We shoot chrome and grey references in the same light as the plate. HDRI is a start, not a finish: we rebuild key and edge in the renderer until the contact shadows sit.
If the physical product cannot be there, we still light an empty stand so the CG object inherits the same wrap. The test is simple , if a producer can point to the render in the first second, we go back.
Materials are photographed, not guessed. Polarisation, roughness, and a measured white help more than a downloadable ‘studio HDRI’ from a different room.
Grade happens with the composite, not before. A plate graded in isolation will fight the CG no matter how good the look-dev was.
We deliver layered files when the contract asks, and flattened masters when it does not. Either way the public image is one picture.
Northfirst is a photo and video studio on Broughton Street, between the New Town and Leith Walk. We work for distilleries, textile mills, festivals, hotels and the agencies who represent them. The weather here changes fast, so we plan short sessions and wait for the gap in the cloud rather than fight the rain. We know the old rooms of the city well: panelled bars, libraries, stair halls. We light them gently with tungsten so they still look like themselves. Stills and film are made by one crew, so a festival programme, a bottle label and a short film share the same look.