Architectural Photography
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With all the different subject matter a person can photograph, if you’re like me, there’s sometimes when we just don’t know what to take pictures of. I’ve always enjoyed architecture: taking photographs of building exteriors.
Photographing buildings provides a challenge and an opportunity to do something you maybe haven’t done before or maybe you need to revisit it. Here’s some of the things to keep in mind when photographing buildings . . . . . .
First of all is the light. Typically you want to have the light, usually the sun, shining on the front of the building, so consider time of day or maybe even time of year. If the building faces east, you may do best to photograph in the early morning. If the building faces west, choose later in the day. the challenge comes when the building faces north. In the northern hemisphere, the time the sun shines on the front of the building is quite small, but in this case, you may choose the early spring or late fall when the sun rises and sets more to the north. Here, either an early morning or late evening might work best. Yet another choice might be at dawn or dusk when the lights of the building show up more. Here the exposure is extremely critical and the color balance of the lights all play in the final image. the building lights can make the photographs look exceptionally beautiful, or they could be a real nightmare.
The next consideration is the angle you photograph the building from. Consider the things behind the building that would show in the final photograph, like a sky that might be particularly nice, or you may want to avoid the partial view of another building behind or an adjacent sign might need consideration. Power and utility lines can also be a nuisance.
But once all the factors come together, architectural photography can be really fun and the results impressive.