Architectural Photography
Arch of Defense, Paris - Dutch Design 1980 - Furturistic
Class 1
Intro - A Brief History and Important Players
Julius Shulman (1910 - 2009)- probably the most famous Architectural Photographer, most prolific and well known for his work of mid century architecture; Modernism. He is Best known for his :Case Study House #22 in Los Angeles 1960. Many of his photos have become iconic particularly the Frank Loyd Wright photos. There is a really good documentary about the life and work of Julius Shulman called Visual Acoustics, he is still living and interviewed throughout the documentary along with many of the architects whos work he photographed, such as Frank Gehry
Julius Shulman (1910 - 2009)- probably the most famous Architectural Photographer, most prolific and well known for his work of mid century architecture; Modernism. He is Best known for his :Case Study House #22 in Los Angeles 1960. Many of his photos have become iconic particularly the Frank Loyd Wright photos. There is a really good documentary about the life and work of Julius Shulman called Visual Acoustics, he is still living and interviewed throughout the documentary along with many of the architects whos work he photographed, such as Frank Gehry
Iwan Baan - Living Today, Dutch Photographer. He is known for sort of mixing street photography and Architectural Photography, not representing building as isolated from their environment but representing people in the work also, to produce a narrative and story of the structures. In his work you certainly see contemporary practices of photographing architecture. In 2010 he won the Julius Shulman award.
Bernice Abbott - 1898 - 1991 A portrait photographer but also did extensive architectural works particularly of New York. Her work is very historically valuable in documenting the transformation of New York. Her work is important as a sociological study.
Grand Central Station 1936
1936
Edward Burtynsky - still living born 1955. Canadian Photographer and Artist photographed industrial spaces. Really facinating documentary about him called Manufacturing Spaces. Architectural images that include the people who work in them, the conditions. A juxtaposition of beauty and destruction and out present world.
- Like any other type of photography you do Architecture is abut telling a story about a place, where it lives, how it makes you feel, its scale, is it a home, is it a place people work, what features about it make it unique, is it meant to be impressively modern or a humble dwelling, always keep in mind what it is and shoot it focusing on that. Tell the story.
Equipment Needed
Camera Body (obviously) Current (preferably) (recommended you shoot in RAW)
A few different lenses - wide angles are good but also prime 50mm and 35mm are good for straight lines and avoiding distortion.
* really wide angel lenses, 16mm or wider, create a lot of distortion and can make lines and angles really exaggerated, some clients like that but other clients want the structures to be totally true to life, so you wan tto be careful about using those lenses.
I use a wide zoom 16mm - 24mm
A pretty standard zoom 24-70mm
and two prime lenses a 50mm and 35mm
Off Camera Flash
tripod
remote control
strobes with soft boxs and umbrellas (for interior, exteriors are shot with natural light)
Photoshop and light-room
you may need to stage interiors - you may need to hire someone for this as it's a totally separate skill set to photography
Class 1
Today's focus will be on architectural photography - exterior - planning for the shoot
There are really three parts to shooting an architecture assignment - all parts are really important.
- planning the shoot
- shooting it
- post process
Getting hired to shoot a building - the scope of the work and how to price it
the difference between real estate photography, architectural photography, and interior design photography
Scouting
When shooting a structure you may shoot it at two times of day - Daytime and Dusk
Like any other types of photography you want to avoid shooting something when the sun is directly above it, generally this is between 11am and 4pm or so depending on the time of the year.
You are scouting to see how the sun is treating this building and at what times - some times are better than others.
Some clients, I have one in particular, who likes a night time shot of their buildings. Some structures look great at night with the buildings all lite up from the interior and the street light activity around it.
When i am assigned a building I typically give the client 2 times of day and so I scout for the times of day when the building is front lite and the sky behind it is at it's most blue, maybe even with big fluffy clouds.
and I scout it at dusk, especially if the sun sets behind the buildings facade, so I can get a great sunset behind the building shot.
