How to take architecture photos

10 Tips To Perfect Your Architectural Photography

Written by Ariana Zilliacus
February 06, 2017

Our modern day, image-obsessed culture has got us consuming a large quantity of architecture through photographs, as opposed to physical, spatial experiences. The advantages of architectural photography are great; it allows people to obtain a visual understanding of buildings they may never get the opportunity to visit in their lifetime, creating a valuable resource that allows us to expand our architectural vocabulary. However, one must stay critical towards the disadvantages of photography when it comes to architecture. Jeremy Till, author of “Architecture Depends,” summarizes this in his chapter “Out Of Time”: “The photograph allows us to forget what has come before (the pain of extended labor to achieve the delivery of the fully formed building) and what is to come after (the affront of time as dirt, users, change, and weather move in). It freezes time or, rather, freezes out time. Architectural photography ‘lifts the building out of time, out of breath,’ and in this provides solace for architects who can dream for a moment that architecture is a stable power existing over and above the tides of time.”

The following tips aim to not only improve the visual strength of your architectural photography, but also the stories that they can tell—going beyond the individual images in order to communicate buildings’ relationships with their contexts, space and time.

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1. Shoot in a variety of weather conditions and times of day

People often tend to seek the most dramatic lighting to shoot architectural wonders, such as sunset hours when shadows are long and colors bright. Although this often results in very atmospheric images, it only really encapsulates the building’s atmosphere at one specific point in time. Shooting a series of images during different times of the day, or even in various weather conditions, can help to paint a fuller story of the building’s relationship with its environment.

2. Prioritize good lighting

Regardless of when you are shooting photographs, good lighting should always be a priority. Great architectural lighting helps to emphasize a space, a specific structure or atmosphere, and thus plays a big role in shaping one’s understanding of what is important in that specific architectural project.

3. Look for a unique angle

Playing with perspective is not only an entertaining thing to do, it can also be very rewarding. Taking time to find a different angle from which to photograph can expose an overlooked form or abstraction of a building’s detail that may give rise to another level of beauty and appreciation for its form.

4. Don’t be afraid to include people (architecture doesn’t exist without them)

Till includes a humorous excerpt in his chapter “Out Of Time” where the picture editor of "The Everyday and Architecture" refuses to accept a cover image with a person in it, but is satisfied when that person is replaced with a bicycle instead. Historically, there has been a trend not to include people in architectural photography, as if we somehow contaminate the pure, designed beauty. Fortunately, a number of high-profile architectural photographers are beginning to buck this trend. Architecture doesn’t and wouldn't exist without us—don’t shy away from recording our presence.

5. Explore details as much as the whole

Although shooting with a wide-angle lens is usually the smartest thing to do when it comes to architectural photography, buildings contain hundreds of intricate little details that are lost when an entire facade or room is shot in one frame. Exploring details up close could reveal something new about the building’s history or construction, for example.

6. Try not to objectify the building

Imagine the shock of visiting a building you’ve only seen photographed from that one, good angle. Objectifying a building to the point where one only visualizes it from one point of view is one of the greatest disservices of architectural photography. Once again, Till summarizes it perfectly: "It is not so much the overstated urban myth that architects design buildings with a view to specific photographs of them, but more that photography becomes the primary point of reference for architecture." Making an effort to record the complete spatial context of the building is not easy, but not impossible either.

7. Use post-processing tools

Processing images has become quite a standard part of photography, allowing you to tweak your images to perfectly match that atmosphere you want to capture. While images should only be altered with a clear understanding of what kind of changes are acceptable, software such as Photoshop and Lightroom are easy to use with a wide variety of advanced functions such as lens correction. If you’re looking for an easy way to create a panoramic photography using a series of images, try Hugin.

8. Invest in appropriate photography equipment

If you’re serious about getting started with high-quality architectural photography, investing in the right equipment is going to reap big rewards. A wide angle lens is most commonly used for photographing buildings and interior spaces and including a tripod will open up possibilities to shoot in low-light conditions, among other things. Using a polarizing filter can also help to add contrast and make your images more vivid. If you’re looking for something on the next level, a drone with a quality camera installed could be an exciting way to go.

9. Revisit the site multiple times

Returning to the same place again and again will reveal new layers to the architecture that can be used to communicate the development, or perhaps the degeneration, of a building over time. Seeing a perfect photograph of a newly constructed building is of course beautiful and fascinating, but why not follow the architecture beyond that perfect first shot? Perhaps the real interesting aspects of the building are only exposed over time.

