NVC Lighting

Bradford Grammar School Lighting Project

Modern public restroom with colorful partitions; yellow dividers, blue walls, and red toilet seats in two stalls.

Outdoor pathway with a metal railing, stone wall, and an LED light. Trees and a tall metal fence are visible in the background.

Bright, organized classroom with wooden furniture, educational supplies, polka dot carpet, and leaf-themed ceiling decorations.

Single-story building with stone facade, large windows, and a covered porch; surrounded by lush green lawns and trees under a clear sky.

Outdoor wall-mounted LED floodlight illuminated against a stone wall with a tree in the background.

A modern office with white desks, chairs, computers, and hanging lights. Blue bean bag and large windows in the background.

Stone wall with a round wall light. In the foreground, a small artificial grassy hill with a brick tunnel.

Indoor sports hall with high ceiling, fluorescent lighting, basketball hoops, nets, and gym equipment arranged on the floor.

Clean restroom with beige stalls, white tiled walls, a window, and ceiling lights.

Historic stone building with numerous windows and a central clock tower, surrounded by a large manicured lawn and trees.

Bright and colorful classroom with wooden furniture, a play kitchen, hanging leaf decorations, large windows, and educational materials.

Large indoor sports hall with high ceiling, blue steel beams, multiple tables with black cases, basketball hoops, and netting.

Spacious indoor sports hall with a high ceiling, basketball hoops, and clearly marked court lines on the floor.

Modern office ceiling with recessed lighting, suspended pendant lamps, white tiles, and a partial living wall feature.

Public restroom with five urinals separated by partitions and two windows providing natural light.

A clean public restroom with a row of white sinks and faucets, two windows, and stalls visible in the background.

Round wall light fixture on a stone brick wall, with a lit pathway, likely in an outdoor setting.

Curved brick walkway with metal railings and round lights fixed to a stone wall, surrounded by lush trees under a clear sky.

Accessible restroom with grab bars, a sink with support rails, a toilet, and a blue and gray color scheme.

A clean, modern restroom with four sinks on a wooden countertop, wall-mounted soap dispensers, and white tiled walls.

NVC Lighting: Capturing the Impact of New LED Installations at Bradford Grammar School

Project Overview

Client: NVC Lighting
Location: Bradford Grammar School
Project Type: Product Photography, Architectural Photography, Drone Photography
Objective: To capture NVC Lighting’s new LED installations across various areas of the school, including a new infant section, gymnasium, offices, and toilet blocks.

NVC Lighting recently upgraded the lighting system at Bradford Grammar School, enhancing several areas with their innovative LED solutions. Our task was to document these installations in a visually engaging way, combining detailed close-ups, architectural wide shots, and dynamic drone footage to showcase the transformative impact of the lighting.

The Brief

NVC Lighting wanted a range of high-quality images and videos to highlight their lighting products in-situ, with a special focus on the aesthetic and functional improvements they brought to each space. The brief included capturing:

Exterior and interior shots of the newly lit buildings.
Dynamic drone footage to showcase the LED installations from a unique perspective.
Wide-angle and close-up images of the lighting fixtures.
Coverage of multiple areas within the school, from classrooms to gymnasiums, offices, and toilet blocks.

The aim was to provide a portfolio of images and videos that could be used for both promotional and technical purposes.

The Approach

Planning and Preparation

We met with the client on-site at 10am, and fortunately, the weather was perfect for the outdoor portion of the shoot. With clear skies, we immediately capitalised on the natural light, beginning with aerial drone shots of the school.

Equipment Used

To meet the diverse needs of the project, we used the following gear:

DJI Mini 3 Pro: Equipped with safety guards for indoor drone work.
Canon R5 with a 17mm tilt-shift lens: Ideal for capturing wide-angle, architectural images.
Canon 5D Mark IV with a 70-200mm f2.8 L lens: Perfect for close-up, detailed shots of the LED lighting products.

The Shoot

Aerial Drone Photography

The first step was capturing the exterior of the school using the DJI Mini 3 Pro drone. We flew within the safe boundaries of the school, obtaining stunning aerial shots of the new infant building from above. After securing these establishing shots, we moved in closer, flying the drone around the external lighting to get detailed footage of the LED fixtures in action.

We then moved indoors, where we flew the drone through the new classroom areas to capture the lighting in situ. To ensure safety while working in tight spaces, we attached guards to the drone, protecting both the equipment and surroundings.

Architectural Photography with Tilt-Shift Lens

After completing the drone shots, we switched to the Canon R5 with the 17mm tilt-shift lens. This allowed us to achieve beautifully wide, airy images of the interior spaces, including classrooms, hallways, and the toilet block. The tilt-shift lens helped eliminate distortion, making each space appear bright, expansive, and welcoming—key elements for the client’s promotional needs.

Detail Shots with Long Lens

For close-ups of the lighting products, we used the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L lens on the Canon 5D Mark IV. This allowed us to focus on the intricate details of the LED fixtures, capturing their design and functionality with precision. These shots highlighted how the lighting subtly enhanced the architecture without overwhelming it.

Gymnasium Photography and Drone Footage

Next, we moved into the gymnasium, where the vastness of the space required both wide-angle shots and close-ups. Using the wide lens, we were able to capture the scale of the gym while keeping the lighting as the focal point. For added effect, we opted for smaller apertures, creating star-shaped highlights around the lights, which the client preferred over the traditional blurred halos.

We also flew the drone up and down the gymnasium, capturing moving footage that showed off the new lighting from various heights and angles.

Office and Toilet Block Photography

In the newly refurbished toilet block, we focused solely on wide-angle shots using the tilt-shift lens, making the compact space appear larger and more inviting. Moving into the office, which was still being reorganised by the staff, we concentrated on photographing from high angles, focusing on the ceiling lighting rather than the cluttered floor. This allowed us to showcase the lighting’s practical application in a working environment.

Results

The final product included a comprehensive portfolio of images and video clips, delivered to the client in the following format:

41 close-up detail photos highlighting the LED lighting in each area.
22 drone photos showcasing the exterior and interior lighting installations.
52 video clips for their creative team to use in promotional materials, featuring dynamic footage of the buildings and surroundings.
Wide-angle architectural photos, all of which were colour-corrected to balance the cool, outdoor light with the warmer, indoor LED lighting.

Colour Correction Process

One key challenge was balancing the colour temperature between the outdoor light (which tends to be cooler due to sunlight) and the indoor LED lighting, which is warmer. Each image, particularly in the gym, classroom, office, and toilet block, was carefully colour corrected to remove blue tints and ensure the lighting appeared as natural and bright as possible.

Conclusion

This project for NVC Lighting was a fantastic opportunity to combine drone, architectural, and detailed product photography into one cohesive shoot. The final delivery provided the client with a versatile set of images and videos that they can use across various promotional channels, showcasing the functionality and aesthetic appeal of their LED lighting solutions.

From drone photography capturing stunning aerial views to carefully curated detail shots, the project perfectly highlighted the impact of NVC Lighting’s installations at Bradford Grammar School.