Architectural photography is one of the great passions of many people, but it also poses some challenges. Different textures can look strange on smartphones, and taking unique photos around famous locations can be difficult. However, some tricks can be used to take better architectural photos.
1. Take wide-angle photos of many buildings
When you think of architectural photography, you mainly think of shooting a building, right? If so, rethink this approach. If you often capture many buildings in your smartphone photos, taking wide-angle photos is completely reasonable.
Smartphone camera lenses usually have a wide angle by default, but if possible, you should zoom out further than the default. For example, when taking photos on an iPhone, details often look much better at 0.5x than normal. This is a turning point for skyline photography in particular.
You should also think about how the buildings fit together. For example, if there is architecture on both sides of the street, look for symmetry. Use many photography rules to enhance your smartphone photography (including architectural photography), such as standard lines.
2. Include water in photos when possible
Include canals and rivers in your photos, especially when buildings are reflected in the water. Many people enjoy taking photos of harbor areas along the coast for exactly this reason; The sea often balances everything out beautifully.
You can approach it in many ways. While some may want to adopt more of a Wes Anderson-style minimalist frame, others may go the exact opposite way and include as much as possible. The only thing to remember is to stop and think about the scene before taking a photo.
3. Take photos of colorful buildings
Some colors make a big difference. When traveling, try to find beautiful views with colorful buildings. Another benefit is that these colors often complement each other, meaning you can automatically apply color theory.
Sometimes, try taking photos of colorful buildings from a wide perspective. However, you can also shoot multiple buildings side by side, get closer, and point the camera up. Another one of the favorite layouts is when all the roofs are the same color.
4. Look for unique angles and patterns
Sticking to one viewpoint is one of the biggest urban photography mistakes to avoid, and this is especially true of architectural photography. Try to explore every possibility. Even if you see the same building many times, you'll probably find a unique corner that you wouldn't normally notice.
In addition to looking up, you can take photos of the buildings from their angles. Another alternative to consider is to photograph only part of a building – for example, you could photograph just a church spire or a skyscraper's antenna. Some buildings also have tiles and other textures worth photographing.
5. Turn on the camera grid
You should enable the camera grid for all types of smartphone photography, but this is especially necessary when taking architectural photos. Trying to guess what a building will look like on your phone is quite difficult, and often the results are suboptimal because of this.
Turning on the camera grid only takes a few seconds, but will bring huge benefits. If you plan to use different layouts, enabling the camera grid will also make things infinitely easier. Knowing the best smartphone camera grid will also help you take your photography game to the next level.
6. Shape analysis
Even the dullest buildings have interesting shapes worth analyzing. Different window patterns; Many modern structures have fresh layouts, while older buildings often have a charm that cannot be replicated. The balcony is also quite interesting for taking photos.
You should also look for different door shapes and consider how you can make them look more interesting. Roof shapes can also be interesting and you should also look for vibrant exteriors like stacked cubes.
7. Include people in architectural photos
Even though architectural photography is very different from street photography, sometimes it's still fun to include people in photos where the building is the main focus. However, reduce their proportions in architectural photography. Doing so makes it easier to show off how small they are compared to the structure.
Many photographers like to include people in architectural photos because they help tell the story better. This is especially true in crowded cities or famous locations with many tourists. Doing so will automatically yield a unique perspective.
8. Change phone filters depending on architecture type
The photo filters on your smartphone make a big difference depending on lighting conditions, but they're also good for capturing different types of architecture. For example, if you want to take photos of colorful buildings, use Vivid to make them look more colorful. Meanwhile, architectural photos taken on rainy days will look better with more dramatic filters.
On the other hand, it's a good idea to experiment with warmer or cooler tones for modern buildings. Depending on the lighting present in the photo, along with the color of the building itself. Besides using camera filters, you can also use many mobile apps that provide creative photo effects.
Although taking architectural photos with a smartphone is difficult, there are a few things you can do to take better photos. Enabling the camera grid is an easy solution, but you should also think about the different filters available on your phone. And finding unique perspectives will help you take more interesting photos than everyone else.
