Today’s photo-obsessed culture has made us consume architecture in large quantities through the medium of photographs as compared to physical or structural experiences. However, the benefits of architectural photography are eminent. It provides a visual understanding of buildings to the people who may never get the opportunity to go and see in their lifetime, and it also creates a valuable resource that allows us to enhance our architectural vocabulary. But one must always remain aware of the disadvantages of photography too when it comes to architecture.
Here are some tips that will improve the visual strength of your architectural photography.
1. Shoot in different weather conditions.
People generally look for the most substantial lighting to shoot architecture like during sunset, when shadows are long, and colors are brighter. Though this results in some very atmospheric images, it only summarizes the building’s atmosphere at a specific point of time. Shooting a series of images during different times of the day, or even in various weather conditions, can help in making a full story of the building’s relationship with its environment.
2. Systematize good lighting
Nevertheless, when you are shooting photographs, proper lighting should always remain a priority. Great architectural lighting helps in highlighting a space, a specific structure or atmosphere, and thus plays a significant role in helping people to understand what is essential in that particular architectural project.
3. Look for a unique angle
Playing with the outlook is not only entertaining, but it can also be advantageous. Taking out some time to find a different angle from which you can photograph can explain an overlooked form of abstraction of a building’s detail that may give rise to another level of beauty and appreciation for its kind.
4. Revisit the site multiple times
Returning to the same place, again and again, will make you understand about the new layers of the architecture that can be used to communicate the development and the degeneration of a building over time. If you see a perfect photograph of a newly constructed building, it’s beautiful and fascinating, but we should always try the next level. Perhaps the really exciting aspects of the building are only exposed over time.
5. Research the building beforehand
Researching on the history and context of an architectural site before visiting there, is an essential resource that will help you to focus on your photography on a suitable story or idea that captures the spirit of the building.
Architectural photography can offer you a multitude of lines, angles, geometric shapes, and textures that can create a vast array of photographic opportunities.
You would find it a bit troubling to find such a perfect combination of geometric possibilities in any other genre. Each building has its personality, its unique blend of form and function, and you have a lot to work with. These tips will help you to get on your way towards capturing a building’s essence in a way that’s your creativity.
