Photographing the Built Environment

Architecture or the built environment is all around us  and photographing it is a matter of much more than just building exterior shots, it is bridges, monuments, interior designs  to name a few. However, despite its diversity there are a number of key tenants and principles that can be applied when attempting to capture the essence of design in a photograph.

Older Architecture
When Photographing older architecture, a straightforward approach works best , keeping the image simple and uncluttered - one of the unwritten rules of Architectural Photography is the use of controlled perspective, the empahasis is on keeping vertical lines vertical ( ie non-converging). This is paramount when shooting older styles of Architecture - in a way you are almost paying homage to the age of the building - so the least you can do is to keep it from looking like it is about to fall over backwards. Placing the subject in its environment / context also works well, giving it plenty of room to breathe.

Modern Architecture
With modern architecture you have a lot more room to manouvre - from shooting with wide angle lenses to give an extreme perspective to shooting the build from an unusual perspective. A lot of modern Architecture (unlike its predecessor) can support a more artistic interpretation and sometimes even screams out for it. This is where using a photographer with a creative bent and a vivid imagination really pays off.
















The Architecture in its Environment or not ?
Placing your building in its surrounds is one of the key shots you will take as an Architectural Photographer - but one of the critical decisions you will need to make is " Does the environment add to the message that I want to convey or does it detract from it?" - on the odd occasion the immediate environment will not only ,not add to the shot, but actually detract form it, so it is best to leave this shot out or at least crop in a little closer.

Lighting
As with any genre of photography - lighting can either make or break a shot. In so far as Architecture is concerned front lighting from an oblique angle is best - this gives some shadowing and a three dimensionality to the suface of the build. Planning some shots at dusk is always a great idea as photographing at this time of day can give a whole new ( & dramatic ) look to a building/interior shot

Detail
Picking out interesting details makes a great shot in its own right and serves to highlight important design features than an Architect has laboured over. Ranging from an ornate ceiling to a varied material palette shot - these style of images add a great deal to the overall portfolio that you will present the Architect with.








What else?
The other types of shot you should look to capture include: Suggesting how the end user will make use of the space ( by placing people in your shots it also gives it immediate scale ). Focus on images that highlight what the design is all about, for example focusing on the fluidity between the internal and external spaces. Use your skill to emphasise and accentuate the amount of available natural light in any one space.

This is not in any way shape or form an exhaustive list , merely an insight  into some of the nuances of the genre and a brief glimpse into the thought processes involved when endeavouring to photograph the built environment.

Improve your Landscapes

My first love in photography was and probably still is Landscapes, it is such a pure form of photography and I love stillness and quiet of the moment and the challenge of trying to capture a replicate of what you see before you ! Of course these days I get less and less time to get out early morning and capture the stunning scenes that lay all around us here in beautiful Sydney. Something I aim to remedy very soon as it is a fundamental part of who I am as a photographer.


Anyhoo, thought I would jot down a few of the lessons I have learned over the years and share them with you as more and more people are falling in love with this genre.


1. Shoot during the "Golden Hours"
These are small windows of opportunity at the start and the end of the day when the sun is so low in the sky its presents us with a golden hue to work with. Also the angle of light is so low that it creates lots of interesting shapes, shadows and silhouettes.

Early "Golden Light" and the silhouette effect

2. Use of lead in Lines
One of the questions a photographer asks him or herself when setting up a shot is how am I going to lead the eye of the viewer into the photograph - having interesting foregrounds is one , but another is to make use of naturally occuring ( or manmade) lead in line to lead the viewer into and around the image.

Lead in Lines bring the viewer "into" the image

3. Foreground Interest

As mentioned above one of the other ways of creating interest and leading an eye into an image is to create some foreground interest, this doesn't need to be anything out of the ordinary ( that might be a little jarring to the eye anyway) but just something to bring the eye into the shot and then lead it on to the main area of interest - a sort of visual stepping stone if you will !

The grass verge creates a foreground interest and leads the eye into the frame

4.Consider the Sky

In a lot of Landscapes - as the name indictaes the land seems to be the main subject but sometimes, espescially if you shoot at either end of the day, the sky lights up in some unbelievable colours and you just let this take its righful place as the main event in your photograph. you can either do this by spacially commititng a greater proportion fo the image to the sky or by composing it in such a way that the sky becomes the star !

