Architectural Accent

Photo Randy Vanderveen Shooting architecture just before sunrise and just after sunset can accent the structure you are photographing.Today's post is a tip for photographers. Photographing lit buildings at night, whether a house, a commercial enterprise or perhaps a landmark is something almost every photographer will do over the course of his or her career or hobby. It can be frustrating when you attempt to take a memorable photo and you end with lights on that are glaring and over-exposed while the sky looks like a black drape with no detail. One simple trick that can add something a little extra to the photograph and help the building stand out is to shoot just after sunset or just before sunrise. (By being set up and ready you can still experiment with the silhouette and coloured skies.) Photo Randy Vanderveen Yuma, Arizona Sometimes just capturing the lights and sky and allowing the building to go into silhiuette can result in an intersting look,By shooting at this time you can often blend the ambient light of the sky with building lit up building which provides a great night time look. Usually the sky will record as blue giving a little something extra. The great thing about this trick is that this works whether the day has been clear and sunny or cloudy and grey. Make sure your camera is on a tripod to allow you to balance the exposure and still get a good depth of field while keeping things sharp. (Also make sure your camera is level with the horizon but also not tipped back or forwards which can give the impression the building is falling over). If you want an even bluer sky and aren't concerned about rendering your subject's colour faithfully, try setting your white balance to tungsten or flourescent when taking the photo. This will cause your skies to go even bluer, cool down the light coming from fixtures around the building and will help provide an eye-catching image. Try experimenting. I think a photograph taken at this time usually looks better than those taken during the daylight hours when one has to contend with contrast or perhaps washed out and grey skies. Photo Randy Vanderveen, London, UK The addition of water into the foreground keeps the light from the sky in the foreground longer. This is a technique to remember for any twilight/dawn shoots (even portraits) to add something extra. A second tip. If you photograph the opposite direction the sun is moving ie shoot toward the west in the morning and east at night you can shoot longer and can have some of the magical light from the sun peeking over the horizon illuminating the building while the sky remains dark. ••••• Great quote and something to think about whether you are a journalist, employee, parent or spouse: "There's something I learned a long time ago, I never learned a thing when I was talking." Larry King.