A few weeks ago I introduced you to the world of architecture with this article. Today I bring you 17 photographs to inspire you and make you want to go get your camera and put into practice the advice I gave you in it. Because, as you can see, you can also achieve results like these once you know the keys.
I hope that at the end of this article you decide to launch yourself into trying this photographic discipline if you haven’t already done so, or return to the task if you had forgotten it a bit. What I know for sure is that you are going to enjoy these images that I bring you. Settle in!
1. Black and white
If I start with black and white, it is because in architecture you will mainly find lines, geometries, silhouettes and the contrast of shadows as protagonists. And, coincidentally, to all these protagonists black and white favors them in an amazing way.
2. A matter of perspective
In all aspects of life, the perspective from where you look is crucial. In architecture too. Normally we go looking forward (or at the ground), do a neck exercise and look up from time to time and you will find real treasures. Or down, but not towards the ground when you go down the street, but when you are at the top of a building, a bridge, etc.
3. Vanishing point
Where all the lines of the image come together is called the vanishing point. Learn to get the best out of it, place your center of interest there and you will catch the viewer’s gaze like honey to a bear ;).
4. Patterns
One way to direct the eye and add rhythm to the image is through patterns or groups of elements that are repeated in a sequence. Look for these patterns and learn to print the rhythm you want, architecture is full of them!
5. Environment
A good architect will ensure that his project is integrated into the environment in some way. Capture the building or construction including its surroundings to give more meaning to the image.
6. Highlights
The reflections like, it is like that. Now the reasons do not matter, but it is a resource that you can use to make your architectural photography. Mirrors, crystals, ponds, lakes or puddles can be used to capture your image, create symmetries or whatever your creativity dictates.
7. Nature setting
In architecture you can also find countless natural settings to highlight your center of interest. Open your eyes wide, you will see them!
8. Sensations
With photography we can transmit emotions, infect the viewer with the emotion we want. Do not think that this does not apply to architectural photography because it also happens. Colour, perspective, lines, light… are tools that you can combine to cause the sensations you want. What does this image convey to you? Surely not stress, right? 😉
9. Abstraction
You can always isolate a small part of the architectural work to achieve an abstraction. Architecture can offer you much more than photos of buildings. A sample:
10.Textures
Do not you seem to notice the touch of these “bubbles”? Take a good look, you will surely find a lot of textures. Attention to light, it can help you highlight them very well. Black and white too ;).
11. Bad weather…
… good face (and good photos). Fog, rain, cloudy days… what may seem like an excuse to stay home with your camera safely away is actually a reason to go out and take photos. You will not regret ;).
12. Minimalism
How many times have you heard or read that less is more? Well that. Sometimes too little is enough and too much is too much. Remember when you photograph architecture.
13. Long exposure
From the traffic lights to the silky water to the trails of people on the move; you can combine the effects of long exposure to enrich your architectural photography.
14. Human Element
Don’t forget the human element when photographing architecture, it will help you bring dynamism, show scale or have a center of interest.
15. Interiors
And don’t forget to visit the interiors of the buildings either. This is also architecture ;).
16. Life
Architecture is designed by and for man, to use it, inhabit it, enjoy it. It’s okay to show the buildings, their beauty, the details, their relationship with light, etc. But we cannot forget that they have a soul, that many are inhabited and that they speak for themselves, they tell stories. Be the writer of these stories with your camera as a pen.
17. Stairs
Straight, elongated, square, round, spiral, modern, antique, old or new, the stairs have a “I do not know what” so photogenic that they are irresistible. The key is in the composition (and in the light, of course). If you manage both, there will be no ladder that can resist you!
I hope that these images have inspired you to take to the streets to photograph the architecture that surrounds you. Everything built by the hand of man is architecture. Prettier or uglier, but that doesn’t matter, because as a photographer you have a mission, a capacity, to see beauty even where it doesn’t exist, you can find it even in the most inhospitable places, you just have to look with your heart and with your eye as a photographer ;).
Take another look at these images, take your time, then get out there with your camera and put these tips to work. oh! But first, do not forget to share this article on your favorite social networks, some of your contacts are sure to be eager for inspiration, do not deprive them of this architectural shot. Thanks and see you soon.