10. Research the building beforehand

Reading up on the history and context of an architectural site before visiting is an indispensable resource that will, without a doubt, help you to focus your photography on a relevant story or idea that captures the essence of the building.

Our article on 9 Architectural Photography Tutorials to Help You Get the Right Shot is another great resource for improving your architectural photography, including advice for specific types of shots. Practice, explore and most of all, enjoy!

Cite: Ariana Zilliacus. "10 Tips To Perfect Your Architectural Photography " 06 Feb 2017. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/804685/10-tips-to-perfect-your-architectural-photography&gt ISSN 0719-8884

How to Photograph Architecture: The Complete Guide

Architecture photography has a long history. In fact, the world’s oldest surviving photo, View from the Window at Le Gras, is an example of architectural photography—and it was taken in the 1820s!

The medium has remained popular for all these years, and that’s no surprise when you consider the significance of architecture. Buildings do much more than provide us with shelter. They are also works of art and long-lasting cultural symbols.

Building photography may have first taken off as a way to document buildings, but along the way, it has evolved into its own diverse art form. This guide will teach you about the basics of and give you some architecture photography tips so that you can put together an outstanding online architecture portfolio.

There are many photographers who capture stunning architecture photography. Some of them do it as a purely artistic pursuit, while others make a career of it by shooting for clients such as architecture firms, advertising firms, and magazines.

But no matter if you are planning on pursuing a career in the field or just looking to expand your portfolio with some architecture photography, a good place to start is making sure you have the right equipment.

Instead, just look for a decent DSLR or another interchangeable-lens camera. DSLRs with full frame sensors have long been the standard for architecture photography as they can provide high-quality images and strong perspective control.

Tilt-shift lenses are a popular type of architecture photography lens. These lenses allow you to adjust the angle of the lens independently of the camera. This is especially useful for avoiding the perspective distortion that causes vertical lines to seem to converge when you’re shooting a tall building.

Tilt-shift lenses can also be used to create a miniaturization effect which can add some extra oomph to your architecture photography portfolio.

Wide angle lenses are also useful for structure photography. They can be a big help when you’re trying to fit a huge structure into the frame. They do have a downside: very wide angled lenses cause more distortion around the edges (which makes a building’s straight lines look curved). However, you’ll also have more space to play with when it comes to cropping, and the distortion can easily be fixed in editing software.

For more details on choosing the right equipment, check out our upcoming guide to architecture photography gear!

Often, architecture photographers focus on shooting things like government buildings, museums, and historic landmarks. These types of structures are usually able to offer interesting or impressive architecture. For some inspiration, check out these examples of architecture photography from around the world.

Also, old building photography makes for captivating images. That includes well-maintained historic sites that offer examples of classic architecture, as well as run-down or abandoned buildings that show their age in different ways.

To help you find good locations for building photography near you, there is a variety of mobile apps and web-based tools that make it easy. One good example is Shot Hot Spot. This website uses geo-tagging information from sites like Flickr to figure out popular photo locations. Once you enter your town or city, you can filter the results to show only architecture photography hot spots, and it can help you find an interesting building or structure you may have missed.

Once you choose a building or structure to shoot, you should spend some time to get to know it. Start by simply walking around the outside of the building and exploring the inside (if possible). Also, consider doing some research on the building and its history. Learn about how it was built and how it’s been used.

All of this information can give direction to your architecture photos and help you decide what kind of style you want to achieve. For instance, if the building has a long and storied history, you might want to experiment with black and white architecture photography. It can lend a timeless feeling to your shots and bring the history of the structure to the viewer’s mind.

During your research, you may also discover a unique or interesting architectural feature that you can showcase in your photos.

For example, try shooting at sunrise or sunset to capture some golden hues, window reflections, and long shadows. Or visit at night to capture the structure in its artificial lighting.

Cloudy skies, snowfall, or some rain-soaked surfaces can add interest and dramatically change the mood of your photos, so don’t limit yourself to shooting on sunny days. Lastly, if you plan on including any people in your building photography, you might find the way people use the building and its surroundings changes depending on the day and time. So just by revisiting the site, you can find new photo opportunities.

When it comes to building photography, your first instinct might be to try to capture exterior shots of the building in its entirety. But to start taking better building photography, you should strive to find a unique perspective.

So try getting close and focusing on a single detail to create some abstract architecture photography. Or try filling the entire frame with a large building so the viewer can’t tell where it begins or ends. Also, make sure you try going inside the building and shooting some interiors.

While you’re experimenting with different perspectives, keep in mind some of the basic rules of photo composition to create interesting images. For example, find an archway or opening you can use to frame a shot. Or use the architecture to create leading lines, symmetry, and repetition of shapes.

