Architectural photography tips come in handy as we travel, or even just as we wander round our own towns, villages and cities. It’s very often the built environment that catches our eye. So it’s no wonder that one of the requests we receive most frequently is to run through a few tips to help people take the best possible images of the beautiful buildings around us. These tips cover equipment, settings, and technique, and should have you getting the shots you want in no time.
Tip #1–Think Wide
The thing about buildings, especially a lot of the most impressive ones, is that they’re often really big. So if you want to fit them into your image frame in all their splendor, the first of our architectural photography tips is that you’re going to need a wide angle lens.
Bear in mind that if your camera has a cropped sensor, as many entry-level DSLRs do, you’ll need to go down to around 20mm to start hitting a properly wide angle.
Tip #2– Or Think Narrow
We’re nothing if not unpredictable, so that’s why the very next architectural photography tip is to get all up in the details of the buildings you’re shooting if you feel like it.
You might want to look for interesting elements of construction to make the centerpiece of a zoomed-in shot, or to dwell on an unusual stylistic touch you’ve seen. Maybe you just want to capture the unique texture of the brick work. Just don’t be constrained by too many arbitrary rules!
Tip #3–Maximize Depth of Field
Usually in architectural photography, you want to keep as much of the image in focus as possible. You want to maximize the depth of field in your image by choosing a relatively narrow aperture for your shot.
A downside of this approach is that you may need to use a tripod or a wall to keep your camera stable, but since the building is (hopefully!) not going anywhere, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue. And since you’ve already made the choice to use a tripod, you might as well choose the lowest ISO for your shot too, to maximize image quality.
Tip #4–Think About Your Angles
We all know how it feels when you stand close to an impressive building and it looms up and over you, forcing you to crane your neck to take it all in. So,think about adding some drama to your photos of buildings by shooting from an unusual angle. Try getting down on your back and tuck the pinnacle of the building into the corner of your frame – the results can sometimes be vertigo-inducing for you as well as the viewers of you images!
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