36 Tutorials Full Of Tips For Creating Amazing Architecture Photos

 

Architecture photography is something that’s accessible to all and with so many ways to capture structures that line our streets, it’s a project that you probably won’t get bored of anytime soon. You can shoot skylines at night, look for interesting patterns in small detail, use the height of skyscrapers to add drama to your shots or how about simply making a project about your own home? Don’t just think this is a town or city project either as you’ll find interesting structures at the coast as well as statues and monuments that are well worth capturing images of. Whatever you decide to do, here are 36 tutorials crammed full of tips to help you improve your architectural photography skills. 

 

1. 6 Top Architectural Night Photography Tips

When buildings are illuminated at night their shapes and features are enhanced in a very different way than by daylight and it’s a great time to take photographs. The most challenging thing is getting the exposure and colour balance right, which we’ll help with, otherwise, the standard rules of composition apply which we’ll cover briefly first.

 

2. Tips On Taking Photos From Heights In Cities

The beauty with photography is you’re not restricted with how you can take a photograph. You can play with as many lights as you can afford, add filters, gels and play with numerous other gadgets to alter the look of your photograph. But even though there are all these toys waiting to be played with, one of the simplest ways to change the way your image looks is to get up high.
 

3. Why Stairs & Steps Draw People To Photograph Them

Stairs and steps may sound boring, however, when you start thinking about the materials they’re made from and the shapes and styles that exist, you’ll soon realise there’s plenty of steps to keep you and your camera occupied. Be it a graphical shot of an industrial set of steps leading up the side of a metal structure or a spiral staircase in a grand house, if you keep your eyes open, you’ll soon realise there are many interesting sets of steps and stairs around you that will make an interesting image.

 

4. Guide To Capturing Better City Skyline Shots

City life’s not for everyone but as the sun begins to set find yourself a vantage point where you can see most of the city skyline and you’ll soon have a photograph that may make you rethink your dislike for cities. One of the best times for photographing city skylines is when the sun’s begun to set so there’s still a touch of blue in the sky but the light’s not too harsh so make sure you’re on your chosen vantage point well before sunset.

 

Photo by Joshua Waller

 

5. Nine Top Tips For Better Bridge Photography

Most of us use bridges every single day and while it is true that many – big and small, old and new – of them aren’t worth photographing, there are a great many that are extremely photogenic. These are impressive structures that often dominate the area in which they are situated.

 

6. Capturing The Best Of Britain’s Architecture 

Britain’s bursting with structures and buildings that photographers are naturally drawn to thanks to their postcard-perfect looks and history. It also helps that many of the buildings are in locations that are perfect for a day out, making them subjects photographers can shoot and their families can enjoy too.

 

7. Master Urban Abstracts With These 8 Tips

Capture something you may not have normally noticed by shooting abstracts in the city. To help you out, here are a few tips to get you thinking more creatively about buildings and how you can focus on patterns, textures and shape rather than the structure as a whole. 

 

8. Four Top Tips On Exploring The Urban Jungle

For many of us, when we decide to get out and about with our cameras we automatically turn to the countryside. But with the majority of the population living within easy reach of a major Town or City, is that really the right decision? It’s great fun just walking around a city taking shots of literally everything but if you want to capture great images you need to go with a plan and a bag of kit including a couple of lenses and a tripod.

 

 

9. Give Your City Shots A Creative Twist With These 6 Tips

Thanks to modern architecture that favours glass and steel over bricks and mortar cities are full of reflections which give us an alternative way to photograph the places we live in. 

 

10. Five Tips On Shooting Beach Huts Shots With A Twist

Who said the buildings and structures you capture only have to be inland? Beach huts are a popular feature of the British coastline and provide photographers with colourful detail that’s often overlooked. While many of us shoot with a wide-angle and get the huts dramatically stacked in a row under a broody sky there’s an alternative option of moving in close for a more abstract shot.

 

11. Seven Easy Ways To Improve Your Stately Home Shots

Stately homes are, in many cases, open to the public. Some are still lived in, with sections cordoned off from public viewing, but the rest is accessible, often with restrictions – no touching, often no flash and sometimes no photography. For those properties that do allow photography, you have the opportunity to photograph grand designs, walls with magnificent paintings, and rooms with exquisite furniture and other items.

 

12. How To Approach Statue Photography In 5 Steps

From the earliest known relic, some 8000 years old, to the latest metallic monstrosities, statues are waiting to be photographed. You could visit a museum or sculpture park but as statues decorate our city streets, local parks and even churchyards, you don’t have to venture too far if you don’t want to. 

 

 

13. Learn How To Capture Cracking Castle Shots

Want to bring a bit of history and heritage to life? Well, capturing images of one of our many castles is a good way to start. Here are a few tips to help you perfect your castle photography technique. 

