspit

Last week I got the opportunity to photograph an amazing project for Willow Homes of Birmingham. Jason Hale, owner, hired me to create images a house in Homewood that his company had remodeled. 

For most of it’s life this was a two bedroom, post WWII, Craftsman style ranch home. From the “before” photos I’d seen, it’s better days seemed to be well in the past. That was until Jason went to work. The transformation is nothing less that stunning. Many people would have torn down the old home and started from scratch. Instead, the new owners have a home with all the modern touches with a history and a character like none other. This one of a kind creation fits the character of the historic neighborhood in a way that no completely new construction could. 

Some complete and so impressive was the remodeling of this house, it won a gold medal in the recent parade of homes. Seeing the before and after first hand I can say that I’m not surprised. Jason and his team at Willow Homes are obviously very skilled and talented. It was an honor to create these photos to showcase their work. 

I know that if I ever need remodeling work for my home, Jason will be the first I call! See more of their projects on their website.

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