Once you break free of trying to capture a standard shot of the whole building, you’ll have a lot more freedom to get creative.

By including people, your architecture photography can bring to mind the relationship between humans and architecture, and illuminate how people use it. Including people in the composition can also breathe life into an otherwise sterile scene.

If you find people in the scene are a distraction from the architecture, try shooting with a long exposure so they become a blur. These types of shots tend to emphasize the timelessness of buildings, as you can see the structure sitting still while the blurred people convey the movement of the crowds.

With architecture photography, you’ll typically be relying on existing lighting at the location, and that can cause problems. For example, let’s say you are shooting the interior of a building but also want to capture some of the details you can see outside through a window. The interior lighting contrasting with conditions outside might make it difficult. But creating an HDR image allows you to make sure everything is exposed properly.

Lens distortion can ruin a great architecture photo. It can create unnatural warping that puts things out of proportion or makes the straight lines of a building seem to curve.

Thankfully, with editing software, you can solve this problem at the click of a button. Programs like Photoshop and Lightroom include lens profiles that will compensate for distortion and let you tweak your images until they look just as they did with the naked eye.

Start by taking a series of photos without moving your camera or tripod. As people move through the scene, you should be able to capture an unobstructed view of your subject in bits and pieces. Then you can layer all of the shots in Photoshop and erase the people from each layer, revealing the layers underneath with a clear view.

It’s also important to understand when it’s ok to use these photo editing tools. If you are planning on creating abstract architecture photography as an artistic project, then you can manipulate your photos as much as you want. But structure photography is often used for the documentation of structures, and in those cases, people will expect your images to represent reality as much as possible.

For example, let’s say you’re shooting building photography that will be used by the building’s designer as a submission for an award. Removing an unsightly design element from those photos would probably be a no-no.

But there’s some grey area, as in most cases it’s an accepted practice to make minor changes (such as removing a distracting electrical socket). So if you’re shooting architecture photography for a client, it’s a good idea to talk to them about what kinds of photo edits are acceptable.

If you’re looking for a way to develop your skills, it’s worth looking into architecture photography courses, whether online or through a school. There are also many free resources for architecture photography tutorials.

Finally, the most important thing you can do is start building an online portfolio website that includes a variety of structure photography. Once you have a website that shows potential clients your skills, you can start seeking out gigs.

Want to learn more about architecture photography? Check out these features!
Close-Up Views of Tokyo’s Architectural Elements
Michael Wolf’s 5 Tips for Shooting Urban Landscapes
10 Architecture Portfolios for Design Inspiration

9 architectural photography tips

A photograph of classical or modern architecture is a serious challenge. However, the effort spent on photographing buildings and city historical landmarks is worth what the photographer most often receives as a result. Here are some tips to help you not be afraid to shoot architecture - in your hometown or tourist center.

Rockefeller Center Skating Rink - Stuck in Customs

Pay attention to the direction of the light as it can increase contrast, shadows, textures and reflections. A high contrast level can cause cameras to render the image incorrectly. However, this can be easily overcome by using exposure compensation.
Another trick is to line up shots with different exposures (one shot for highlights, one for midtones and one for shadows) and then combine them in a dedicated HDR program (eg Photomatix).
A fisheye or wide angle lens is ideal for this genre of photography as it captures the entire building, including its surroundings. However, sometimes shooting the whole picture is still difficult, and in this case, panoramic shooting can help.

Building photography is not limited to the facade. It can be difficult to get the white balance right in an interior, especially if it depends on various forms of artificial lighting. Shooting interiors in older buildings tends to be more tedious because traditionally there are small windows and doors, and therefore not enough natural light.

Try using a tripod and a long exposure, and remember that you can always wind up an ND filter to get rid of glare in daylight. Alternatively, you can attach additional lighting, such as an off-camera flash, but be careful, as this can rob the place of its atmosphere and special details.

When the sun sets, completely new forms of architectural photography are born. In order to shoot the structure in the form of a silhouette during sunset, place it between you and the sun. Make sure the flash is off and the exposure is set to the sky. If the foreground is too light, set the exposure compensation to a negative value to darken it. This effect can give a photograph a special mystique.

Night shots can be very dramatic and atmospheric, but remember to take them when there is still some light in the sky, as it adds tone to the background and helps somehow illuminate details. As before, find a good position, mount your camera on a tripod and wait for the dazzling reflection of the city lights in the windows, street lamps and signs - all this in a rainbow of neon colors will create real magic. Use a wide open aperture and long exposure, and if your camera allows you, you can use a low ISO to ensure details aren't spoiled by noise.

