Tasty tips on how to snap attractive buildings .
Photographing a building can be mistaken for something that is quite easy when in reality there are many factors to consider. With any luck, if it’s a building worth photographing the architects will have considered how the light bounces on it which will make photographing a lot easier. Important historic buildings are typical of this . When space was plentiful and money was for certain people, lords would build their houses to perfect specifications with the sun often rising in front of the house, meaning that the nicest side was always lit or at least ideally lit for part of the day.
Sadly for us, not every building has the luxury of being able to face the sun and optimise its lighting. With everyone wanting to build in the same area, space is sparse and buildings often get squeezed in close together. Cities are a good example of this. Skyscrapers are very difficult as well because they are surrounded by other skyscrapers and getting your skyscraper into the picture without the others is either impossible or very tricky. This is why in many cities you see competition between businesses for who can build the biggest building, everyone wants to stand out in a crowd.
My five bits of advice on how to photograph buildings:
Get down there
To get the best results it is critical to visit the venue before you photograph it, this way you can understand the best times to capture the atmosphere you need!
Nature’s Light bulb
The lighting for any photo is critical but with a building it is quite often out of your control. It is all about timing, you need to find out when the sun will fall upon the building in the way you want so that you can get there and capture the images exactly how you want them.
Weather
Come rain or shine the weather is a great way to set a mood. For those of us in less sunny Climes a gorgeous blue sky doesn’t come often enough but is much treasured when it arrives. On the other side of the coin some fantastically moody imagery can be captured by utilising a Stormy sky, the more dramatic than better, you just need to work with what you’ve got.
Foreground activity
Try to think outside the box and bear in mind what might be going on in the image other than just your building. An idyllic, peaceful, country hotel would work best shot with nothing detracting in the foreground however a busy London cafe would need lots of life around it. Before you go to take the image, have a good think about what it is you want the image to say about the building you are photographing.
Good things come to those who wait
The game a photography is a game of waiting, unfortunately the best images don’t just hang around. Give the settings and environment time, have patience and you will be rewarded with some great imagery at the end of the shoot.
So there you have it, five tips for photographing a building. The main thing I would like you to remember about these five tips is that particularly with buildings researching the subject beforehand is the best way to get great results.
Yours sincerely
Adam Barnes curator of Venue Shire
