Objectives And Techniques In Architectural Photography

By Betty Hughes


A photographer who still doesnt have the full measure of his metier more often than not goes on to experiment with various styles and methods. It is only through this that one may be able to solidly establish what hes definitely good at. One of the highest fields in which this shutterbug can aim to be accomplished in is architectural photography Minnesota.

For some introductory stage setting, this is all about photographing structures like buildings, monuments, edifices, and other some such structures. Its scope range all the way from modern buildings, historic ones, houses and residences, farm barns, bridges, factories, heritage sites, and many more others. This genre aims to capture these places in a way thats aesthetically pleasing but also accurately representative.

You dont want to make the mistake of confusing real estate photography with the architectural, though. The first is mainly concerned in showcasing a particular property, with the end goal of selling it. A specific point of departure is that it aims to capture all the spaces as much as possible so that an appraiser may be able to appreciate the size and amenities. The latter totally focuses on beauty and design. Its also largely interpretative, very much like traditional photography and art.

This is because one aims to harmonize lots of jarring and discordant elements such as lines, angles, perspective, textures, geometric shapes, and others. Integrating and reconciling them with one another is indeed anything but easy. Subjects that can think and move by themselves, like people and animals, are individually sufficient to deliver a storyline. But in an arch photo, its totally left to the photographers ingenuity and inventiveness to manipulate certain elements to come together so as to create a convincing composition.

Among the elements the photographer should take into account is perspective control. To anthropomorphize yet again, a building has a strong point that is great to capture on camera. It is really tricky to highlight certain aspects of a photograph and downplay others, but that is the drift here. Youd want to manipulate the perceived depth of the field to create a sharp focus of both foreground and background.

To aid in this, one also has to take to account good lighting. This is best achieved during the golden hours or the blue hours. The first during sunrise or sunsets, and the second directly before sunrise and directly after sunset. You dont want to overwhelm the photo with so much glare. Otherwise, you may also employ advance techniques, such as silhouetting.

The overall composition of photographs is also important. After all, buildings arent necessarily standalone structures. Its also surrounded by certain fellow structures and other beautifiers, such as trees, flowers, statues, and fountains. This aims to communicate the aesthetic harmony of an edifice with its immediate environment, and it also adds a certain sense of scale.

Landscaping is also imperative in this field. The surroundings and environment of a particular building contributes greatly to the overall composition of a particular photograph, and also aims to deliver a sense of harmony and an idea of scale. This is why trees, statues, or fountains are often included in some compositions, so as to juxtapose the relative grandness of a particular structure. One may also play with lines, lights, and shadows, so as to veer away from the standard aesthetic and graphic, and bring dynamism and movement into the picture. Or else add extra dimensions through the use or reflections, that which can be provided by placid lakes and similar water features.

There are many reasons to go by this enterprise. For one, it enables us to document architecture and scenes before they disappear to oblivion, perhaps due to modernization. It also adds a feel and story for a particular subject, and transmits a sense of achievement, strength, and even the fragility of a certain structure. Buildings are of great cultural, historical, and humanistic significance, and those grant it a certain essence.




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