Creating scale
One of the main reasons I like to add a person into my architectural pictures is that sense of scale it can help create. The size of the buildings can be lost when all you’re comparing them to is the other huge buildings in the photograph. A small person at the foot of the building illustrates how vast architecture can be. Large open areas inside buildings, or big tunnels, can also benefit by having a person in the frame to show the scale of the area. It’s hard to judge how big a place is if you have nothing to compare it to in the first place, but everyone knows the average size of a human, so this gives viewers a reference point and shows the size of the architectural surroundings.
the patterns we see by the angle from which the photograph itself is taken. Changing the orientation of the camera might transform the pattern on the building into something different. As with shooting the whole building, we use lines and shapes to create a composition for the image. The patterns are often repetitive lines running through the building.
Isolating these patterns into one composition can create an abstract image. You don’t need to show what building it is, and it may not be the most impressive architectural building, yet the isolated pattern you have found can create an image that will keep people guessing.
Focus on the details
Details of buildings, or just a small part of the structure, can also be isolated for an attractive photograph. I’ve recently worked on a project doing exactly this. It’s been a challenge, as it’s easier to see an image of a large part of architecture, whole building, or a cityscape. Looking for these more intimate details and framing them certainly makes you think about the compositions. There are photographers out there that shoot more in this style, using the repetitive patterns and small areas of the architecture. The abstract images they produce can have a very arty feel to them.
Make the most of contrast
Along with shapes and patterns the eye is drawn to contrast. As a black-and-white artist, contrast is very important to me. There are no bright vibrant colours to grab the viewer’s attention. It’s the contrast that needs to make the image pop and
stand out. A lot of this is done in post-production, darkening blue skies, for instance. Yet, as with everything in photography, if you can achieve what you require on location, it makes the processing much easier and the image will look better for it. Finding these contrasts in the architecture is certainly easier in newer buildings. Smoked or tinted glass is much more popular than it used to be.
New bright white façades, or detailing, look cleaner in newer buildings. Try to avoid sunny days, as they are not normally good for architectural photography, with the harsh light of the sun causing too many issues. There are also added reflections, such as the sun creating bright spots as it hits the glass or steel… All this can make it very difficult to get evenly exposed fine-art architecture images. Yet, there are times that we can use it to our advantage. The harsh shadows can create new patterns and contrasts that wouldn’t normally be there. The compositions have to be worked on, as the good parts will need to be isolated from the problematic bright spots and reflections.
LONG EXPOSURES
This is where it all started for me: long-exposure photography. Photographers tend to take photos of their interests or passions – it makes sense! Where you are based also has a big influence on the style or topics that you decide to shoot. I very much enjoy taking landscape and coastal images, yet getting to locations where I can shoot these subjects can be difficult and often takes lots of planning. Living close to a city makes taking photos of architecture and buildings much easier for me personally, and therefore more appealing, due to this convenience.
Smooth water and reflections
Daytime long-exposure photographs were what interested me the most when looking at others’ work for inspiration, so it made sense for me to start there. I got myself a set of neutral density (ND) filters and a tripod, and headed into the city and down to the river. The silky-smooth water in long-exposure photography is the first thing that caught my eye when looking at this particular style. Losing the detail in the water, and making it look as clean as possible, adds to the fine-art feel of an image. A lot of movement is needed in the water to achieve this, or a really long exposure, to make the water smooth and bright.
Tidal times are an important factor in shooting across a river. As previously stated, the more movement in the water, the smoother you can make it. There are times when the water is really still. This would normally be at low tide, early in the
Contrast is very important. There are no vibrant colours to grab a viewer’s attention. It’s the contrast that needs to make the image pop