Architectural Photography - An Artistic Approach to Grasping Our World
The establishment of architectural photography as both an art and a profession has become truly refined over the centuries. While the act of capturing an image of architecture first started off simple, it has evolved into a very definitive procedure with precise fundamentals and techniques.
A Little Bit of History
The daguerreotype process of photography, which was invented by J.L.M. Daguerre in 1839, created much momentum in the formation of architectural photography as a genre. Originally, buildings and landscapes were captured in a simple manner. Although the elevation approach and the perspective approach were already out of the gate in the 1800s, refined techniques were rarely embraced by photographers during the early eras.
Around the beginning of the 1900s, a photographer by the name of Frederick Evans began recrafting the art by focusing on particular elements such as depth, texture, shadows and individual perspective. This was the turning point for architectural photography and eventually many other prestigious photographers came forward with their own theories and techniques. In addition to Evans - Roger Fenton, Francis Frith, Samuel Bourne and Albert Levy are some of the photographers who are well-renowned for pioneering the progress of this niche.
Combining the Elements and Gaining Experience
Although architectural photography is much about composition, there are several technical aspects that extend the complexity of the art. Many factors come into play here - the type of camera, aperture size, ISO settings, shutter speed, exposure - the list goes on and on. Familiarizing yourself with these elements is the key to becoming a successful photographer and once you're able to naturally combine them with your composition, you'll be taking fantastic shots in no time.
Selecting Your Camera
Depending on if you're shooting outdoors or indoors, different types of cameras have different advantages. In most cases, experts in the field recommend using an SLR camera because of its flexibility in changing lenses and you can usually obtain wider capture when taking your shots. Also, SLR cameras often have advanced ISO adjustments, which are ideal for dealing with complex lighting.
However, a compact camera has its advantages as well, especially for exterior spaces. When you're capturing a piece of architecture outside, certain interference can come into play such as moving objects, shifts in weather and other disturbances that you may prefer to work-out of the frame. Having a compact zoom function can make dealing with these unwanted factors extremely easy.
Aperture Size, ISO and Shutter Speed - The Dictators of Light
Perhaps the most important element of architectural photography is dealing with particular lighting. Making the right adjustments to your aperture, ISO and shutter speed will inevitably lead to success when combined with the proper composition. Let's break these three down carefully:
Aperture size: Most often, aperture is kept smaller in order to extend the Depth of Field when trying to capture high-scale quality for both the foreground and the background. When dealing with darker situations, you will need to increase your aperture size by decreasing your F-stop, which will allow for more light to be captured in your photo.
ISO: Just like aperture, your ISO setting determines how light will affect your shot. This is done in a unique way by measuring the image sensor's sensitivity to light and most SLR cameras come equipped with a convenient way to change the setting. Increasing your ISO is a good way to substitute for flash and capture moving objects. However, you must be precise about how high your ISO is because it can sometimes produce a "noisy" shot.
Shutter speed: The third main light-absorbing aspect of a camera is the shutter speed. In short, a bright environment should be adapted to by using a faster shutter speed and darker areas should be approached with a slower shutter speed. The long your shutter is open, the more light that will be collected in your shot, so adjust your settings with this in mind.
Composition and Exposure
The technical aspects of architectural photography are very important to understand, but they are useless if not applied to the right composition. Rather than focusing on what you want to shoot, try analyzing how you want to shoot it. What portion of the architecture is significant enough to be including in the frame? What portion is not? Do you want to capture the entire setting or do you want to zoom in on a particular fragment of the scene? Is capturing the mood of the scene more important than the scene itself?
There is a lot to work with here, so you will want to take some time establishing the right composition. Always keep the objects in your scene balanced - parallel lines without distortion are important, so avoid having to tilt your camera. If you're having trouble filling in your frame the way you want, make specific adjustments by altering your distance from the scene or by raising/lowing the height of your camera.
Once you've combined all of the elements, you can decide how much exposure you will need. More exposure can make moving objects appear more interesting and if your environment is motionless, then much more detail can be captured. Consider investing in a tripod to conduct more efficient periods of exposure - heavier tripods are ideal.
Apply Yourself and Learn
Architectural photography requires both technical and creative knowledge. Maximize your inspiration as much as possible and don't be afraid to experiment with different methods. As you start to gain a decent amount of experience in the genre, you will soon see some very notable changes in the quality of your photos.