Architecture Photography Composition Techniques

Exterior Architectural Photography - This kind of architectural photography takes advantage of daylight or good sources of light (ex. moonlight, ambient light from street lights and exterior lights on buildings). An exterior architectural photographer prefers scenes with good landscaping around a building. He will want to blend a structure’s aesthetics with its environment. It’s pretty much like capturing a scene in its natural element or surroundings

Always take shots showing perfect and clean lines of a building or structure. The best way to do this is to take the shot against a clear sky. The main aim of an exterior architectural photographer is to invite interest and curiosity among audiences.

Interior Architectural Photography - Although Interior Architectural Photography will also find ways to use ambient lighting (from open windows and street lights, for example), there will still be a need to add more light to the scene. This can be achieved by using supplemental lighting, the most popular of which is the flash. This is why indoor architectural photography is considered controlled photography. Take control of the situation by adjusting the lighting.

In Interior photography type, the most important element is space. This is the reason why those who take interior shots of buildings use wide-angle lens. They’ll be better able to capture the complete picture, including the aesthetic elements. A lot of them also choose to take clean, simple shots; they avoid the clutter. This greatly helps in establishing the focus and in highlighting the personality or character of a space or structure.

Basic Equipment Required

•      Camera. If using DSLR, its resolution should be at least 10 megapixels. Lens should be anywhere from 12 to 18mm.

•      Flash. Get more than one. It’s better to have extra stock

•      Tripod. Tilting and shifting the camera will not be difficult when it is mounted on a durable tripod

         

COMPOSITION

Rule of Third:

·         The “Rule of Third” identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider as you frame your image

·         If you place ‘points of interest’ in the intersections or along the lines then your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally.

Golden Triangles:

•      This rule works by having strong diagonal lines pass through the image, dividing it into three (or four) triangles. The strongest line (called a major line) divides and dominates the image diagonally. Then, from one corner, an intersecting line connects to the diagonal line perpendicularly (this is called a reciprocal line)

Golden Spirals:

•      The golden spiral, as you might guess, is a compositional tool for use with objects that have curving lines rather than straight ones. This spiral is drawn based on that complicated series of rectangles we saw above, but you can actually visualize this based on nature’s nautilus shell, which matches the golden spiral shape almost exactly. If that seems a little too convoluted to you, just look for compositions where there is a spiral that leads the eye to a particular point in the image.

Leading Lines:

•      Perspective and depth are the usual drivers for leading lines, but the more obvious definition is a scene that directs the viewer’s gaze along an intended path. In this image the fountain will lead your eyes up and towards the exit. The chairs and tables serves as the final area of focus 

Symmetry:

•      The power of the image is in the symmetry and off horizontals and verticals would have a serious impact