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Architecture, in some form, is everywhere we are. It determines the environments in which we live, work, and play and helps shape our cultural identity. Because of this, photographing architecture is accessible. You rarely need permission to photograph a building; you can do it just for the pleasure of it.
Beyond buildings being everywhere, they can also be interesting. They can be a work of art, or even an engineering marvel, with patterns and quirks that you start to see the longer you look at them.
I’d say architectural photography is my favourite genre. Buildings don’t talk back or move, and you can revisit them as often as you like. They are also generally easy and satisfying to photograph, so if you’re shooting a famous landmark, your local town or a tourist hotspot, the same principles apply, and here they are.
Head over to the gallery to see more examples of architectural photography and the types of buildings I like to shoot.
1 | Pick the Right Building
Not all buildings are created equal. Some look better than others, and some lean more towards your tastes than others. Consider two buildings next to one another. One offers an impressive façade, and the other doesn’t. Pick the one that catches your eye for some reason. You can even pick an architectural style, like Brutalism in London, and go seek out those buildings.
It’s also worth thinking about what story the building tells, its history, or perhaps even its future. Is it industrial, ornate, neglected, futuristic, or about to be developed? A strong theme gives your pictures more purpose than just “here’s a building.”
2 | Think about Symmetry and Composition
If I weren’t a photographer, I think I’d like to have been an architect, so I like to respect the architects’ designs in my work. After all, they’ve done the hard work for you by designing a building that attracts your attention. All you have to do is present it in the most flattering way. Strong composition helps here, and if the building is symmetrical, you will be doing the architect a solid by photographing it exactly dead-centre to enhance the symmetry.
On this note, I find nothing more frustrating than when town planners place a street sign, lamp post, or bus stop in the middle of a fabulous building, ruining the view of the façade. This isn’t something you really notice until you start taking pictures of buildings, then it starts to drive you insane.
However, if you can’t avoid the clutter, you have to embrace it. Sometimes a lamp post or bus stop can add scale or contrast. The key is your intention. Either work around distractions or use them deliberately in your imagery.
3 | Work Around Your Subject
Considering the compositional options, it’s time to work around your subject. Scrutinise the imagery on your camera, looking for fine details such as symmetry issues. It often takes time and effort to reach a site, so make sure you have the shots you need before you leave.
Walk the full 360° around the building, if possible. Buildings often have a “public face” and a “working face,” and the latter can be as interesting to photograph. Also, pay attention to your distance from the building. This distance affects perspective, which defines spatial relationships, depth, and scale.
It’s also worth researching the buildings you are interested in to see which angles have already been identified. That way, you can get to where you need to be quicker.
4 | Look For the Details
Once you’ve worked around the exterior of the building, it’s time to delve into the details to bring it to life. I love the details of buildings, and your curiosity will help to find them.
Think about patterns, materials, shapes, textures and craftsmanship. A single window frame, a repeating pattern, or concrete shapes can tell you as much about a building as the grand façade. These are also the shots that help tell the building’s tale, and they are the ones I really love. Isolating the details is my favourite part of architectural photography.
5 | Consider the Perspective
A good-looking building still looks good at eye level. However, changing the height or the distance at which you take the picture can add some interest or even a bit of depth. Try shooting from low down to exaggerate scale, or find a higher vantage point or put some distance between you and the subject to flatten perspective to find patterns you might not otherwise see.
Perspective isn’t just a technical element of photography. It’s an emotional and compositional tool. Shooting from below can make a building feel powerful and imposing, while shooting from above can make it feel more approachable. Or, shooting from a greater distance to isolate details can compress features, resulting in fine-art abstract imagery.
6 | Shoot Wider Than You Think
Typically, good architectural photography presents vertical elements of buildings, such as walls, perfectly upright. Unless you have a specialist lens that handles this in-camera, such as a tilt-shift lens, allow yourself some flexibility by shooting wider than you typically might. Modern sensors give you plenty of resolution and flexibility in the crop, so use them to your advantage. Shooting wide also helps with the next step.
7 | Edit Verticals Vertical
When editing your architectural imagery, use the crop and geometry tools to adjust the uprights. In Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom, there are automatic guides to help you. They are auto, horizontal, vertical, horizontal & vertical, and manual. The latter is where you draw the lines to set what you want as horizontal and vertical.
I’ve found these auto-settings to be hit-or-miss. Sometimes they nail it; sometimes they need a tiny tweak with the other tools under the Manual Transformation tab; and sometimes they do a terrible job, and you wonder what on earth is going on.
Remember, some buildings are old and wonky, some are just wonky, and your lenses have imperfections that can cause distortion. This can be corrected to an extent in the edit, but don’t be disappointed if everything doesn’t line up perfectly.
Like with lots of things in photography, sometimes things look great just the way they are, so don’t worry too much if the verticals aren’t vertical, as long as the image looks balanced.
8 | Look For the Light
Light can be the difference between a flat shot and something with atmosphere, or it can even be the killer if the sun is in the wrong place. Early morning and late afternoon may offer longer shadows and texture, while midday sun can cast harsh shadows to enhance contrast, and overcast days are ideal for clean, shadowless façades. Patience is your friend here, and you may even have to revisit the same place more than once to get what you need.
9 | People or No People?
I like to add people where I can. Sometimes they are added for compositional intent, and sometimes they add a little extra interest. We are, as humans, interested in other humans, after all.
Adding people to the shot can also help convey proportion and scale, showing the size of a structure, or adding a crowd can show how a space is used. And if you want the building to stand alone, wait for a quiet moment or use a long exposure to blur people out of the frame. Think about the purpose of the buildings and your imagery, and whether people help tell that story or distract from it.
I also enjoy a bit of street photography, and including people in the frame can be fun. It helps make the transition from architectural photography to street photography.
10 | Consider Zoom Lenses Over Primes
I shoot some architectural work with prime lenses, but most of it is taken with the Fujifilm 16-55mm f/2.8 and 50-140mm f/2.8. Not only do I like the flexibility of the zoom lenses, but I like the reach of the 50-140mm and the compression it provides. But without doubt, a zoom lens is something worth considering. That’s not to say primes aren’t useful and can’t do the job, but zooms offer you something primes don’t. You may have the perspective and angles just right, but the prime is either too tight or too wide. A zoom lens can offer you just the flexibility you need.
11 | Add Your Style
This is where your personality comes in. Maybe you prefer bold contrast, muted tones, abstract shapes, or a documentary feel. Architectural photography isn’t just about accuracy; it’s also about interpretation. Once you’ve mastered the technical side, lean into what excites you. That’s what makes your work recognisable.
For me, getting as far away as possible is my style. Long lenses help with compression and the uprights. However, a super-wide angle may be your thing. The idea would be to show the building in a way you might not otherwise see it. That could be achieved with a long lens to isolate elements, or with a wide-angle lens to exaggerate angles and perspectives.
This is also the point where you want to consider the edit. Consistency is key: keeping crops, colours, and tones in line to provide a strong set of images that work well together.
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