Chicago Neon Monoliths - Stuck in Customs

Unlike other forms of photography, breathtaking architectural images can be captured in any weather. A church on a clear day can impress the viewer, but it can also look a little dull. But if you visit it again, when a storm hangs over your head, or fog rising from the damp earth, then the result may exceed all expectations. By shooting the same building in different weather conditions, a photographer can create a great portfolio. You can also choose the best three frames to make an interesting triptych.

Reflections add a special touch to architectural photography and allow the photographer to create a picture in which a building can be playfully distorted. Cityscapes are dotted with plenty of reflective surfaces so you never have to go too far when you practice, like windows, water features, puddles and wet streets, people wearing sunglasses, rivers, or even contemporary art.

Tervuren, Belgium - photographed by fatboyke (Luc)

As you explore the history of architecture, you'll be surprised how little information can be a powerful source of inspiration. Ask your guide to show you small but interesting views that may not be noticed by the general public. Use a telephoto lens to get up close and don't forget a tripod to support slower shutter speeds.

The average building is much taller than the tallest photographer, and therefore the photography of the architecture will inevitably be slightly distorted. But it can also be used as a voltage source inside the frame. Just position yourself as close to the base of the building as possible and aim your lens straight up. If playing with perspective isn't for you, then just step back and add a sense of scale to your image by including everyday objects like people, trees, vehicles, some benches, etc. To preserve the details in the whole picture, you should opt for aperture values of the order of f / 14. Try also to drop the sharpness of the foreground or background by choosing a wider aperture.

Financial Center - taken by HKmPUA

Architectural photography should be more than just aesthetic and graphic; they also need to convey dynamics - so don't forget about lines, lights and shadows to make the shot more interesting and take into account the hierarchy of levels and areas.

The architecture is built on the principle of symmetry, so the emphasis on this can ultimately also enhance the composition. Find the center of symmetry by placing your hand between eye level and creating your frame around that center. Alternatively, get rid of the cold and sterile straight lines and right angles in the frame. Follow the principles of nature, including curves and circles in the form of shadows or reflections, which can help soften the structure of the photo.

Beautiful - taken by telmo32

Tags:architectural photography, how to photograph, photography for beginners, photography tutorials

10 tips for shooting architecture | Articles | Photo, video, optics

Wherever we shoot in the city, one or another piece of architecture almost always gets into the frame. It can be a building, a monument, a fountain or an ordinary residential building.

As a rule, in order to most successfully represent such objects in a photo, a certain knowledge of shooting architecture is required.

What exactly gets into the lens is not so important, because a masterpiece photo can turn out even if you shoot the most ordinary stall.

Shooting architecture, both classical and contemporary, is far from easy. The main thing is to keep trying until you succeed. There are a lot of factors that will affect the photo, and we have selected recommendations that will help you quickly capture the most successful shot.

Always have a camera on hand, always be prepared to visit the location

The principle of following this rule is quite simple - any walk should become a photo walk. The camera should be ready in most cases, since you can never know exactly when and where you will see an object worthy of photography.

In principle, any professional photographer will tell you that the right frame is a very elusive thing, so the best thing to do is to follow the principle of see-shot. The frame depends on the light, on the position, on the presence of characters, on the mood, time of day and many small elements that can only come together once. Therefore, if the camera is always with you, you will definitely not miss the right moment.

If you have found your architectural model, and you are going for a specific purpose of shooting, be sure to make sure that it is allowed to shoot at the location. If this is a private area, please contact the owner. If the building is an office building, check the opening hours.

And of course, be sure to pay attention to the weather forecast. After all, the mood of the final frame will depend on the weather.

Match your equipment to the genre

The right camera equipment for every type of shoot is essential. Thus, for almost any genre there is the most suitable technique. For architecture, the same lenses are most advantageous as for landscapes - wide-angle, fisheye or ultra wide-angle.

It is these lenses that allow you to get the most successful composition, while providing the opportunity to place the entire building in one frame. This, however, does not apply to any building and not any idea.

For those rare occasions when even wide-angle glass isn't enough, cameras with panorama capability come to the rescue. These can be DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and conventional digital cameras. What can I say, today even smartphones allow you to create panoramas.

Further, everything depends on the object that you are trying to fix.

Take your time

Oddly enough, most professionals agree on one general recommendation - never rush when shooting architecture. Sometimes creating the perfect shot takes not just a few hours, but several days or more. The advantage of architectural structures in this regard is obvious - they will not go anywhere and only the weather conditions change around. However, you need to examine the subject well. This is necessary in order not only to take the first shot that comes across, but to choose the most successful angle, wait for the right light and fix the building so that the photo has mood, emotion and character.

