Building an Architectural Photograph (Exteriors)
What is architecture? Wikipedia tells us that it originated from the Latin word “architectura” which means a builder or a mason. From this comes the word “Architecture” and it is the process of designing and constructing buildings, towers and other structures. Architecture, over a period of time, has assumed great importance and it is not unusual to associate a certain type (or style) of architecture with a particular civilization, era or dynasty, very much like a painting. Architects are also recognized as great artists and their work is admired even after centuries. Architecture is partly engineering and of course, partly art. As photographers we are naturally interested in capturing that art part. However, can photographing someone else’s artistic creation be art by itself? Is it like photographing a statue or a painting? No, it is not! This question is best answered by a quote from Frederick H. Evans (1853—1943), an eminent architectural photographer who said – “.... it is not everyone who has the time to see a building in all its phases of beauty and effect, or has the power of isolation those beauties and so realizing the more subtle and recondite charms a great building has, but gives up only to patient study and trained observation…” This is why an architectural photograph is not a mere reproduction of architecture. It needs careful planning, study of the structure, its lines, symmetry, etc. An art critic understands and appreciates the nuances of a painting. An architectural photographer should do the same with a building. Only then can his (or her) photograph bring out the beauty of the structure and will be a pleasure to behold. How to achieve such photographs is the objective of the article. Any architectural photograph, however large the enlargement may be, will be a lot smaller than the building itself and you need to bring out all the aesthetics and detail in that small size. Many times this may require several photographs (covering exteriors, interiors, etc.) to do the job comprehensively. If you are doing professional architectural photography every building will require a portfolio to satisfy the client in all respects. Before we go further you should be aware that there are two main technical problems that photographers encounter in architectural photography. These are “Perspective” and “Distortion”. Let me emphasize right here that these two terms are different though many mix them up. The first is an optical effect (see Smart
Photography, August, 2013 issue, “Perplexing Perspective” for more details) and is very different from distortion, which is a lens defect. The former causes leaning of verticals and the second bends lines which were straight originally. Let us see these in more detail.
Perspective: It is very likely that you have taken a photograph of a tall building from a close distance by standing near the base of the building.
When you look at such a photograph you would have noticed that the building appears to “lean” backwards. That is, vertical sides of the building are no longer vertical and the parallel sides look to be converging at the top (Picture 1). This is due to perspective. This is happening because you are very close to the base of building (foreground), making it look large. You are also far from the top of the building (background) making it look small. This makes the sides of the building look as if they are converging at the top and hence gives the impression that the building is leaning. Often this “leaning” effect is labeled as “distortion”. This is simply not correct. Perspective is not distortion. Distortion is the inability of a lens to render straight lines straight as you will see next. Perspective is also independent of focal length (it depends only on the subject distance and the position of the lens with reference to the subject) though many erroneously think that only wideangle lenses (especially ultra-wide ones) cause it. So, how do you rectify such a situation? One solution is to move away from the building so that the relative difference in distance between you and the top and base of the building is very less. This reduces the difference in size (on the image) between the top and base of the building thus correcting this “leaning”. Another way is to get into a building opposite the building you are photographing, preferably at a height that is half that of the opposite structure. If both these are not possible then you need to do one of the following:
1. Use a technical / view camera with movements.
2. Use a tilt/ shift lens or a tilt/shift adapter with a mirrorless camera. (You only need the ‘shift’ operation to correct this problem, ‘tilt’ is not required).
3. Correct with post-processing software like Photoshop or Lightroom (Picture 2).
Distortion: The second problem is distortion (Picture 3) which is a lens defect. Due to this straight lines will look bent. You are most likely to encounter “barrel” distortion (lines bend outward) as it occurs with
wide-angle lenses. If you are keen on architectural photography, I suggest that you look at lenses that have low distortion. Generally (there are exceptions though) fixed focal length (prime) lenses have less distortion compared to zoom lenses, especially kit lenses. Distortion occurs mainly at the edges of the frame. So, try and avoid keeping straight Ines near the edges. For this you can compose a little loosely and then crop later. This means you will lose pixels but this is better than ugly looking distortion. The only other way to correct distortions is through software. Most post-processing software like Adobe Lightroom have the lens characteristics built in and if you tell the software the lens you are using, the distortion is corrected automatically. Unless you are a purist, I suggest this as a solution for distortion as completely distortion free lenses (like the Zeiss Biogon) are very expensive.
