A popular photo subject for experienced and beginner photographers alike, architecture can be a rewarding though difficult muse. In the second and final part of our 'Shooting Architecture' series, Thomas-Liam Ryan offers six more useful tips covering everything from lighting and lens choice to camera settings and post-production treatments.
01 WIDE-ANGLE LENSES?
To capture a building or streetscape in its entirety, a wide-angle lens is a must. I use a Canon 10-22mm lens, which on a cropped field-of-view camera provides an effective focal length of 16-35mm; there are several third party alternative lenses to choose from as well. An ultra wide focal length provides the flexibility to work in tight spaces and incorporate the building and its surroundings, and also to encapsulate elements such as the adjacent street, sky and clouds. Another advantage of an ultra wide-angle lens is that it allows you to get very close to your subject and to bypass unwanted objects in a scene. Sometimes I use a standard lens or zoom lens, like the Canon 24-105mm L or Canon 70-200mm f/4 L to shoot details of buildings, especially when I’m capturing a building from a distance.
02 CHANGING LIGHT
Natural light constantly changes throughout the day and year, and these shifts in light provide a wide range of photographic options for buildings. First light or late evening light is the most effective for shooting architecture because the light is soft and there are no harsh shadows and highlights to contend with. Pre-planning, and being aware of where the light will be throughout the day and year, provides you with better creative opportunities.
Early morning light and a stormy sky add mood and drama to this photo of a former cinema. Canon EOS 350D, 10-22mm lens @ 12mm, 1/640s @ f/8, ISO 100. Photo by Thomas-Liam Ryan.
03 CLOUDY OR BRIGHT
Overcast or cloudy conditions can be useful when you’re photographing architecture. In these conditions the light is diffused, providing even lighting without harsh shadows and highlights. Look for the light just before or just after a storm front passes. A few rays of light coming through the clouds can help you isolate your subject. Incorporating clouds as part of your image can enhance a building’s atmosphere for a dramatic effect. Buildings which reflect light from their surfaces can also be used to advantage.
By exposing your camera correctly for the brightness reflecting from the building, your shutter speed will be faster, and it will render the surrounding sky and buildings darker. This approach works well with early morning and late evening light when the sun is low on the horizon. While buildings are static remember natural elements like clouds and light are constantly changing, allowing you to create different moods and interpretations.
While buildings remain static, natural elements like clouds and light are constantly changing and can be used to provide mood and drama. Canon EOS 350D, 70-200mm lens @ 87mm, 1/500s @ f/8, ISO 100. Photo by Thomas-Liam Ryan.
04 CAMERA SETTINGS
Try to choose a low sensitivity setting to keep image noise to a minimum. As a rule I won’t go above ISO 200. With an ultra wide-angle lens I usually shoot in Aperture Priority mode set to f/8. When a faster shutter speed is needed to avoid blurry images I use an aperture of f/3.5 to f/5.6 to allow more light to hit the sensor. I always shoot in RAW so I gain full creative control in post processing. I’ll often use a single RAW file and expose different parts of the image, like the sky and building details, and then manually merge these sections in post processing to gain the so-called “correct” exposure in the final image, enhancing the overall mood of the scene.
The top floor of a building provided me with this perspective to shoot the repetitive window patterns with a zoom lens. Canon 350D, 70-200mm lens @ 172mm, 1/800s @ f8, ISO 200. Curves and levels adjustment, sharpening in Photoshop CS5. Photo by Thomas-Liam Ryan.
05 TRIPODS
A tripod is very handy for interior architecture photography because it allows you to maintain crisp, sharp lines when you’re using a small aperture (like f/11 or f/16) and a subsequently slower shutter speed. A tripod also allows you to carefully position your camera so vertical and horizontal lines are straight. Other aids to keep your camera straight include a spirit level, which can be attached to your hotshoe. Many cameras also have an inbuilt spirit level which can be activated through the ‘live view’ function. Using a tripod forces you to compose your scene with precision. Power lines, cars, tree branches, and rubbish are all elements which can get in the way of a good photo, and these can be ‘fined tuned’ out of the image by looking through your viewfinder when the camera is mounted to a tripod.
Ryan took this shot early in the morning when there were fewer cars around, allowing the building to dominate. Canon EOS 350D, 10-22mm lens @ 10mm, 1/200s @ f/8, ISO 100. Photo by Thomas-Liam Ryan.
06 CONVERT TO MONO
Clean repetitive lines, shapes and textures lend themselves to monotone conversions which add a sense of prominence and impact to elements of a structure. When using a wide-angle lens in my photos I often convert my architecture photos to monotone. I find it brings out a building’s dominating and austere qualities. Converting to monotone can emphasise a building’s presence by removing the colours of neighbouring buildings, or other parts of the scene which would distract from the photograph if it remained in colour.