The Sky is given prominence and enhances the overall image

5.Work with the weather

One of the biggest mistakes I used to make was to open the curtains if it wasnt a great morning then just roll over in bed - I have since learned that I missed so many great opportunites to capture some dramatic skies and amazing scenes. Just because the weather isn't "perfect" doesnt mean that great shots can't be had - quite the opposite sometimes - ( is there anything more boring from a photographic point of view than a clear blue sky !) - give me clouds and a bit of drama any day ! 

Cloudy Skies add the drama of an impending storm 

These are but a few of the lessons I have learned over the years, there are many more and even more opinions on which are the most valuable.  If you take just some of the advice out there and apply it to your photography then Im sure you will see a monumental shift in the quality of your images - but the important thing is to just get out there and enjoy it  - I intend to a lot more ! Happy Shooting !

Photography - A very imaginative Art

To take a great photograph- most people would appreciate that this requires some technical know-how, and an appreciation of the nuances of photography, but fewer people realise that the precursor to taking the shot is having the imagination to visualise the image that you want to capture and how it will turn out before you even press the shutter release.


Photography is often seen as a representation of fact, I know that this has changed significantly since the advancement of certain post production software tools, but long before Adobe brought us Photoshop, the human imagination was playing an even bigger part in forming how an image will eventually end up.

Being able to visualise how Light will influence an image is key

The sum of a persons experience can be brought to bare to determine how you want to view something and how you see it in your minds eye in a final image. A good photographer is also a good learner an with every image taken , he or she will learn something new that can be added to that sum of experience and brought to bare at a future date.


Imagination is the ability to form mental images and concepts when they are not available to the other usual senses, such as sight or hearing- having this ability is key to understanding or at the very least having a good idea of how an image will turn out once you have set it up.


Imagination helps provide meaning to experience, a fundamental aspect through which people make sense of the world and the photographic experience plays a large part in determining how we view the world. Imagination knows no limitations and therefore we can interpret from this that the possibilities for photography are too boundless...........

Re-introducing thought into the digital age

Finding Photographic Inspiration - from time to time, as photographers we need to think outside of the box to find inspiration or simple ideas for a good shot/technique. Here I've compiled a few suggestions to help think outside the norm and really re-introduce some though back into digital photography !

1.Fixed Focal Length - we have all become to used to the zoom, try to limited yourself to using a fixed focal length lens for a time- it'll really make you think about what your shooting and how. Try one length for a certain period then move onto the next and shoot only with that !

2.Limit yourself to an aperture - either shoot wide open or virtually shut, but again it'll really help you think what works in that particular aperture and what doesn't. It might alos throw up a few nice surprises !

3.1 roll rule - okay most of us use digital these day, but limit yourself to 36 shots - again we have got used to shooting from the hip - this will help you stop and think about how you REALLY want to shoot something !

The 3 ideas above are all really simple but aimed at bringing CRITICAL THOUGHT back into the digital age of Photography and at the same time will cut down on the bain of the digital age - the amount of time we all seem to spend in post processing !

Techniques to ensure you get a pin sharp image

One of the main differences between an amatuer and a Pro, is the regularity that a pro produces pin sharp images and the often unnerving way an amateur misses the mark with such enthusiasm. Here are 5 ways you can improve your photos, so you can look like you know what the heck you're doing:

1. Use a Tripod – The #1 reason 
The tripod isn’t just for low light situations. Pros will use a tripod even in daylight! The tripod’s main duty is to keep the camera stead. No camera shake, means the absence of unwanted blur. It is more work, but it’s worth the extra effort. If you’re in a setting where they don’t allow tripods, or at an event where using a tripod would mean you might miss the action, use a monopod. A monopod is also a sneaky way to get past the signs that say “no tripods”. If someone stops you, just say, “it’s a monopod,” and they’ll look at you totally stumped.
Don’t buy a cheap tripod either. They just don’t do a good job keeping the camera steady (that’s why they’re cheap, you know). If you buy a pro-quality tripod, they can range from $100 to more than $700. One thing to keep in mind is to get a ballhead when you buy your tripod. They cost anywhere from $100 to more than $400, but they will make your life so much easier.
2. Use a Cable Release or the Self Timer
When you press down on the shutter, it causes the camera to move — ever so slightly. It’s the sort of thing you might not notice when you’re taking the photo, but when you bring the photo onto your computer and zoom, it’s one of those things that makes the difference between the ultimate sharp photo.
A cable release is a cable that attaches to your digital camera (most dSLR’s) and has a button at the end of it. Your camera might also support a wireless remote.
If you don’t want to buy a cable release or wireless remote, you can also use your camera’s Self Timer. You will have to wait 2 to 20 seconds, depending on for what you set your camera, but the good news is, you don’t have to touch your shutter and no camera shake! And voila – your photos are more sharp!
3. Lock the Mirror
When I found out about this for the first time, I was like, you gotta be kidding me. Who knew?
It’s called Exposure Delay on a Nikon or a Mirror Lockup on a Canon. You’ll need to find out where this control is on your camera (err, check your manual). What does it do? It locks your mirror to the up position, so when you take a shot the mirror doesn’t move when the exposure is made. It helps get you closer to the sharpness perfection.

