Architectural photography or building photography is a work of photography that can display not only the importance of documentation but also aesthetics in terms of architecture, art, expression, communication, ethics, imagination, abstraction, reality, emotion, harmony, drama, time and honesty and implied dimensions. Not only does it display beauty in terms of architecture, but in architectural photography, it also pays attention to the rules of photography itself.
What is architectural photography used for?
Old buildings are not dilapidated buildings. The building contains many historical traces, both in terms of architecture, the pattern of work when the building is in use, up to the evidence of the past success of an old building. Preserving cultural heritage buildings can be done in many ways. One of them is to capture it in the form of a photo and make it a work that has aesthetic value so that it can attract the attention of others to preserve it. It even becomes a promotional material for cultural heritage itself.
In general, architectural photography can be divided into 3 Categories
- Exterior Architecture Photography
Exterior photography is photography that aims to photograph the exterior of the building. The exterior describes the exterior details of the building itself. Describes the beauty of man-made buildings, bridges, and others
- Interior Architecture Photography
Interior photography is recording the shape of the interior of a building. The Interior is more focused on interior details. Interior photography can show the beauty and luxury of the layout.
- Architectural detail photography
Architectural Detail photography is a portrait of certain parts that are considered special of a building or highlight the unique things that exist in a building. Not every building has beauty when taken as a whole, sometimes the details of the building itself can be an impressive work.
Concept
Before producing work, it is a good idea for a photographer to first determine the concept as to what he will produce. Photos of the shape of the building, photos of the interior of the building, or detailed photos of the building will be the result of the snapshot. Because the result will affect the next 2 aspects (lighting and composition in the frame taken). Sometimes a building is interesting when taken as a whole, but there is also an interesting building if it is taken segment by segment only. For that, the photographer must be able to read and be able to take it into account.
This will be greatly influenced by the ability to see a photographer. For example, a poorly maintained old building, sometimes when we take a picture we actually feel that the photo produced is something flat, but when we take only a certain cement, it turns out that the object becomes an interesting part to see.
Composition
The next thing to note when capturing something is the composition/arrangement of the object that will appear in the frame to be recorded. The Vertical and Horizontal position of the object we are about to take should be something we really need to pay attention to.
With the capture that will be taken, it turns out that different impressions and messages will be obtained from an object. The impression of tall buildings and wide buildings will disappear when taken cropping with different emphasis. In addition to the changing position, the part of the building that is taken will also be very different in effect from the actual object.
Therefore, when taking a picture of an object it is best to first observe the entire part of the building to find what is the priority of an object or what is the most prominent of an object so that a photographer will be able to record and capture in a frame selected to communicate an Architecture photography object.
7 Ways to avoid or reduce failure in architecture photography
- Architecture Photography angle
The architectural photography angle of a building determines the success of Architecture photography. So experiment from different angles, then move to another place, until you find satisfactory results.
- Light and Shadow
light and shadow can add to the attractiveness of your architectural Photography. Sometimes this light and shadow itself have been taken into account by the architecture to add to the charm of the building. For example Taj Mahal in India. This historic building is indeed built in accordance with the reflection of sunlight that falls on the beautiful building so that at dawn the gradation that occurs on the building is red and in line with the movement of the sun, the building reflects different gradations of light. So photographing this building is a challenge and even an obsession for many photographers.
- Reflection of the building
If the building is located on the edge of a lake or river, then use this effect. The result of the reflection of the building reflected in the water can give an aesthetic value to the photo.
- Abstract Intake
The architecture of the building, if observed from several angles will look abstract. It is clear that this is a design problem for the architect. But it can also add great value to the photo. Usually, this abstraction is combined with overlapping lines. Here it is necessary to pay close attention because sometimes the abstraction of an architectural building can also interfere with the Architecture photography taken.
- Perspective dimension game
Perspective dimension games can also highlight an architectural building. Maybe we remember the art of drawing lessons at school, where we were told to add dimensional value to an image with the help of certain lines. For example with the help of a horizontal line from a street, or assisted with Vanishing Point. This perspective dimension can help highlight architectural objects.
- Framing
If we make Architecture photography a building in favorable weather, the resulting image is usually monotonous at the time. Therefore, look for additional objects that can be framed for the building, for example, twigs, trees, lights, and so on.
- Night photography
Taking in at night will usually highlight an architectural building, as usually the building will be bathed in light while its surroundings are black. The elegance of the building is even more prominent.