 

14. How To Capture Top Shots Of Historical Buildings

When we think of historical buildings we often think of castles and churches, but there’s much more to explore. Our towns and villages are brimming with architectural delights from banks to factories to inns and market halls, all waiting to be photographed outside and sometimes (if you’re lucky) inside. All you need is a little local knowledge

 

15. Photographing Lighthouse Details

Zooming in with a telephoto and picking on detail is fun to do, plus it’s a great way to capture lighthouse shots with an original twist. 

 

16. Five Top Tips On Photographing Bridges

Here are 5 more essential tips on photographing the bridges that dominate our towns, cities and countryside. We look at what time of day is best, what lenses to use, how to give your shots a creative edge and more. 

 

 

17. Tips On Photographing Stained Glass Windows

Stained glass windows are a photogenic subject but they can be a nightmare to photograph. Here are a few tips to help you perfect your technique.

 

18. Photographing Church Interiors

To make the most of what our churches have to offer we have to get inside them which can be trickier than you think. Larger churches and cathedrals may have photographic restrictions (a fee payable to use a tripod, no flash etc.) and certain opening hours but generally smaller, local churches are more willing to give you access any time of the day. 

 

19. Even More Tips On Creative Capturing Castle Shots 

From ruined hill forts to beautifully preserved country houses, castles provide majestic architectural delight that we look in more detail here. 

 

20. Photographing Textures On Buildings

Towns and cities are great places for hunting down textures and once you start looking at detail rather than buildings as a whole, you’ll soon find a variety of textures to fill your memory card with. Walls, steps, doors, sheds, modern metal structures, roof tiles and windows are just some of the locations you’ll find interesting textures at. 

 

 

21. Church Photography In Low Light

Turn your attention to the local church – or at least one that is lit up. Not every church is so you may have to drive around to find one if you do not already know of a suitable location.

 

22. Tips On Creating HDR Exposures In Churches

Church interiors are difficult to photograph because they usually have huge bright windows and dark nooks and crannies with the rest being a mix of tones illuminated by tungsten light or candles. Fortunately, with digital photography and modern software, there is a solution, it’s called HDR (high dynamic range) photography.

 

23. How To Shoot Wide Angle Shots In Cities And Towns

Take a short walk through your town and you’ll find a thousand and one things to photograph but instead of walking around for hours photographing trees, postboxes and buildings one at a time try getting your wide-angle lens out to capture and emphasise a wider area of the town.

 

24. Photographing Night-Time Urban Scenes

The nights are drawing in again which means most of us are now driving home from work in the dark. It’s a stark reminder that winter’s on its way but all’s not that bad as it does mean you can shoot some nighttime shots in and around your town before you head home for your evening meal.

 

 

25. Twilight City Photography Tips

Head to a city as the sun sets and get ready to capture twilight themed imagery that will give your architectural shots an interesting, creative twist. 

 

26. How To Shoot Patterns In Architecture

The key to this type of photography is to stop looking at buildings as whole structures and focus on the small pockets of interesting patterns and shapes they’re made up of. Don’t overlook the ugly looking buildings either as most of the time, once you’re zoomed in and focused on one part, you’ll find they’re perfect subjects when you’re on the hunt for architectural patterns.

 

27. Tips On Photographing Interesting Shops With Character

For a while now people have voiced how they’re bored of seeing the same line of shops in every town that have repetitive signs, the same window displays and products on offer. But even though these giants are all over the country you can still find the quirky shops with interesting frames and signs to photograph.

 

28. Tips On Photographing Your Town At Night

Here’s a quick tutorial that will show you how to photograph urban nightscapes. You’ll find kit suggestions as well as tips on how and what to take photos of. 

 

29. Infrared Architectural Photography Tips

Infrared photography isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, however, this technique can add a distinct and interesting twist to your city shots that others may not have thought of. 

 

30. Capture Shots Of Cathedrals And Churches With Ease

Here are a few things to remember when you’re heading out on your church photography day trip. Just remember to respect your surroundings when capturing these magnificent structures.  

 

31. Quick Twilight Town Photography Tips 

Everyone likes a sunset but instead of packing your gear up once the sun’s set wait around for when the sun has vanished below the horizon and you’ll have the chance to capture some really creative images.

 

32. New York Times Square Photography Tips

As Times Square is a popular location for tourists, it can be hard to shoot architectural photos that aren’t dominated by people. However, there are a few things you can do to capture shots that aren’t so focused on the people visiting this city. 

 

33. Quick Tips On Photographing The Brooklyn Bridge

Skyline shots and photos of iconic structures are something all photographers strive to shoot when in Manhattan, New York and David Clapp has headed to one of the most iconic structures in the city – Brooklyn Bridge.

 

34. Practical Photography Tips For Cities And Towns

To help you capture the magic of cities, here are a few tips on photography in general and more specific tips on photographing Krakow in particular.

 

35. Photographing Lighthouses In The Landscape

The UK’s coastline has many lighthouses which are worth a visit with your camera. Some are open to the public and are definitely worth exploring, but here we discuss using lighthouses within the wider landscape.

 

36. Pier Photography Tips 

You can’t visit a seaside town that has a pier without photographing this interesting and often historic architectural structure that heads out to sea.