4. Turn off Image Stabilization (IS on a Canon) or Vibration Reduction (VR on a Nikon)
If you have an IS Canon Lens or a VR Nikon Lens, turn off the function. It sounds counter intuative, but you’ll only want to use it when you’re in really low-light situations when you need to hand-hold your camera. (Remember wherever possible use that tripod or monopod). But if you’re not hand-holding your camera in low-light, turn off that IS or VR. These lenses look for a small vibration so they can fix it. If they don’t feel a vibration, they can cause a little vibration. So for the sharpest photos, turn it off when you can.

5. Don’t Increase Your ISO.
If you can help it, don’t increase your ISO. Sometimes you do need it when you’re hand-holding in low light. But if you’re shooting on a tripod, keep your ISO at the lowest setting (100 or 200). The reason is, ISO adds noise… And noise equals the opposite of sharpness. You might not notice it if you’re placing your photos on a website where the resolution is 72dpi, but if you enlarge your photo or zoom in on your computer, you will be able to tell.

Even in daylight use a tripod where you can !

Happy and (more) sharp shooting !

Tips for Better Portrait shots

We all love to see a great photo of a friend or family member, especially if we have taken it ourselves, but all too often we end up disappointed because the image that we often end up with is not the image we had in mind when we pressed the shutter release !

Here are some basic tips to help you improve your hit rate and get closer to the image you want !

1. Get to know the person you are taking a photo of to help bring through their personality in the picture you take, ( obviously if you know the person already - you have a headstart).

2. Look at what direction the available light is coming from and what effect this has one the subjects face . It is common practice not to shoot a portrait into the light ( ie with the subjects back to the sun), but I have found that if you use a fill in flash or reflector to bounce light back into the subjects face, you get a lovely portrait and the sun behind the subject adds a lovely rim light to the subjects hair.

Photo shot with light behind the subjects

3. When you look to take the image have a good look around the frame of the photograph, are there any unsightly additions to the picture in the backgrounds ( rubbish bins, washing on the line in the garden etc)if so then reframe up - move the subject around or move the offending items until you get a pleasing background.

4. Engage your subject in conversation to help ease any tensions, even if you know the person very well, it always pays dividends to take the focus of the fact that your are about to take their picture. A relaxed and happy subject makes for a much better picture.

5.Depending on what type of camera you have, you can experiment with depth of field.  A nice shallow depth of field really focuses the viewers eyes onto the area of the photograph you want them to. With portrait ( as with any genre of photography) you have the freedom to decide how you want to photograph a subject, but as a general rule o thumb a subjects eyes should always be in sharp focus ( even if their hair of side of the face is starting to blur because of a very shallow depth of field).

Shallow depth of field but eyes are still sharp

Get out there are experiment with your photography, try using the techniques I have mentioned above, watch your images get better and above all enjoy !

Getting Creative when the Weather turns Monsoonal !

As of late the weather is Sydney has been , well pretty dismal...( and I'm from the UK ). Not the best of times to get out and about with your camera, but fear not -here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing, keep you shooting and increase your skills into the bargain !

1. Practice your Portrait skills on whichever family member is around at the time - if your not lucky enough to have studio lighting then use whatever available light there is - sit your "model" near the window and start snapping away ! Home Alone ?  - Im sure the cat would throw a few poses for you!

2. Macro photography. From flowers to coins to stamps, you can polish your skills at close-up photography and capture some really detailed images. Often a macro lens or close-up attachment will help. 

