How to Photograph Architecture

When arriving in a new city, before even settling in at a hotel, a traveler often looks for beautiful landmarks to explore. With a camera in hand, the tourist sets out and dreams of showing friends the city’s architectural masterpieces. Unfortunately, once home, they sometimes realize that many of the photos didn’t turn out well. Below are some tips to avoid such mistakes and capture buildings in the best possible way.

Experts suggest that DSLR cameras such as Canon models are very convenient for travel photography. While relatively large in size, they deliver excellent image quality. Each building carries its own emotional impact, and depending on your creative goal, the same structure can be photographed in different ways. For example, including people or animals in the frame makes the photo feel more “alive” and dynamic. It is also recommended to leave some room for imagination – try cropping parts of the building for a more artistic effect.

Choosing the right angle is essential when photographing architecture. For instance, if you want to include some sky, shoot from a lower point. In this case, a Sony DSLR can visually elongate the building’s height. Clouds themselves play a big role in mood: dark and heavy clouds may make the photo feel gloomy, even after printing. Fortunately, this can be solved – if the current sky doesn’t suit your idea, capture the building separately and photograph the sky on another day, then merge the frames.

Even basic digital cameras can deliver excellent results that are good enough to upload to stock photo agencies, if you manage the lighting correctly. Warm, contrasting light makes shots appear fresh, bright, and sunny. Shooting in direct midday sunlight, on the other hand, reveals detailed elements of a structure’s decorations and design.

If you plan to visit a museum where photography is allowed, the same rules for photographing buildings apply. Since lighting changes throughout the day, you may need additional lighting equipment in high-contrast conditions. Supplemental lights should match the intensity of natural lighting and must not distort the furniture’s color tones.

Lens choice also affects how viewers perceive the subject. In narrow spaces, ultra-wide-angle lenses are best, as they allow more of the interior to fit into a single frame.