Equipment: Now let us see what equipment is needed for architecture photography. You must have often heard that you need specialized equipment for this genre. While this is true to a certain extent, this is not a must. I have already mentioned in the preceding paragraphs the need for ‘tilt/shift’ and distortion-free lenses. Both these cost big bucks but as I had already explained, you can manage without these. Both the problems can be corrected to a great extent or even completely, with software. (Remember, even if you have tilt/shift lenses or technical/view cameras the perspective corrections can be done only within certain limits.) The rest of the equipment you need is general in nature. Just any D-SLR or CSC (Compact System Camera) with a decent wide-angle or wide-angle zoom will do. Some cameras show a grid in the viewfinder. This is a useful feature to have as it helps in framing and leveling. Since the light levels are generally high outside you can get really good architectural photographs even with a simple P&S camera. Focal lengths most useful are from 24 to 50mm for full-frame (or 16 to 35mm for APS-C D-SLRs, and 12mm to 25mm for CSC Micro 4/3 cameras). Lenses wider than these are generally not useful but you can get some dramatic results by using very short focal lengths. Though not absolutely essential, a lens of longer focal length (like a 135mm for full frame, 85mm for APS-C or 75mm for Micro 4/3) can be useful for capturing details (like carvings on the walls) that are not easily accessible. The most important accessory, as you may have guessed by now, is your three legged friend, the tripod. This is a vital accessory. It is needed for keeping the camera steady when you use slow shutter speeds. This is however, not the most important of its uses. The most critical one is that it allows precise composing, framing and leveling which is extremely important for any architectural photograph. I can emphasize its importance by saying - when allowed, use a tripod! Now, we are ready to look at techniques and tips that are useful, along with some examples:
Basic Composition: Remember the fundamental composition guideline, the rule of thirds? This means that you
have to divide your viewfinder frame into 9 parts (as shown, like a ticktack-toe) and keep the subject at one of the intersections (Picture 4). These intersections are called “points of dominance”. The following paragraph explains how these concepts are applied to architectural photography. A head-on photograph of a building (which results when the façade is kept parallel to the camera back) will make it look two-dimensional (like a card board cutout), without depth. This is especially so, if the building is without much surrounding area. Photograph from an angle instead and see that the corner of the building coincides with the vertical line at the 1/3 position (as per rule of thirds). The intersection of the corner along with the roof can be placed at one of the points of dominance. These aspects are illustrated in Picture 5. Here are some more points to help you when you are photographing a building along with the surroundings. As already touched upon, it is a good practice to put the subject (which will be the structure itself or the most important part of the structure) at the points of dominance. The building should be dominant in size and must have some contrast in tone or colour from the rest of the background to make it stand out. While an asymmetric placement like this works very well, sometimes it is alright to keep the horizon at the center when you are photographing scenes with reflections. Where possible, you can also use leading lines to draw the eye to the main subject. A picture can also have a secondary subject to draw the eye to it and also to create a balance. This will cause some tension
and make the eye move away from the main subject and make it explore the photograph. The secondary subject should be less dominating but sufficiently different to draw the viewer’s eye to it. This can be done by making the secondary subject have a different Colour, contrast, shape, etc. All these concepts are shown in the example given (Picture 6).
Shapes: The human eye recognizes shapes very easily. Shapes also draw the attention of the viewer and are useful for keeping the attention within the frame. Commonly seen shapes in building are triangles (like roofs), rectangles, circles, ellipses etc. Look for these when you are composing the image (Picture 7).
Symmetry: Many important buildings and structures are highly symmetric (Picture 8). That is, the left half will be very similar (or even identical) to the right half. Sometimes due to this symmetry the rule of thirds does not work very well. One tip that might help you is that symmetrical subjects sometime look better in square format. The present D-SLRs or CSCs do not give you a square format. However, you can get a square format through cropping during postprocessing. It is important that you give this aspect a thought before you take a photograph. It is always better to pre-visualize the end-result before you press the shutter release.
Creation of depth: An important sub-element in composition is creation of depth. What this means is that, you need to create the impression of depth (a three dimensional effect) on a flat surface (like a print or a monitor). This is created with the help of perspective. Yes, it is the same perspective that gave you a headache earlier but now you are going to
use it your advantage. Perspective simply makes objects closer to you to appear larger than those objects that are far away. Thus, you instinctively know that larger objects are closer even though they are, in absolute terms, physically small. This creates a feeling of depth (Picture 8). Explore unusual angles: Always look for something unusual. The best way to find them is to look at subjects at odd angles. Everyone looks at a building from straight ahead. Bend low, look up/down, or climb nearby structures to get unusual viewpoints. These give you an opportunity to be different and sometimes you will see things that others did not (Pictures 9 and 10).
Provide a scale: If you want to give an idea of the size of the structure to the viewer, you should include, as a reference, an object whose size is known. The most commonly used reference is the human being (Picture 2) though you can provide any familiar object as a size
reference.
An important
point: These days everyone is paranoid about security. Simply do not photograph any building (even an office building) without getting permission as you might land in trouble. Respect the local laws. Likewise, don’t photograph private homes (other than those of people you know) as you might be violating their privacy.