"You pointing that Camera at me again" ???

3. Lighting - use whatever lights you have around the house , from spotlights to ordinary lamps. Put these into various positons around your still life subject ( ie The ubiquitous bowl of fruit) and you'll be amazed at the outcomes you can achieve just by playing with the light direction.

4. Get Arty - take some everyday shots of items/people around the home and then get busy in Photoshop making some abstract images from everyday items - you'll have great fun and hone your "shop" skills at the same time.

5. Let the rain be your friend - try shooting images through rain streaked window pains, especially if there is some external light to distort with the shot. Or if you dare to take your beloved Canon out into the elements then there are a myriad of shots to be had - from rain soaked plants with fresh water droplets to reflections of buildings in still puddles. ( I would recommend at least putting your camera in a plastic bag and making a hole for the lens to poke through - although not perfect will at least afford your camera some protection against the elements).

Making your clients and prospects feel appreciated ! ( non-industry specific)

Lets face it, we are in business to make money...plain and simple, yes some of us are lucky enough to work in a industry that we love, but at the end of the day we need to be able to make money at what we do.Unfortunately too many businesses let the dollar signs in their eyes dictate their behaviour towards the most important part of any business, the client. Often treating clients and prospects as a dollar value, not only is this type of behaviour down right rude, but it also happens to be very short sighted indeed. 

A delighted customer is a customer that will readily talk up the virtues of your business to all who will listen and as we all know a personal recommendation is the best type of referral. But, in the same breath a customer that finds dealing with you and your business to be an unpleasant experience, will be sure to warn their friends and family to give your business a wide berth. 

So how do we as business owners go about making sure that ALL our clients fall into that first category:

Well it is not that difficult really, by following a few simple ground rules, based on nothing more esoteric than common sense you can ensure that your clients experience is a happy one:

1. Do what you say you will when you will

In most of my experiences with so called customer service departments of many businesses, this seems to be somewhat of a lost art. Time after time I have been assured that I will receive a call back or an e mail, but in the vast majority of cases I find that I am the one having to do the chasing. This leaves any client feeling unappreciated and unwanted. Rule No1. Always, always, always keep the client in the loop - even if you don't have an answer for them, call them to let them know that. The client will appreciate being kept informed and will feel valuable.

2. Listen to the client, no really....LISTEN

Yes, you do know more about your business and your products/services than anyone else, but that doesn't give you carte blanche to steam roller clients. Before you do anything listen, really listen to what the clients needs are, then suggest a number of options and discuss the pros and cons with the client. This way they feel a greater part of the decision making process and buy into the whole idea on a deeper level, which can only be good for the likelihood of up selling or repeat business.  Selling something to a client that doesn't really solve their need will leave them feeling shortchanged and rather flat, as you drive off into the distance on your self importance powered steam roller !

3. Consult

During the whole process, especially if their are any changes, even minor ones, always consult with the client, dont just think that something is too small to bother with, you never know how much a client may love a particular aspect that you might overlook. So to make sure that there are no nasty surprises, always discuss any changes with the clients and again it makes the client feel part of the process and that they are actually "the client" not just the paycheque at the end of the transaction.

4. Outperform

Go the extra mile, do something that will make the clients remember your business for the right reasons. Wether it be simply producing the best result for the client, beyond their expectations. Small additional gifts in addition to what the client has ordered, conveys a message to the client of appreciation and value, way beyond the nominal cost of the item.

5. Follow - Up.

When everything is signed, sealed and delivered, follow up with the client to make sure that they are happy with everything- even  just a simple " how are you going?" phone call. Even better a call followed by a feedback questionnaire, this maintains the relationship with the client beyond the simple transaction and lets them know that you value how they feel they have been treat during your relationship, but also that you value their thoughts on how you can improve/do better in future. Yes, this does open you up to scrutiny and at times you will need a thick skin, but all feedback ( as long as it's constructive), is positive. Further more you can even drop a few business cards or discount vouchers for your clients to give to friends/family they think will benefit from your business - generating more business in the best possible way.

As you can see the above is mostly based around communication, keeping the clients informed and part of the process makes them feel valuable and appreciated and likely to shout about you and your business from the treetops.