If the sun is setting in-front of the house the sky at dusk will be a deep blue and the front of the house will be very warm - very pretty also
extra consideration when scouting - check the weather
Ideal weather condition for shooting architecture is sunny, clear skies, with clouds is nice
other types of photography partly cloudy and even overcast is good, particularly portraiture and outdoor events
But with Architecture overcast is terrible, the worst
BUT a rain day can produce the most colorful and extraordinary sunsets, so if I see a rainy morning or day in my shooting week, that is the evening I will go shoot my dusk shot for the building.
example of shooting a building at 2 different times of day
This is an example of a rainy day turning into an interesting looking sunset
Assignment for Week 1 - this week I just want you to select you structure, it can be a house, a church, an office building, a strip mall...whatever you like. I want you to get to know the structure, scout it. See how the sun hits it at different times of the day and note what times it looks its best, the times when the front of it is most nicely lit and when the sky behind it is looking its best. Take some test shots,. Go ahead and look at all angels of it and get a feel for it, thinking about what lenses would be best for it, evaluating the space and other things surrounding it. you don't need to make the photos look pro for this, this is just a scout. Nest week we will be talking about how to shoot it.
Class 2 - Composing and Shooting your Building
The Eggersman House Shot at 3 times of day - day time, twilight, and dusk
Composition
Single Point Perspective: is a composition method, and artistic principle, that shows how things appear to get smaller as they get further away, converging towards a single 'vanishing point' on the horizon line. Makes things look three-dimensional and powerful. The eye likes symmetry.
2 Point Perspective: Vertical is near or on the center. It often has two vanishing points. Often used when you are showing context, where your structure lives. Or shooting at an angel
3 Point Perspective: Three Point Perspective is most commonly used when shooting buildings viewed from a low or high eye-level. Not an extremely popular way to shoot for architects as it creates a lot of distortion. It naturally suggests the scale of a tall building, it's grandiosity. it can add to a narrative of reaching for the sky or enormity and power. Three point perspective is also used when shooting an object from a high eye level, from above. It creates the illusion of looking down from a high viewpoint.
From here as you go up to 5 point and 6 point perspective things get really wild and now you're in the fish eye area. Which is pretty cool.
Architectural Details: Very common for interiors but also something to pay attention to when shooting exteriors. These images tend to be more artistic and supplemental. Clients typically really appreciate these images.
Shooting your building - What you'll need for post
Most of the time you will need multiple exposures of whatever you are shooting, interior or exterior. Exteriors the sky the front of the building, the interior ambient light of the building and the foreground of the building may and will likely all require different exposures. Interiors are similar especially if there are windows showing the exterior. Shooting on a tripod is absolutely necessary for all of these images to later sync up in post production. The slightest change in perspective can make your life very difficult later. With interiors you may need have natural light in one area but need to add light to another area with a strobe. Shooting those interior details a strobe really comes in handy so you can light them up almost like you would a product photo.

Assignment Class 2 - Go back to the building you scouting and test shot and shoot it from multiple perspective, capture some details and get multiple exposures for post of interiors or exteriors.
Class 3 - Architectural Interior Photography - using natural light
- Again it's about story telling, what is the intention of the space, a goal would be realism, your audience will project themselves into the space. Shooting with natural light will tell an honest story about the space, this is how it is to experience this space. Utilize the ambient light as well, turning on lamps, chandeliers, fireplaces, etc.
- Just like shooting exteriors scouting an planning the shoot is time well invested. You don't want to show up for a shoot and spend a lot of time shooting willy nilly. You want to know in advance of the shoot how the light works in the space at certain times of day.
- Interior light is a little different than other types of photography, although front light is great for portraits and exteriors of buildings, it is not ideal for interiors as it flattens space out and side light emphasizes textures and shapes. Side light is best for interiors.
- Dont be afraid to do long exposures or using shallow depth of field