Architectural photography is that kind of photography which has usually been pretty self-selecting. Before there was digital photography, people invested extreme amounts of patience and attention into the detailing and technical precision of good architectural photography. But, since the last decade, the evolution of digital photography has made the process a whole lot smoother. It has led to the facility of architectural photographers to work much faster, deliver tons of finished images and keep the clients satisfied. What used to earlier end up in the dustbin, can now be fixed with five minutes of cropping and Photoshop editing.
That doesn’t mean, however, that architectural photographers are free from the grasp of committing mistakes. It takes months of practice and exacting discipline to get those photos right. In architectural photography, the objective of the job is to highlight the design. Your end client is the architecture/interior designer. Photoshop is helpful, but it is in no way a magician. It can’t miraculously turn a boring, uninteresting, without a perspective picture into a stunning photo. With the ease and access to digital, the technical aspects are pretty much covered, but what about the creative part? So, you need to keep those creativity vibes flowing and make sure to not commit certain mistakes if you are planning to ace interior architectural photography. Dean Mitchell Photography is quite a reputed name when it comes to this genre of photography. They have been in this industry for a long time, and make sure to deliver the best results, showcasing unmatched beauty of your premises.
Mistakes In Architectural Photography
Where are you while you are reading this article? Are you sitting at your desk in office? Are you lounging on the couch at home? Are you waiting to board a flight or a train? Well, wherever you may be, there’s a good chance that there’s a piece of architecture nearby. Have you ever given a thought about how to capture it in photography? Well, just like lifestyle photography, or any other genre of photography, architectural photography has its own set of rules and tips. And it has the following list of mistakes that you should steer clear off if you don’t want to be tagged as an amateur.
- Improper focus: It obviously sounds like an obvious mistake to you, but many a time, photographers end up capturing photos which lack sharpness and are out of focus. Or maybe the wrong areas are in focus and the right areas aren’t.
- Showing too much of yourself: When you are focusing on the entire dimensions of a room, or a building, it’s often that you miss seeing a tiny reflection of yourself in the mirror, shiny fixtures, windows etc. Nothing could ruin the impact of a stunning photo that a reflection of the photographer propping up on the side mirror or bathroom faucets.
- Weird colours: Just as lights show off different intensities of brightness, they are also of different hues. Also, the light from bulbs, screens, LEDs, tubes etc. all have different impacts. We can tell the difference as we move from room to room, but the cameras aren’t that sensible. For this purpose, cameras come with a setting known as “WB.” You need to choose a setting that brings your photos closest to the neutral.
- Non-grooming: Before you capture the photograph, you need to take a moment, stand back, and move your eyes over the room. It will hardly take a few minutes to clean up the mess, tidy up, and set the room straight. And this particular effort of yours is sure to go a long way, especially in the photos.
So, whether you are just taking the first step into the world of architectural photography, or you are trying to work without hiring a photographer, avoiding the above mistakes shall help you land up on the path to success. This is how you could become a great photographer, in the truest sense.