Environment is the basis of our life. The place where we live, very much determines our consciousness. Maybe thatās why architecture is an important part of any travel report. And today weāre going to talk about how to shoot architecture in a beautiful and interesting way.
All about the Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera
The fortress of Ichan-Kala in Khiva, Uzbekistan, at dawn. It looks especially interesting in the soft dawn rays
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4S, 26mm f/11, 1/160, ISO 160
Letās start with the fact that any architecture is, in a sense, a landscape, which means it should be shot according to all the rules of landscape. A harmonious composition that brings the viewerās eye to the main character of the shot, the building. No unnecessary objects to distract attention from our hero. And of course, the beautiful light that makes our main character look his best.
You can shoot a building at noon. The light will be flat, cool, and contrasting. But it is much better to choose a time when the sun goes down and the light is not as harsh and warmer. In this light, our hero will look much more interesting.
Khazret-Khizir Mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. About 9 am ā early, but not enough. The light isnāt bad, but itās not ideal. Still, itās better than shooting the same building at noon, when the light gets really harsh.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED AF-S VR II @ 160mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 125
But thatās not all. After sunset, the light of day will start to fade rapidly ā twilight or, as photographers tend to say, blue hour will begin. It is at the blue hour that the brightness of the light of the departing day will equal the brightness of the architectural backlight. This is the perfect time to capture this very light. This is the time to act without delay ā the blue hour is of course called an hour, but, depending on the latitude, it can last from half an hour to several minutes. At this point you should already be on the point in full alert.
The Khazret-Khizir Mosque in Samarkand, taken at night illuminated at the blue hour. The brightness of the blue sky is perfectly balanced with the brightness of the backlight
Nikon
Z7,
Nikkor
Z 24-70
f/4, 54
mm,
f/13, 1
sec,
ISO 64
Naturally, this requires preparation. Like any natural landscape, architectural photography requires exploration. Try to understand where and at what time the sunrise and sunset will happen, where is the best place to shoot backlight so that individual bright lights wonāt dazzle your eyes, where should you rush to shoot the blue hour.
The same mosque shot too late ā the sky became very dark, the backlight too bright. Itās best not to bring it to that. To get an acceptable result, I had to take four shots at different shutter speeds, from 1/6 to 30 seconds, and then stitch them together in the editor
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4, 24mm, f/13, ISO 64
Any city is interesting to look at from a height, so it is a good idea to check in advance if there are any viewpoints around, if you can go up there at sunrise or sunset and stay there for the blue hour.
View of Khiva from a small minaret beside the city walls
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4, 37mm, f/4.5, ISO 100
But for all its similarities to the classic landscape, architectural photography has one important feature. Perspective. If you shoot a building from the bottom up, the vertical lines will visually converge toward the center because of perspective distortion. The buildings will look askew. There are a few ways to deal with that.
The first is to shoot with processing in mind. Not too much distortion can be corrected in post-processing. And how exactly, Iāll tell you in another lesson.
Kalyan Mosque in Bukhara, taken from a small ledge on the opposite building. That wasnāt enough to get rid of perspective distortion completely, so I had to correct it in post-processing
Nikon Z7, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, 14mm, f/5, 1/15, ISO 64
The second one is to shoot from an elevated position. Perspective distortion comes from looking vertically at an angle other than 90 degrees. The bigger the angle, the darker the overhangs. If we shoot the building from afar with a long lens, we can minimize the distortion without any processing.
Or we can find a higher point where we can get up and look at the building at that 90 degree angle without raising or lowering our heads. This could be, for example, the balcony of the building across the street. Of course, you need the permission of the owner to have access to a balcony like this, but what else could you do for a good shot?.
This picture is taken with the optical axis at 90 degrees to the front of the building. This got rid of perspective distortions. You usually have to include a āheavyā foreground, which takes up the bottom third or even half of the frame, to achieve that, shooting from ground level
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4, 24mm, f/4, 1/200, ISO 200
And another way is to dramatize the distortions, to make them look absolute. And it is very easy to do. Just put a wide-angle lens, walk up close to your subject, and look at it from below upwards. Youāll immediately see how all the verticals go up into the sky.
Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4, 24mm, f/9, 1/100, ISO 160
The same goes not only for interiors, but also for exteriors. I really like to shoot interiors, especially oriental interiors with a wide angle lens, play with the lines.
Nikon Z7, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED @ 14mm, f/4, 1/20, ISO 1250
If you shoot in this style, itās very important for you to center the picture perfectly. See how much more harmonious the right photo looks compared to the left one.
Nikon Z7, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, 14mm, f/5, 1/20, ISO 800
Or you can dramatize that asymmetry, make it into an absolute, turn an architectural shot into an abstraction. So the viewer has to wonder what youāre showing him here for a while. It makes him look at the picture longer, looking at the details.
Nikon Z7, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, 14mm, f/5, 1/25, ISO 800
Speaking of details. Pay attention to them as well. Remember, your viewer, like you, will want to consider all those carved doors, tiles, and ornaments
Nikon Z7, different lenses
And lastly. Most photographers try to make their architectural shots look like photos from interior magazines and real estate catalogs. Minimum people, maximum straight lines. Itās not a bad thing if you want to sell a house. And if you want to show the everyday life of the country youāre visiting, itās not the best choice. Try to include in the frame people who are engaged in their business, going somewhere. Remember, any city lives first and foremost through its people.
Nikon Z7 + Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4 S
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