Architecture Preview #2

1. Details - Wide shots of the entire building often don't give you a full sense of the character of a structure. The best way is often to get close (either literally or with telephoto lens) and get nice shots of the little details that make a building special.

2. Light - The way that light interacts with and travels through a building is a big part of the mood of a building. By finding areas where natural and artificial light create dramatic scenes, and photographing these with a slow shutter speed (tripod is helpful) a photographer can capture the light as it defines the building.

3. Patterns - Repeated patterns often define the large interior and exterior spaces of a building. By framing a shot so as to maximize the effects of repeated lines, structures and shapes, a photographer can capture the visual rhythm of a building.

4. Angles and shapes- Anything other than a right angle or a rectangular shape is worth photographing, and right angles can even be interesting if photographed well. Buildings are a collection of shapes. Photographers should look at them that way and emphasize interesting geometry whenever possible.

5. Surroundings - Buildings exist in a setting, and that setting helps to define the story of the building. Is the building in harmony with its surroundings or does it stick out like a sore thumb. If your shooting a wide exterior shot of a building, try to show how it interacts with the surroundings. Consider framing the building with its surroundings.