Whether you’re a photography and architecture enthusiast, or maybe a professional photographer looking to move into the architectural field, you may be wondering how to be the best possible architecture photographer. It’s not just point-and-shoot. There are so many different ways to take great architectural photos using lighting, angles, details and more. In this guide, we’ll discuss tips from professionals on how to get the ultimate architectural shot.
1. Change Lighting and Weather Conditions
For the most part, the architectural structures you are photographing will not move or change shape over a day. So, how do you make them look different or more exciting? Jack, an architectural photographer from https://chadchenierphotography.com suggests shooting over a long period throughout the day. He said, “By shooting all day, or for a few hours, you can achieve shots in different lighting and weather conditions, creating different looks.” Shooting over a long time means you will be able to catch your subject under low light, bright sunlight, cloud, rain, or darkness all over one day or few days, creating multiple moods and styles.
2. Find Your Angle
Anyone can point a camera at a building from a distance and take a photo. But, a client looking for a beautiful architectural photo for their website or press release probably wants something a little more than that. It is for this reason that a photographer that stands out is someone who can find more interesting angles on a building or structure. Think about it’s most significant features and make them the focus, or use perspective to help show it’s an impressive size. Shoot from directly below or directly above with a drone. All of these tricks will help you find a special angle and better photo.
3. Delve Into Detail
Like the angle, the details involved in the building can also help make your photographs stand out. For example, does the building have a certain segment that has some intricate details or a particular area that has some different colour? Find the details and make them the focus of the photographs, especially if those details are a part of the building that the architect or client particularly likes or is proud of.
4. Research and Revisit
It is worth doing plenty of research on the building, the client, and the brief before leaving for the shoot. Take notes and write down thoughts on what the building means to you and what the brief is asking for. What parts of the building are you wanting to focus on to try and complete the brief? What part of the building’s history is most crucial to its story? These questions may seem strange when asked about a building, but they are important. You must be treating the subject like a story piece, much like you would any human, animal, or another subject. It is also worth revisiting the shoot a few days or weeks later – time permitting – to look over it all again with fresh eyes. You never know what might strike you on a second or third glance through a viewfinder!
5. Having The Right Gear
It’s crucial, as with any kind of photography, to make sure you have decent equipment. You’ll need a good DSLR camera or similar, along with an array of lenses. As you can imagine, with architectural photography, your subjects could be all kinds of sizes and you may be shooting from many different distances. For this reason, you’ll need some decent length lenses with great zoom potential. You’ll also want some much tighter, more macro lenses for close-ups of detailed parts of the building. You may want flashes, tripods, camera bags and straps, too.
6. Editing Well
As well as having the best gear to take the photos, you’ll want to have some good editing software. Editing is as much a part of photography as shooting is these days, with most photographers being excellent with editing software. By now you’ve got your angles, your usual style, your great lenses. Combine all these into some great photos, then learn to edit them properly. A good edit can elevate your good photo into a truly beautiful one.
These 6 tips will help you become an architectural photography expert, or at the very least to improve your architectural photography game. Taking some time to research and examine your subject before shooting, make notes and discuss the brief will help. Then, using your unique angles, good camera, and great lenses will give you a great photo that stands out from the pack.