Architectural photography depicts the beauty of scenic areas and sometimes even buildings that are more beautiful than what is seen by the eye. Combining this style with black and white photography will be highly artistic and challenging. The experience and art of the photographer are very effective in achieving success in black white architecture photography.
Topics
The main points of black white architecture photography
Photography of the exterior of the building
Perspective
In architectural photography, perspective is the most important determining factor in exterior photography of buildings. To determine the proper perspective, consider the building’s dimensions and its three-dimensional shape. The question is: can you be far enough away from the building, within the space around it, to capture the perspective you want?
When color is no longer present, the image relies entirely on contrast, light, and structure. This shift plays a central role in black and white photography, where visual balance becomes more deliberate.
The answer to this question depends on the lens you are using. A standard lens will probably produce a better result, but you will need more space and move further away from the building.
By using a wide lens, you eliminate the space problem. But you fall into the trap of distortion. Excessive distortion must be resolved in post-processing but may only be resolved partially.
Black and white architecture Photography of the interior of the building
There is certainly not enough space inside the building, and a standard lens is not suitable here; you need only a wide lens.
Please take a look at the Architectural Photography Gallery for more images
In interior architecture, recording all the details in one shot is essential, which is why a wide lens is necessary. Unfortunately, wide lenses are often expensive, but some less expensive types are also available.
Why is black white architecture photography better?
Most of the components of a building are made of concrete, granite, and similar stones. Buildings also usually have a regular geometric shape. Such surfaces typically look more attractive in the use of various gray spectrums.
Without color, light and shadow become the primary elements — defining the essence of black and white photography.
In addition to the reason I mentioned above, many other factors support the superiority of black-and-white photography, and I have discussed them extensively in previous articles.
Spiral staircases and nested corridors are suitable subjects for photography
Please take a look at Black and White Images Gallery for more images
A spiral staircase can be photographed directly from top to bottom; They will look like concentric circles. Long nested corridors are also suitable for shooting from opposite angles.
Famous architecture photographers
Eric de Mare ( 1910 – 2002)
Eric de Mare is regarded as one of Britain’s most important architectural photographers. The Telegraph claims that through De Mare’s photos, British architects were compelled to reconsider modernism as a whole and what defines it, which propelled the entire profession into a new age.
In architectural subjects, structure, geometry, and light become central elements that define architectural photography.
Photographer Eric de Mare specialized primarily in industrial work. He was published in numerous journals and received numerous honors for his distinctive perspective on architecture because he had years of experience in this industry.
Ezra Stoller (1915 – 2004)
Chicago is where Ezra Stoller was born. He specialized in taking pictures of famous examples of contemporary architecture. Alva Aalto’s Finnish Pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater are two of his most well-known creations.
He gained worldwide fame for his uncanny knack for using black white architecture photography to portray the beauty of contemporary architecture.
It is widely believed that Ezra Stoller’s work contributed to the development of modernism in architecture. He had the distinction of being the first person to receive the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal for Photography because of his illustrious career.
