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There is one subject that is in abundance all around us (unless you live on a desert island), architecture. Look around you, offices, bridges, houses, museums, the list is endless. Next time you are wondering what you can capture next, go out and have a go at architecture…..

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Whether you live in a sprawling city or a tiny village, there are buildings and structures.  You may drive past a certain building or bridge etc every day on the way to and from work.  Next time you drive past it, stop and have a closer look to plan how you can capture most effectively what caught your eye in the first place.

Take a look at the building from all angles and, if possible, take a look from the roof down.  Consider the time of day that would suite the shot best.  As buildings have windows it may be worth waiting for the sun or even moon to be reflected in order to add a bit more to the photograph.  Take a look at the building from a far, if the outline of the building is an interesting shape then a silhouette shot may compliment the overall effect.

Buildings at night take on a completely different look.  Lights and shadows add to the overall scene and offer opportunities for different effects such as ‘bokeh’ or light trails.  Remember that if you do go for night shots you will require a tripod due to the increased exposure times required.

Obviously make sure that you are allowed to enter the premises if it is private and DO NOT trespass.

If the building’s surroundings tell a story or compliment the general feel of the location then consider including it in the shot, for instance a church may be complimented by it’s graveyard and a museum photograph may look better if you include the steps that lead up to it’s entrance.

Perfect examples of this are light houses where there are usually cliffs in the foreground or background, churches (graveyard) and stately homes which often have lots of landscaped gardens an statues.

Go Inside

Interiors of buildings are often more interesting that the exteriors.  light, shadow, colours and textures all play a part inside and make for great images.  Churches and museums often have interesting interiors and stained glass windows can smother the scene with vivid colours from the sun shining through.

Modern buildings often have an abundance of glass which, in turn offers reflections and shapes to concentrate on (a polarizer filter will help to control and also enhance these reflections.

HDR is often a good choice for interiors as it captures high, mid and low tones and can create stunning photo’s.

Other Structures

Bridges, statues, piers etc all offer great photographic opportunities.  Again the above applies to all of these locations but for piers especially, you have the added bonus of the see or river and, IF SAFE, yo can also get underneath them for the structure itself.

CityScapes

If you can get up high enough and have a city near by, why not go for a whole lot of architecture in one go!! Some inspiration can be found here.  Using several shots and ‘stitching’ them together as a panorama is a great technique to capture large scenes like cityscapes, a tutorial regarding this technique can be found here.  Alternatively there is software available that will stitch several images together and adjust the tones so that all photos in the panorama match, one such package is AutoPano Pro.

Abandoned Buildings

Abandoned building offer a different angle as they are often decaying and sometimes a bit creepy.  Items that are left in the building offer interesting subjects and the eerie nature of the location adds interest to the photograph.

My previous post about Hellingly Asylum may help to give you some inspiration when it comes to derelict buildings.

Remember to be careful though and make sure you are allowed to enter the premises and that it is SAFE.

Equipment

For daytime shots you don’t NEED any specialist equipment other than the camera.  A wide angle lens is an advantage as it will capture more of the scene but if you do not have one of these then you can always take a series of shots and create a panorama in post processing.

A polarizer and ND filter are also a ‘nice to have’ but not essential.

For internal shots it is an advantage to take an external flash and diffuser but, again, during the day these are not essential as there should be enough light for your photogrpahs.

For night time shots and cityscapes a tripod is essential as the shutter speed will be slower.  A torch is also a good idea, not only to see where you are going but also for a bit of light painting for those long exposure shots.

Preview image by MarcelGermain