8 Digital Photo
1
top tips
Buildings are one of the most accessiBle suBjects out there and shooting them right is easy – just follow our 10 tips... words By jon adams & kingsley singleton
24 Digital Photo
for amazing Photos of architecture ost photographers will happily reel of their favourite subjects as landscapes or portraits. Many might argue the case for still-life or wildlife, and some adventurous souls will even hold travel photography closest to their hearts, but what you don’t often hear is ‘architecture’. Why should this be? Buildings are beautiful, totemic, powerful creations that are ripe for recording with your camera and, best of all, they’re incredibly accessible – far more so than mountains and wildlife. From the homes we live in to the ofces and
M
factories where we work, our lives are filled with buildings to shoot and each can be captured in a unique and exciting way with the right skills. In fact, look through your photos from holidays or city breaks and you’ll almost certainly find that you’ve shot more architectural subjects than you’d previously thought – and that means you’re actually an architectural photographer in waiting! Now it’s time to expand your skills, because from stunning interiors to gritty urban landscapes, these ten tips can improve every architectural shot you take.
gear focus // reviews & buying aDvice
city shooting accessories // gear focus
1 slik sprint pro ii tripod £64
If you want to shoot using slow shutter speeds for creative efects, then a tripod is a necessity, but lugging around a bulky set of sticks can be a pain. That’s why investing in a travel tripod, like the Digital Photo Gold Award winning Slik Sprint Pro II, will really pay dividends. With a maximum height of 160cm, this full sized tripod weighs just 1.1kg and folds down to 47cm in length when packed away. Priced at a very reasonable £64, it comes with a choice between a three-way or ball head and out of the box it comes with a neat drawstring carry case for easy storage when not in use. > www.sliktripod.co.uk
3
2
4
6
5
Joby gorillApod slr Zoom tripod £65
If you want to achieve an ultra-wide field of view, nothing compares to the iconic efect created by a fisheye lens. Designed for D-SLRs with an APS-C sized sensor, the Digital Photo Gold award-winning Sigma 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM produces a super-wide angle of view of 180° and features a fast maximum aperture of f/2.8. Constructed with 12 elements in 7 groups, Super Multi-Layer Coatings aim to minimise flare and ghosting, while a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) allows for fast and quiet AF. It also features a minimum focusing distance of 13.5cm that allows it to focus on subjects as close as 1.8cm from the lens’s front element. > www.sigmaimaging-uk.com
Sometimes, a full-sized tripod just isn’t an option, but that doesn’t mean that a sturdy shooting platform is of limits. Despite its small size and light weight, the Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom is able to support up to 3kg – enough for a mid-range D-SLR. The flexible legs not only allow the tripod to adjust to uneven terrain, but they can also be wrapped around objects like railings to provide an elevated platform to shoot from. The Gorillapod SLR Zoom also comes with a ball head with a spirit level > The Gorillapod’s and is able to pan through flexible legs can be 360° and tilt 90°. wrapped around items for support. > www.joby.com
HoyA slim CirCulAr polAriser Filter (52mm-77mm) £30-60
Cokin H270A Full neutrAl density (nd) Filter kit £45
5
six of the best
essential kit for city shooting inspiring shots of architecture needs more than great urban scenery, so feast your eyes on six great accessories that’ll improve your pics words by tom calton
126 Digital Photo
When shooting in busy city streets, a discrete camera bag will allow you to blend into the crowd without drawing attention to you or your expensive gear. The Lowepro Event Messenger 100 is constructed from Nylon and is designed to fit a mid-sized D-SLR with lens attached, along with one or two other lenses or flashguns, small accessories, memory cards and other personal efects. The main flap can be quickly accessed using a set of Velcro fasteners that can be ‘silenced’ using the built-in covers for quiet operation. And for added security, the flap can also be securely fastened using the attached plastic clip. > www. lowepro.com
sigmA 10mm F/2.8 eX dC Hsm FisHeye £490 3
1
2 lowepro event messenger 100 CAmerA bAg £30
For architectural shots, a polarising filter is an absolute must. Not only will it allow you to eliminate distracting reflections created within the windows of buildings, but it will also cause colours to become more saturated with increased contrast – this efect is particularly noticeable in blue skies and white clouds. The Hoya Slim Circular Polarizer filter comes in a host of filter thread sizes, ranging from 52mm to 77mm and its slim design allows it to be used with wide-angle lenses without creating vignetting at the frame edges. > www.hoyafilter.com
4
6
If you want to blur out tourists or transform clouds into wispy trails, you’re going to need a slow shutter speed. Trouble is, this can be tricky in bright conditions, but by attaching a Neutral Density (ND) filter, like the Cokin H270A > ND filters Full ND Kit, you’ll reduce the will reduce amount of light that light levels and enters your allow slower shutter speeds. camera, and make it happen. The kit includes a Cokin P-Series filter holder and ND2, ND4 and ND8 filters that reduce the light by 1, 2 or 3 stops respectively. > www.cokin.co.uk
Digital Photo 127