For the first two years we owned a pair of strobes and used them on almost every job. They are still in a box under the stairs. Somewhere along the way we noticed that the pictures people came back for were the ones where the light was just whatever the window was doing that morning.
So now we schedule around the weather. It makes planning harder and the work better.
On photographing kitchens
Kitchens are the hardest room and the most rewarding. Everything reflects, the ceiling is usually low, and the best light arrives at an inconvenient hour. Our rule is simple: shoot it when it is being used, and do not tidy it more than the owner would.
Small-batch product work
We photograph ceramics, textiles and food for makers who sell a few hundred pieces a year, not a few hundred thousand. Same care, smaller table.