Architectural Photography/Photographers

Architectural Photography:
Architectural photography is the photographing of buildings and structures. Architectural photographers are skilled in specialist techniques and equipment. The first permanent architectural photo was 'View from the Window at Le Gras', taken by Nicephore Niepce. A technique used in architectural photography is the use of controlled perspective and the use of parallel lines. In most architectural photos, there will be a large depth of field, so that the whole image is in focus. Architectural photography has two parts to it; interior and exterior. Exterior photography usually takes advantage of natural light, however can use artificial light from the building itself, which would make the photo more interesting. Interior photography can also use both types of light, however photographers tend to enhance the amount of light that is in the room by adding extra lights. A wide angled lens or a fish eye lens is good for this style of photography as these lenses are able to capture the building and its surroundings. Reflections can also add dimension to a photo, making a building look bigger than it really is.

Architectural Photographers:

Steve Mayes:
Steve Mayes is an architectural photographer. In the beginning of his career he began working with film and a darkroom, and then in 2004 he began to work with digital images but his photos were predominately black and white.


This photo has been taken with a slow shutter speed and this is because the bus has a blurred effect on it because its moving, but the background is still in focus. The photo was taken in the morning because the sky is bright and white. There's not much colour in this image, which brings more attention to the moving bus.






Although I like this image, because of the reflection and the colours, I do think that there is too much sky. Having said that, I understand that the bridge is in the third half of the image which gives way for more space above the main focus, and also, the colours in the sky show a gradual darkening, showing that the photo was possibly taken in the evening with clouds. The artificial light on the bridge reflect on the water, giving a light to the water which might over wise be dark. 

This photo was taken at dawn because of the lightness of the sky, but also because of how the lights in the buildings are still on. I think that there may have been mist in the background around St Paul's as it looks slightly faded. The bridge is a leading line that stems from the right of the image, which leads to St Paul's which is on the right of the image. Not having the focal point in the middle of the image makes it more interesting to look at. 


Adam Lawrenson:
Adam Lawrenson is an architectural, commercial and fashion photographer. He has worked in the professional photography industry for twelve years. He mainly works in the UK, although more recently he has travelled abroad to take photos at dusk.  

The bridge creates a leading line making the eyes focus at the end of the bridge, at St Paul's. The lights on the bridge also create a leading line as you can follow them and end up at the same point. The colour of the sky gets brighter when it reaches the main focal point .

This panoramic photo of Canary Wharf has interesting colours in the sky, in contrast with the rest of the image. The purples and reds give a dark effect on the city which makes it interesting to look at.

This last photo is also of Canary Wharf, but a more zoomed in version. The dark blue in the sky shows that the original image was taken on a cloudy day. The buildings lights are reflected in the river but only slightly and so we can just see different colours reflected in the river.


David Gutierrez:
David Gutierrez is a London based photographer who focuses on the city, taking photos of the architecture, and the cities development and its relationship with people.

I like how Tower Bridge is reflected in the water. As it is dark, artificial lights illuminate the bridge, giving it a more interesting appearance. The bricks on the floor create leading lines, making the viewers eye travel along the road.
Most of the colours are dark and so this makes the bridge stand out more because it is the only thing that is light up. The redness of the bricks have almost been represented in the sky from the colour of the sky. The photo was probably taken on a cloudy day as the colours in the sky varies from dark to light.

Again this photo uses reflection to improve the overall image. I also find it interesting how there are only two people standing there, as the London Eye is one of the main attractions in London, so I assume that this photo was taken early in the morning as not many people are around. Again, the artificial light gives a more 'alive' feel and it makes the photo look brighter, and Gutierrez could have enhanced this in Lightroom or Photoshop.

This is a panoramic picture of the London skyline. The reflection in the Thames just reflects the lights whereas the above images show the full reflection of the main focus. The artificial lights give the skyline a bright feeling even though the image was taken in the evening.