Getting the shot no mater what it takes.

Recently I was asked to shoot an outdoor architectural image on a day when I knew it would not be what they were asking for.

But I knew I could make it work by shooting multiple images and selectively merging them.

I started early in the morning 5:30 AM before sun up and worked with the engineers to find the correct lights to turn on and off for the correct base exposure.

First we will start with an image of the lights on the building and trees.

The next step is to add a layer mask to blend the correct exposure on the foreground foliage

Here is the mask.

 Here is what it looks like

.

The next step is to build a layer for the sky to show the sunrise as the client requested.

Here is the mask

 

Here is what it looks like

To finish it up we need to skew the image and
put the reflection of the sunrise in windows.
Make a few more adjustments as requested by the client.
 we're done!

I like the sky in the previous image but the client wanted this sky.
Always provide what the client wants!
You should show him some other options as well so he can make that educated decision.