Upskilling for Modern day Photography

With the advancement of the digital age and nearly every person carrying some form of camera ( via mobile phone), the world is awash with imagery. Some of it good and some of it awful. The skills set needed to improve your photography has changed so much since the days of film, some of the basics remain the same but as you will see below some of them rules of engagement have moved on !

1. Post Production

Hone your ‘developing’ skills to where you can take an image and get the very best out of it in your digital darkroom. This is a vital capability whether you want to be primarily a ‘photographer’ or an ‘image-maker’ and allows you to take greater control over your work so it’s the very best that it can be. This means choosing a solid piece of editing software and learning how to use it to its full potential. It doesn’t mean buy the most expensive thing and learn that – you have to choose something that best suits your interests and needs.

2. Knowing the basics 

You need to know composition, exposure and how to utilise your camera to get the most out of it. It doesn’t matter much what camera you’re using, if you don’t really know how to point it then you’re going to struggle to get anything good out of it. Know your manual and what your camera can (and can’t) do. Study and understand phenomena like depth of field, focal planes and shutter speeds.

3. Diversify

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut taking the same kind of shots and processing them in the same way over and over again. Or just adopting one set of tools and failing to implement new ones as and when they become available. Developing your work means that you do need to develop the way you work. This means being conscious of issues such as workflow and how they impact on your ability to produce good images. 

4. Learn from others work

Spend time every day looking at the work of others, thinking about how they created a specific look or effect and work out how you could replicate it. An important tool for the modern photographer is networking with other photographers on-line or in real life. On-line communities such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr are a great way to get your work ‘out there’ but are an even better resource for inspiration and discussion.  In real life, you should check out your local camera club or photo-walk group. Interacting with other photographers in the flesh is a great way to learn new things and increase your engagement with photography overall, it might give you access to new shooting opportunities and equipment and will certainly challenge the way you see your own photography.

5. Get out there

You can read all the books, internet sites or magazine articles you like but there’s no substitute for actually picking up your camera and using it. Passion for photography comes from the feeling of having created something unique and interesting with your camera. There is just no substitute for picking your camera up and pointing it at things in earnest and ideally, you should be using your camera as a portal to show others something you yourself passionate about. Having the ability to show something you love in a new and visually exciting way onlycomes with practice and thus practice is the thing that more that anything else will make your photographs stand out from the crowd.

Studying the Light to ramp up your Photographs

The study of light is so important if you want to learn to take great photographs. Without light there can be no photos so it only makes sense that we learn about its characteristics and how different light can affect the look of your photos.

By studying light before you take a shot you can determine what sort of mood your photo is going to capture. If the light is a beautiful golden colour then your photo will have a really warm summer feel to it. Similarly if the light is dark then the photo will probably have a cold and forboding look to it.

Strong Backlight adds lovely countour glow

So if light is so important to the feel and look of our photographs why do people pay so little attention to it when they are first starting out? Studying the light and what its doing well before taking your photo is probably one of the most important  photography tips that you can learn when taking your first photos.

In fact its so important that you should probably head down to a favourite spot that you shoot over a few days and just watch what the light is doing. Where are the shadows falling and at what time? Is the spot that you want to shoot going to be better as a sunrise shot or a sunset shot?

What other factors should you be looking for when looking at the light? How do clouds affect the light in the area that you are trying to shot? Quite often light that makes it through the clouds is really soft and diffused and really enhances colours dramatically.

When taking your photos and when you edit them afterwards you should always be conscious of the fact that a persons eye will always be drawn to the brightest part of the image. Knowing just this one simple tip will help your photography out tenfold. Next time you're out taking photographs think about where you want the brightest part of the image to be and see what a difference it makes.

The soft light highlights the subjects face

After being drawn to bright spots your eye will next be drawn to warmer colours. Your eyes will be drawn to oranges and yellows before it will be drawn to blues and greens.

Lastly, remember when taking the photo you're trying to capture a moment, not just a photo. You want people to feel what you felt when you took the photo. You're trying to convey to them what inspired you to take that photo at that particular time. What I do now when I see a scene that I like is turn away, then look back and see what my eye falls on straight away, or think what attracts me about this scene. Once I have worked that out I start to use my knowledge of light to try and enhance the scene and produce a stunning shot.

So next time you're out shooting think of how the light is affecting your subject. It is vitally important, for light is everything in photography. The more you start to think about the light when taking photos the better you photos will be.