In addition, it is very important that the important architectural elements of the building are captured by the camera, thus retelling the style and era.

Shoot in all kinds of weather

Architectural photography stands out precisely because it captures light in a very special way. For example, sunny and clear weather, just like the “golden hours” do not guarantee an excellent result. On the contrary, experience shows that storm clouds and the sun peeping through them give interesting results. Likewise, rain, rainbows, and other weather wonders are good for architectural photography. Of course, such effects cannot be predicted with accuracy, but you can at least rely on the forecasts and follow them to choose the most suitable weather for your shot.

You can return to the same subject in different weather and shoot in different conditions, because only by experience will you be able to understand what works best.

Take advantage of light and shadow

Light is the most important element in photography, everyone knows it, regardless of experience and the number of successful photos. Buildings, as we can confidently assert, relying at least on our own visual perception, tend to change significantly, depending on the lighting. Direct sunlight and the sun peeking through the clouds gives different effects, and buildings with night illumination look completely different. Quite natural is how the environment changes: everything around can be either highlighted, or vice versa, darkened. The building itself can even change color.

The position of the light source and direction can create amazing effects, such as the silhouette of a building at sunset. To do this, you just need to shoot from the point where the sun is hidden behind the building. Of course, this should be used for buildings that have an interesting shape.

Light is especially important for modern glass-covered skyscrapers: reflections and reflexes can be used when shooting them.

Points of view must be different

The photographer should never freeze in one place, he should be dynamic in search of the best angle. And sometimes the best angle can be completely unexpected. Removing a building from its facade is a rather lazy approach. Walk around it, look at the details and angles, twists and turns, look through the lens.

One of the amazing tricks is shooting from below. And not just from the center, but from the walls. The view that a fly or a spider has from the wall is our goal. In this way, you capture not only a direct view of, for example, the dome of a building, but also walls, columns, and architectural elements, which ultimately give a much larger picture of the building.

The opposite effect is also interesting - shooting from a distance and from above. If you have the opportunity to choose a location from which you capture the entire building in the frame, use it.

Pay special attention to lines

Lines and curves - that's what an architectural structure consists of. Therefore, a successful photographer needs to learn to look at the building through the eyes of an architect - that is, to see silhouettes and outlines, in fact, in the form of a sketch. Distinguish details and parts from the whole.

This way you can see the unique shapes that distinguish your subject from the rest of the environment and it is these that should be emphasized in the photo.

For example, square buildings benefit from a perspective - up or forward, from a distance or near. It is possible to reflect either the monumentality and squatness of the structure, or its aspiration upward.

It is much more exciting to work with buildings of original forms, fortunately, modern architecture often relies on broken or soft forms. They create a special effect, so it is not necessary to catch them entirely in the photo. Sometimes one corner of a building against the sky or surroundings creates just enough mood for the whole photo.

Follow the rules of composition

Composition is important in any type of photography, and architectural photography is no exception. It is errors in the compositional construction of the frame that can most affect the result. For example, the wrong position when shooting can lead to distortion of the building. Often, buildings collapse if the composition is not worked out correctly.

Therefore, the photographer needs to follow the rules, such as the rule of thirds or its more complex version - the golden ratio. Modern cameras, as a rule, help with this - many devices have a built-in grid in the viewfinder that divides the screen into 9parts. With its help, it is very easy to understand exactly where the object should be placed so that the image is even.

Consideration must also be given to the natural distortion that results from using a wide-angle lens.

Anyway, the main goal of the photographer is to carefully capture what is in the viewfinder. This can be done both in advance and directly during the shooting. The main thing is not to be afraid to try and take photos until the desired result is achieved.

Feel free to black and white frames

Forms, as you know, do not require color. Therefore, sometimes the abundance of flowers only distracts from a superbly built composition. If you are faced with a situation where there are too many colors in the frame, do not rush to move to another location or change the subject. Try converting the photo to monochrome. This immediately brings out the light and shadow, focusing the viewer's attention on the composition and lines that are present in the photo.

However, when deciding to convert a photo to black and white, there are two important points to consider. First, how important is color in photography? Sometimes color is one of the most important elements of an architectural structure, so its loss can have a negative impact. The second is how important form is. If form predominates over color, then a black and white photo format will do.

In any case, you can decide with absolute certainty only after you have tried both options.

Don't Forget Post-Processing

Today's photographers don't like to flaunt the fact that many of them use post-processing tools.