Education
12 Tips For Taking Your Architecture Photos To The Next Level
By Ellen Clipson - 4 min read
We're thrilled to partner with the British Journal of Photography for our new Mission. Although what makes architecture photography compelling? Here is your essential round-up of tips and advice on making the most of your architectural adventures.
When it comes to capturing a concrete buildings, vast cityscapes, or hidden details on a street corner, there are a number of ways in which you can bring your photo to life.
How To Capture A New Angle on Architecture
We called upon 12 different photographers to find out their essential building blocks for a compelling architecture photo. Their advice is refreshing, inspirational, and filled with easy tweaks that will take your own photos to the next level.
If you have your own architecture photography to share, then why not be a part of our brand new Mission - Urban Architecture! We’re joining forces with experts at British Journal of Photography and 1854 Media to give 10 selected photographer the incredible opportunity of being featured on BJP’s website!
Aleksander Małachowski
“Try to find a symmetry in a object your taking pictures of and then position yourself a straight line to the axis of this symmetry. Now you’re ready to shoot!”
Zuka Kotrikadze
“When shooting architecture, it’s important to catch a corner where an interesting composition is created by the buildings or structures. Choose the right time of day for this and play with colors and shadows and so create a mood.”
Simone Hutsch
“When it comes to architecture photography one of the most important parts is perspective. Angles, patterns, and lines change when one alters their point of view. Looking up to the top of the building can create an interesting angle, especially when standing on a corner. Whereas, standing further away will create straighter lines or patterns.”
Julia Isaak
“It’s important not to think too much and just photograph the angles you like yourself. Architecture has many interesting details that you can put beautifully in photos. Grab your camera and just shoot it.”
Marco Di Stefano
“Let light work to your advantage. The exact same location can look entirely different depending on where the sun is, how the shadows fall, and what kind of light you get at what hour of the day. If you’ve found a great spot, use a sun tracking app to determine when you think it’s worth coming back to that spot and getting your shot. So much of what makes an image is that consideration of what role the light plays.”
Dimitris Michailidis
“I don’t know if there are ‘golden rules’ but there is definitely a ‘golden ratio’. Mathematics is omnipresent, so it’s present in art as well. In order to apply it to architectural photography though, you simply need to have a perception of space. There are lines, shapes and forms all around us and, just before that click, I always try to realise where I am and place my body in the right location. Architectural photography is considered by many as an emotionless subject. Grey buildings, simple lines, empty spaces. But when you manage to put the feeling in these places then the picture changes, it becomes magical. The human presence can fill an empty space and charge it emotionally. It is in that very moment that architectural photography is taken to another level.”
Graeme Haunholter
“Take your time experimenting with unique perspectives. Unfamiliar vantage points will often reveal overlooked details.”
Gunther Kleinert
“Try to give yourself some time to understand the specific architecture and design before shooting. Find out what impact an architecture has on you and why. Find interesting viusal details such as lines, angles, light, and shadows. If you think you might get a more interesting result then it’s important to break the well known compositional rules (i.e. rule of thirds etc.) from time to time. As I do not have a shift lens and I don’t carry a tripod with me at all times, I sometimes adjust vertical or horizontal lines in post editing - as long as it is not disturbing the image too much.”
Alex Thio
“Before I shoot a new building, I usually spend some time researching the building and looking at how other photographers have already captured the building. This gives me a good idea of the building’s unique characteristics. When on location, I spend time exploring the building to see how it looks from different angles, how it breaks and reflects the light, and how it fits in with it’s surrounding environment. Only then will I know how I want to capture the building and that often means planning to revisit the building at a specific time so the light conditions, weather and environment are as I want them to be.”
Dmitri Popov
“There is no such thing as a boring building. Creative thinking acts as a powerful x-ray that can reveal what the building is hiding behind its plain facade.”
Titian Kencana (Rosley)
“Architecture exists when people interact emotionally towards a built environment. Perspective, scale, textures, lines and shapes are the key factors to consider when shooting. However, the most crucial of all is the light that will accentuate those factors to meet the intended composition.”
Andrius Aleksandravičius
“Everything is dependent on the light. I always wait for a special moment whether it be a magic sunrise or sunset, dramatic clouds before or after a storm, the emergence of fog or a very bright backdrop”
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