Architecture Intro

Tips

Reflections add an extra dimension to architectural images and allow the photographer to create a canvas on which the building can be playfully distorted. Urban environments are littered with a multitude of reflective surfaces, so you’ll never have to look too far to practice, for example: windows, water features, puddles and wet streets, sunglasses, rivers and modern art.

Architectural images shouldn’t just be aesthetic and graphic; they should also provide dynamism and movement – so play with the lines, the light and the shadows to provide interest and consider the hierarchy of levels and areas. Architecture is built on the principle of symmetry, so capturing this symmetry will ultimately reinforce the subject matter and hopefully strengthen the composition. Discover the centre of the symmetry by placing your hand between your eye-line and construct your frame around this centre. Alternatively break free of the cold and sterile straight lines and rectilinear angles and follow the principles of nature by including curves and circles in the form of shadows or reflections can help to soften the structure.

Your pictures don't need to be pretty. Architectural photography at its best will convey the experience of being in and around a built environment.  

(I can't find the photographer)

     I picked this photo because I really like the composition of it.  It's a cool photo and I like how the photographer used a long exposure to capture the movement of the city.  The angle the photo was taken at is interesting and captures the city well.  The lighting in this photo is coming from the buildings and man-made lights in the city (street lamps, etc) because the photo was taken at night.  I think the lighting is good enough, it makes for a really cool image.  If I had to light this type of photo, I would have done the same thing,  the lighting from the city provides sufficient lighting as it is.  The photographer was standing above the city, presumably on a hill or something like that.  They probably had to climb up a hill or find a raised area.  No, this angle is cool as heck.  The rules of photography that I see are lines because you can see the movement from the cars and the like. 

wecand

     I picked this photo because it's cool.  I like the angle it was taken from and how they shot it.  I also like that it's in black and white. This photo was taken sometime during the day, the light source is the sun, the lighting is fine, and I would use the same lighting probably.  The photographer was standing almost under the eiffel tower, but not completely.  the entire subject is not in the photo and I really like this angle because it shows a different perspective than what you'd usually see.  Some rules used are lines and composition.

Andy Marshall

     I picked this photo because the angle caught my eye.  I also like how colorful it is an the shadows on it.  This photo is really interesting because of the composition.  the lighting is coming from outside the building and taken during the day.  The lighting is good and I would have used natural light as well.  The photographer was standing directly below the subject, the entire subject is not in the photo and the angle was a good choice because it made for a more interesting and eye-catching photo.  I don't think the rules are evident in this photo, I don't think the traditional rules of photography apply.

(I can't find the photographer)

     I picked this photo because it looks really processed and not like a traditional photo.  It looks computer generated and I thought it was cool.  I don't actually like the image all that much but I chose it because it was different than the other ones that I chose.  The lighting is coming from the buildings in this image, the photo was taken at night, and I think the light is good enough because it makes the photo.  The photographer was standing across a small body of water , the entire subject is in the photo (assuming the subject is the building in the middle).  A different angle I would have used was right up near the building and shooting upwards.  Rules that are evident are framing and lines.

Some places in Austin I would shoot architecture would be the Bob Bullock, around the UT campus, small shops on soco or south lamar, the 360 bridge, and maybe an old church.

Tilt shift is the use of shift movement in photography to avoid converging verticals in your photographs.  Canon ‑ Ts‑e 17mm F/4l Til…

Other equipment:
lighting modifiers (external flash, etc)
wide angle lens
macro lens (for detail)