From the Archive………… -Learning- ........ Photographing Architecture

From the Archive.............

-Learning-........

Photographing Architecture

 .....

Similar to other subjects, beautiful buildings (especially historical structures, old religious edifices etc.) offer us good opportunities to get excellent pictures. Various places of our planet are rich in gorgeous architectures. These structures attract a photo artist at first sight and he/she wishes to shoot them at his/her best. A few points can help us representing an attractive architecture brilliantly:

1. Lighting plays a vital role. Sun light of early morning and late evening is ideal for our purpose as this light falls on a subject at low angle and creates long shadows. This adds depth to a structure and on the other hand highlights the dimensions. Moreover this type of light brings out the details of the subject. If falling on the subject from one side, this light helps in producing superior images.

2. Good equipment is an essential factor for our intention. So we should choose a camera with all necessary features. The most important thing is selection of right lens. A normal lens is ideal for our purpose. This helps out in avoiding distortion in our images. Sometimes it becomes difficult to cover a structure from one edge to another due to the lack of space. In such case a wide angle lens is of great use. But a wide angle lens tends to distort the image. This problem can be overcome by not going very close to the subject. A perspective correction lens can also help us avoiding distortion. We can also get rid of the distortion in our image with the help of editing software like Adobe Photoshop.

3. Composition is an imperative aspect in architectural photography. We must always aim at simple and aesthetic composition. Shooting a building straight way is not enough. Our aim should be to make an interesting photograph. We should try to involve the surroundings also in our photograph along with the major subject. Involving trees, plants, human beings, etc. in the frame adds meaning to our photograph.
4. In order to show maximum parts of a building in focus with ultimate depth, we have to use a small aperture (22, 16 or 11).

5. Shooting the whole structure of a building is not necessary in every case. Sometimes a specific part of the building can provide a good image. The presentation depends on our approach. Few buildings are rich in artistic forms. If we shoot these forms aesthetically, we are sure of getting outstanding pictures.

6. Sky has an important role in architectural photography. We should avoid flat and dull sky. Rich blue sky is always ideal and if the sky has patches of clouds too, we are lucky enough to get a decent shot. Flying birds (if we luckily get) in the sky also give strength to our photograph.

 7. Sometimes we can get good images during the night when a particular building is decorated with colourful lights or illuminated well with any source of light. While doing so we should always rest the camera on a sturdy tripod.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma