Tips on Capturing Architectural Photography

Photography is enjoyable and can be lucrative. There are a number of specialized fields within the industry, one of which is architectural photography. As a specialized field, architectural photography has a small but competitive group of photographers all competing to get ahead, and photographers need to be focused.

photography tips for architectural shots

Photo by Maria Eklind; ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/125-second exposure.

Architectural photography requires skill, the determination to succeed, and attention to detail. Unlike portrait photography and landscape photography, architectural photography involves the ability to capture the character and essence of an inanimate object as though it had a personality.

Understanding certain aspects of architecture will enable the photographer to produce high quality photographs with a sense of depth and character. It is also recommended to spend some time scouting the location at different times of day to appreciate the play of light on the subject of the photographs as well as the flow of traffic around the building that may affect the shoot.

Understanding composition is a fundamental skill required for architectural photography to be able to incorporate enough of the building under study to get the perfect picture. Capturing a random corner of a building incorrectly will simply result in a strange photograph of some random corner of a building. However, capturing the corner of the building with the archways accentuated by the afternoon light shows more to the viewer and gets the point across.

It’s also critical for photographers to understand the way certain building materials photograph under certain circumstances. Certain colors and textures can bounce light off them while others absorb light, and understanding these effects will allow you to capture the shot at a time of day that compliments each of these colors and textures to create the perfect photograph.

If the architecture requires photographs to be taken indoors, the ability to bounce a flash or to diffuse it is vital. It’s important to know whether to bounce the flash off a surface or to diffuse it to soften the effect.

Architectural photography is always undertaken on site, and this requires the photographer to be prepared. Being prepared involves a number of things that are often underestimated, such as having enough fully charged batteries and enough empty memory cards. You do not want to find yourself midway though a photo shoot, with the perfect light at that specific time of day and run out of battery power.

Another often neglected key preparation is the weather. Having scouted a building for the correct time of day for the lighting to be perfect, it will be disappointing to find that once you start taking photos, the clouds move over and your shot is lost.

Architectural photography is a growing industry and it’s imperative that photographers stay up to date on the latest technological advances in photographic equipment, latest developments and features in architecture, and tricks of the industry to ensure they remain at the top of the game. In an ever expanding industry, the competition is always on the search to gain an edge over the competition. We would like to thank you for the interest in this subject, if you have any questions concerning this type of photography please see our resource box below for our contact information.

Article Written by EJ Domingue
Photos 2 Geaux for Architectural Photography
Gueydan, LA. 70542

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2 responses to “Tips on Capturing Architectural Photography”

  1. Richard Beasley says:

    I’m trying to find someone to answer my question, I reached out to Law Firm‘s and they want to charge me $250 an hour minimum two hours to leave me in the right direction. All I wanna know is is it illegal to shoot a portrait of a historical building not government and not people just the building whether there’s a business there or not and sell the photos I’ve been online and I can not find an answer?

  2. Hi

    Great article. I like to shoot architecture during my travels – really shows how different cultures and eras thought of thins. Here are a few from a recent trip to Rome. I like to use a wide angle to bring it all in!

    Regards, Erik
    Kerstenbeck Photographic Art

    Arco di Costantino, Rome: http://t.co/WkMvAGG

    Honey…Build Me a Temple, Rome: http://t.co/oX7Q6L9

    Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, Rome: http://t.co/ePfb9F4

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