The art of architectural photography

Abstract

Like many other fields of photography, architectural photography is a visual way of communication. Architectural photography can be used for advertising or for documentation purposes 1 ike the surveying of buildings. Architectural photography has its own complexities. In one situation the photograph will be considered as architectural and in the other not architectural, for example when a photograph of a group of buildings is lab led "city scape" instead of architectural photography. Architectural photography can be defined as such when the primary objective is straight forward documentation of a subject which was conceived or designed by an architect. A famous architectural photographer, Norman McGrath, said that there are a few dimensions in architectural photography to be explored: "Aesthetics, imagination, abstraction, ieality, emotion, harmony, relationships, drama, time, humanism and honesty. Mastery of the practical aspects architectural subjects 2 of creating would open photographs the door to of these more philosophical elements." (Photographing buildings inside and out, Norman McGrath).