The following sections offer some ideas for photographing architecture more creatively.
A skillful composition with radical framing can dramatically alter the building’s true appearance. A creative photographer can focus on precisely targeted areas and reduce a building to a very stylized representation (Figure 3-143). In a similar fashion, the photographer can purposefully create images that combine several levels in a single composition, producing an immensely complex impression. In such artful pictures, the various levels merge into an intricate construction of shapes and surfaces where spatial relationships are no longer recognizable (Figure 3-144). An omission of reference points can, in some compositions, cause the viewer to be at a loss when it comes to proportions. Therefore, the image will appear very abstract (Figure 3-145).
These techniques may be used to such a degree that the architecture becomes completely devoid of realism. The building becomes nothing more than an element in a composition of surfaces, and graphic structures or abstract patterns take precedence (Figure 3-146).
![Unusual frame selection emphasizes geometric structures [focal length: 200 mm]](httpatomoreillycomsourcerockynookimages754351.png.jpg)
![A layered structure of several planes creates an abstract look [focal length: 88 mm]](httpatomoreillycomsourcerockynookimages754353.png.jpg)
![An image devoid of reference points leads to unclear proportions [focal length: 32 mm]](httpatomoreillycomsourcerockynookimages754355.png.jpg)
Figure 3-145. An image devoid of reference points leads to unclear proportions [focal length: 32 mm]
![Extremely cropped frame detaches the visual impact from the architecture; patterns and structures become the focal point [focal length: 40 mm]](httpatomoreillycomsourcerockynookimages754357.png.jpg)
Figure 3-146. Extremely cropped frame detaches the visual impact from the architecture; patterns and structures become the focal point [focal length: 40 mm]
![The unusual vertical view upwards creates a dynamic, yet strange depiction of the architecture [focal length: 17 mm]](httpatomoreillycomsourcerockynookimages754359.png.jpg)
![A large sky becomes the canvas for these strongly converging highrise buildings in this upward shot [focal length: 14 mm]](httpatomoreillycomsourcerockynookimages754361.png.jpg)
Typically, human beings perceive the world horizontally and straight ahead. We rarely lose view of the horizon. Therefore, unusual visual directions, such as straight up, also produce unusual views of architecture. The building’s context can no longer be clearly established, and the viewer becomes lost in space (Figure 3-147). Without reference points, the viewer may mistake a ceiling for a wall, and walls for ceilings or floors. The unusual perspective leads to abstraction. Whereas ordinarily the image might feature landscapes, other buildings, or plants, this view may use the sky as a canvas. Because of its even and large surface structure, the sky forms an ideal background for staging the subject. The vertical angle also makes it possible to turn the image in every direction without optically violating the laws of nature (Figure 3-148).
Another possibility for creative architectural photography is to create a series of images. Some images only achieve their maximum effect in combination with others. Such pictures usually show a selected subject as part of a universal theme. Each image in the series may strongly vary in colorization, viewing angle, or material properties, as long as all of them are grounded and tied to the theme (Figure 3-149). The effect of this form of presentation comes from the combination and juxtaposition of the images, which is an indication of artful architectural photography.
Reflections can have a strong effect, especially on façades where they create a second-level image with independent content. Skillful composition can make use of this effect to infuse symbolism or special meanings. Examples are the depiction of contradictions such as old and new, glass and masonry, and light and heavy (Figure 3-150).
In addition, reflections can be used in such an abstract manner that the depicted spaces can no longer be logically comprehended by the viewer. Through compositional extremism reflections can intermingle sequences, layers, and masses into an entangled web of shapes, colors, and details. In this case, the architecture is reduced to a canvas for a detached visual expression (Figure 3-151).
Another method to show architecture more creatively is the deliberate use of under- or overexposure, which can drastically alter a building’s appearance. Underexposure emphasizes the bright parts of a subject by representing its highlights as midtones and its lower tonal values as shadows. This effect radically alters the material appearance of the architecture and makes for a surreal presentation (Figure 3-152). Deliberate overexposure creates the opposite effect. Because all surfaces above a certain level of brightness show up completely white, large, overly lit sections yield an image that appears devoid of frames and limitations (Figure 3-153). Shapes and surfaces become the image’s main focus. Such a presentation of architecture is not authentic because shapes and planes dominate the image’s message. Deliberately under- or overexposed images often remind the viewer of graphics or computer-generated images.
Images of a building at various stages of construction are an impressive means to show changes that take place over time. For example, a building can be photographed in different seasons but from the same perspective. This method can also be used to document a building from construction to completion (Figure 3-154), before and after renovation, or before and after a change of use.
