Architecture 1 | Architectural Photography Almanac

Understanding Architecture by Learning From The Pros: Archtober 2019 Kicks Off in NYC

Veeral PatelOctober 2, 2019 2

The first of October marks the start of Archtober which is a festival celebrating architecture and design organised by the Centre for Architecture. In its ninth year running, this year’s Archtober festival in collaboration with over 80 partners across NYC’s five boroughs are hosting a range of events from building of the day walking tours, workplace Wednesday tours, lectures, film screenings, architecture themed competitions and parties.

iPhone 11 Pro vs Professional Photography: Real Estate Photography Might Be in for a Huge Change

Usman DawoodSeptember 24, 2019September 24, 2019 7

Every year now, Apple releases a new iPhone with a slightly better camera and slightly better features. From a year on year perspective, the differences aren’t significant. However, if you compare what the first few iPhone cameras were capable of versus now, the difference is huge.

Nicole Reed’s Dream Assignment: Photographing Hotels in the DPRK

Veeral PatelAugust 19, 2019August 19, 2019 2

Nicole Reed is a Melbourne based Photographer and earlier this year, she embarked on a once in a lifetime dream project to photograph hotels in Pyongyang as part of a book titled Hotels of North Korea.

What Tripod Head Should You Buy for Real Estate and Architectural Photography?

Usman DawoodJuly 13, 2019July 13, 2019 9

Geared tripod heads are some of the best heads you can buy for almost any kind of photography. Although ball heads are useful for particular types of photography and do offer certain advantages, there’s nothing quite like having the precision that geared tripod heads offer.

Photographing the Broad Museum: Making an Architectural Photography Book, Part Four

Mike KelleyJuly 8, 2019July 8, 2019 5

One of the most recognizable buildings I had the chance to photograph for my book New Architecture Los Angeles was the Broad Museum, a beautiful project in downtown LA designed by Diller Scofidio+Renfro. As it’s literally one of the most photographed subjects in the entire city, I wanted to make sure I created images that were actually different than everybody else’s.

Is Medium Format the Best Option for Architectural Photography?

Usman DawoodJune 17, 2019June 17, 2019 13

Cameras like the Phase One XF system and the Hasselblad H6D offer some the largest commercially available digital sensors currently on the market. Generally speaking, larger sensors tend to offer better image quality; this isn’t explicitly true but for the most part, it’s what most people experience.

Tilt-Shift Lenses vs Fixing it in Photoshop: Which is better?

Usman DawoodMay 30, 2019May 30, 2019 0

Tilt-shift lenses are by far my favorite types of lenses; they offer so much versatility, especially when you’re shooting architecture… I wouldn’t shoot with any other type of lens! However, up until recently I had never actually compared the results you can produce with a dedicated tilt-shift lens vs correcting distortion from a conventional lens in post.

Four Quick Tips to Help You Improve Your Composition

Usman DawoodMay 22, 2019May 22, 2019 1

Although I do enjoy speaking about cameras, lenses, and technology, they don’t necessarily help with improving your photography. There are only three things that really matter in an image and they are, composition, lighting and, use of color. of the three, composition is king.

In my opinion, there is nothing more important than composition.

How To Create An Architecture Photography Book: Part Two

Mike KelleyMay 10, 2019July 7, 2019 4

In part one we touched on the pre-production process for my book New Architecture Los Angeles. In today's article I'll tell you a little bit about the gear I used and how the day-to-day shooting process went. Spoiler: traffic. Lots and lots of traffic.

Canon TS-E 24mm f3.5L II vs Canon TS-E 17mm f4L Tilt Shift: Which Should You Buy

Usman DawoodMay 8, 2019May 7, 2019 1

For architectural photography, I highly recommend you buy and use a tilt-shift lens. Personally, I prefer Canon because I firmly believe they make the best. Tilt-shift lenses are brilliant because they allow you to correct perspective; which is extremely important for the kind of work we do.

Five Mistakes Beginner Architectural Photographers Should Avoid

Usman DawoodMay 3, 2019May 2, 2019 8

Starting a career in photography can be very challenging. I know that when I first started as an architectural photographer, I made a fair few mistakes that could have been avoided. Fortunately, those mistakes can serve as lessons for future architectural photographers.

1. Shooting With the Widest Available Lens

If you’re a real-estate photographer then shooting with the widest lens ever made might work.

Tilt-Shift Lenses: Why Are They so Expensive?

Usman DawoodApril 27, 2019April 27, 2019 0

Architectural photography isn’t exactly the cheapest profession to get into. The amount of money that we invest in building this particular kind of business is significantly greater than many other genres of photography. Unfortunately, the current price of tilt-shift lenses doesn’t help very much in this regard.

Why Every Architectural Photographer Needs a ColorChecker Passport

Usman DawoodApril 24, 2019April 27, 2019 2

One of the things that I’ve struggled with as an architectural photographer is managing color. This is especially true when shooting interiors because most interiors tend to have a wide range of different colors and shades. For a long time, I’ve been using the ColorChecker Passport and recently X-Rite released their new version 2; so I decided to cover this subject again.

How To Create An Architecture Photography Book: Part One

Mike KelleyApril 12, 2019July 7, 2019 2

For some reason photographers are obsessed with being published, I am a photographer, ergo, am obsessed with being published. It feels good, it looks pretty, and it makes your photographs real, as in a tangible thing that other people hold and look at and say “wow” like Owen Wilson. Wowwww.

Interviewing Brooke Holm: Seamlessly Blending Art and Architecture

Mike KelleyApril 4, 2019April 7, 2019 0

Brooke Holm has carved out a successful career for herself shooting exactly what she wants, where she wants, and the results are beautiful. She effortlessly blends personal fine art projects with interior and architectural commissioned works in a sublime and delicate style, becoming a highly sought-after photographer in markets around the world.

The Most Powerful Compositional Tool: The One Point Perspective

Mike KelleyFebruary 24, 2019February 24, 2019 4

It’s a question I find myself explaining over and over again to aspiring photographers and it’s quite simply one of the most powerful tools available for improving the compositions and quality of your photography. It’s not even limited to architectural photography either, in fact artists and photographers alike benefit from taking advantage of the one point perspective.

The Ultimate Geared Head Review: Arca Swiss D4 vs C1 Cube

Mike KelleyFebruary 21, 2019February 22, 2019 1

There are really only two tripod heads to consider if you want to use the best of the best: the Arca Swiss D4 and the Arca Swiss C1 Cube. The worst thing about them is you’re spending over a thousand dollars on something that doesn’t actually make you a better photographer, but the best thing about them is that they make it so much easier to take pictures I don’t even know how I’d begin to go back to the cheaper options.

Understanding Your Clients: What Does an Interior Designer Actually do?

Mike KelleyFebruary 20, 2019April 7, 2019 3

I’d love to pretend that this goes without saying, but it’s incredibly important to actually understand what our clients do in order to deliver the best possible images to them. There is so much more goes into interior design than just making a space “pretty,” especially when you are considering commercial, civic, and other large-scale projects.

What to Charge for Architectural Photography in 2019

Mike KelleyFebruary 17, 2019May 29, 2019 46

This article is essentially impossible to write, but it’s the single question I am asked more than any other. In fact, I apologize to anyone who has emailed me or asked me this question in person because I simply do not answer. That’s because there is no easy way to answer; it’s the equivalent of walking up to someone and asking them “how long is a piece of string?” Here I will attempt to walk you through coming up with sustainable price to charge for your architectural photography.