What makes a successful architectural photograph?

In my opinion most successful architectural photographs exhibit these four qualities, which I believe are all of equal importance:

Defined purpose
Point of view
Quality of light
Quality of execution

If you fail on any of these points your photograph will not successfully communicate to the viewer your objective or you will be limited in the scope of how the photographs can be used.

Defined purpose
You need to identify why you are photographing the subject. Are the photographs for your portfolio, a marketing campaign or to advertise a product or service? You need to communicate your purpose clearly to your photographer.

Point of view
You need to determine the best camera positions to convey that purpose. This is where a site walk through or scout of the location with the photographer is invaluable. Consider if there is a view that shows several features in one angle. Equally important, are there aspects to the project you do not wish to highlight?

Quality of light
When does the subject look the best? Is it in the morning or afternoon light or is it best at dawn or dusk? Is the natural and/or existing lighting sufficient or is it in need of supplemental lighting to make up for existing deficiencies or site limitations?

Quality of execution
With the proliferation of digital cameras and their built in programs it has become easier to make a “good” photograph. The question is when is “good” not good enough. Many people are not fully knowledgeable about their camera’s functions and further do not know how to process the camera’s auto-generated file for maximum quality.
The professional architectural photographer not only uses equipment capable of much higher resolution, they also use special lenses and supplemental lighting to capture an image that embodies your defined purpose. That image can be further refined through the use of specialty software and image processing techniques to maximize the success of the final photograph.

Among the many decisions you will need to make are: how important are these images to your defined purpose and will you have access to this subject again in its present condition?

Best of luck with your project and if you need any help I’d be happy to speak with you about it. Please visit my web site to see samples of my photography and the services I offer.

http://www.andycaulfield.com

Thanks for taking a look. Andy