Architectural photography has picked up a lot of pace in these past few years. Most of it has to do with an increase in travel mania and blogging where people love showing the beauty of enigmatic buildings and architecture they come across. Further, the present simplified cameras and an increase in mobile photography have brought the attention of a lot of people towards architectural photography.
I’m not modest about myself. I know for a fact that I am good. But good in the sense that I can put things together. I expound vociferously to students of architecture and photography, the significance of design. A photograph is a design in which you assemble thoughts in your mind.
– Julius Shulman1
Though trending editing tools have focused away from raw, unedited, and purely-skilled shots resulting in difficulty in photography startups, an adequately guided startup in architectural photography can significantly reduce the issues and help land work more efficiently. So, if you, too, are looking for ways to be featured as a flourishing architectural photographer or start with your hobby, here are a few tips you should use.
Attracting the Right Clients
Before a company, a magazine, a real estate developer, or any firm chooses you; it is crucial that you select the right clients. Naturally, you will be inclined towards clicking a certain kind of picture. All artists have a distinct signature regarding their work.
You might exceptionally excel at clicking skyscrapers or low-rise buildings or know how to make the most beautiful elements of a hotel pop up. So, whatever your particular interest may be, display your work to attract the attention of clients explicitly dealing with that kind of architectural wonder. Even if you fail to bag jobs initially, your expertise will only grow and set you apart as an exceptional photographer with skills particular to your distinguished niche.
One way to attract client’s attention to your signature clicks is to display them side by side, as in collage prints. All you need to do is upload your genius clicks to CanvasPop, choose one of their many layouts, and add filters or edit the layouts to make your pictures pop. The custom hand-stretched canvases will add a touch of elegance to your pictures and will be delivered to you, ready to showcase and display!
Angles and Architecture
Architectural photography is, without a doubt, closely knit with the art of architecture itself. The aim of clicking the pictures is to capture the sheer talent and skill put behind building the subjects of your lens.
Hence, it is essential that while enriching your skills, you regularly pay attention to how architects work and what angles bring the absolute best in the building. Investing time and resources to gather these skills will help you enhance your overall photography techniques, and one day clicking from the best angle will be a mere intuition!
Hence, as you show the world buildings from angles never perceived before, your career as an architectural photographer will only bloom.
Camera Techniques and Exposures
The camera is the least important element in photography.
– Julius Shulman1
Architecture photography is a combination of putting together various techniques and lens exposures together to form one perfect click. This comes in handy when the click looks exceptionally different from what the eye is grasping. The depth can be increased with more focus on specific color contrasts and highlights.
If, as a photographer, you have not yet used different exposures in your photography techniques, you might be hindering yourself from some pretty impressive clicks.
The same goes for gearing up your camera settings. You will need some wide-angle camera lenses, telephoto lenses, and other such lenses that help you shoot pictures from perspectives never witnessed before. Further, try shooting the same subject at different times of day to see how natural light modifies the landscape, and experiment with your clicks as much as you can. Or, simply make your work as unique as possible to draw in the maximum number of clients.
Post-processing is a crucial aspect too. Get yourself a trusted editing tool to make some corrections for a perfect final result – whether that is some contrast adjustment or a 4K upscaler for great image resolution.
Marketing and Branding
You can not expect to have clients unless you market what you have, and branding is a connected aspect. Be very clear about your services. Show them as much as you can. Show your distinguished shots through a portfolio, and most importantly, make sure that your work clearly indicates your area of expertise and what types of clients you aim to work with.
Your style also has a lot to do with marketing; hence, make it as individual as possible. You could make a website for yourself and market your services through it. You could also make use of paid advertisements to get your work up and in front of people who might be looking for similar services.
Adding already featured work on your website is a sure way to get work as the clients will then be ascertained of your credibility, work style, and techniques.
I sell architecture better and more directly and more vividly than the architect does… The average architect is stupid. He doesn’t know how to sell. He’s not a merchandiser. He doesn’t know how to express his own image. He doesn’t know how to create a design of his image… And I do it. I’ve done it all my career over half a century, and it gets better.
– Julius Shulman1
SEO and Social Media Strategies
To get work in the real world, you will have to use countless strategies and techniques apart from using your skills as an architecture photographer. Social media is one way to reach the masses and get clients. To make it work on social media, you also need at least a basic understanding of SEO.
Keyword knowledge and instinct to set up relevant keywords are necessary when you get your work on the internet. Do not use keywords or phrases that stray far away from your area of expertise; more importantly, use your skills as keywords. Conduct searches on what phrases people use when they Google about anything related to your domain. Hence, knit the resulting phrases with your skills to make the perfect SEO-friendly keywords.
Post with the trends but twist them as per your taste and style. Interact with your audience. Also, be a consistent presence on social media to get your work noticed!
Pricing, Effort, and Time
Last but not least, you need to be sure of what you will be charging. Be flexible but set a near-specific price concerning your services, equipment, transportation, time, and effort.
Architecture Photography Summary
Photography might be your hobby or a set of skills that you particularly want to enhance. With a good knowledge of using the best shutter speeds, exposures, and other techniques, you can bring the absolute best to your camera screen. Do keep these tips in mind and let your talent do the talking!
About Julius Shulman
Julius Shulman was an American architectural photographer for his comprehensive documentation of Mid-Century Modern architecture and urban development in Los Angeles. Through his many Architecture books, exhibits, and personal appearances, his work ushered in a new appreciation for the movement beginning in the 1990s. The artist captured the idyllic spirit of the postwar building-boom era in his photographs of modern domesticity. Shulman primarily worked in black and white with unconventional infrared film to reduce his subjects to clean, essential lines and shapes.
Great article!