Architectural photography is something that many of us try at some point in our photographic lives. I certainly have, on a number of occasions, although the results have never really been that good.
No doubt I’ll give it another go the next time I find myself in some beautiful town or city. But this time, I’ll have a few words of architectural wisdom from the guys at COOPH. In this video, they offer up seven tips to help us improve our architectural photography efforts.
- Compose with solid lines – Solid lines allow us to frame and block out our shot, while also offering leading lines to the main point of interest.
- Shoot upward – When you’re in a city with tall buildings, don’t forget to look up. I’d probably forget photoshopping planes into the shot, though.
- Capture curvature – Just like lines, curves can also lead towards your point of interest and accentuate form or frame your subject.
- Shoot wide – Wide angles offer some fantastic views of architecture, and allow you to capture a lot of unusual detail.
- Compose with negative space – Buildings can be quite large and foreboding. Negative space can help balance things back out.
- Abstract patterns – Search for regular and repeated patterns in the architecture. They can make for very pleasing compositions.
- Create symmetry – Symmetry in photographs often presents a mood of calmness and serenity.
I think I’m going to have to jot down some notes before the next time I head into the city with my camera.
