Framework for AP

Mar 22, 2025 - Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about the items that run through my head as I’m taking photos of buildings and structures.  For me, it boils down to four “L” words - Look, Level, Light, and Lines.  I plan on making a short video about this, but wanted to comment on each one here.  First up is LOOK.  There is something about the building that initially caught my attention.  What is it?  Take a moment to look around the structure to zero in on the details.  Keep in mind, the building is stationary and isn’t moving anytime soon, so really look at what you’re shooting so can you capture the structure’s character.  Next is LEVEL.  As you pull the camera to your eye, is this a landscape/horizontal photo or will it be a portrait/vertical shot?  If the building is wider than taller, it should be a landscape.  If taller than wider, then a portrait.  All of this is true unless you’re honing in on a particular feature of the building (doors, windows, etc).  Next is LIGHT.  Consider the time of day/year, where the light is coming from, natural or man-made, and whether the light is above, behind, on the sides, in front, or behind you as the photographer.  All will have implications for how the light illuminates the structure.  Finally are the LINES.  All images have lines that lead the eye through an image.  Are they straight, curvy, vertical, or horizontal?   Do they create some sort of pattern or symmetry?   Try and capture how the lines accentuate the character of the building.  The four “L”s are a framework for shooting architecture that rattles through my mind and I look forward to discussing and exploring them in greater detail here on the site.  More to come!