LENSBABY/EQUIPMENT RESEARCH

Lensbaby make a range of lenses which combine with a bellows or ball and socket mechanism, to allow special effects  photogaphy similar to that of a view camera.  At 50mm they are a normal focal length lens, in the 35mm format.  The front standard can be manipulated to move the area of focus anywhere in the frame, keeping the important part of the subject in focus, whilst blurring the rest of the image, even if it is level with the area of focus.

Aperture is controlled by a series of interchangeable discs, with normal focus of about two feet, closer focus is achieved by pushing the front lens out and infinity by pushing it in towards the base of the lens.

The resulting images have some chromatic and spherical aberration, around the central 'sweet spot' in focus.  There is usually also oval bokeh around the focus point, bokeh is used to describe the aesthetic quality of blur in out of focus areas of an image and how the lens shows out of focus points of light.

Bokeh comes from the Japanese word for blur or haze.

An approximation of this effect can be produced by using gaussian blur in editing software, usually used in graphics to soften images and reduce detail or smooth noise referred to as gaussian smoothing.

Some compact and cell-phones also now have 'image destabalisation'  where the sensor and lens are both moved to maintain focus on one focal plane whilst blurring nearby ones.

I would like to experiment with this effect in my architectural portfolio, picking out detail and blurring surrounding area.  I could achieve this effect to some extent by using a wide aperture, however, this is not possible when picking out detail on a flat wall for example, or using a smaller aperture to pick up detail at a distance. 

Silver Drinking Vessel from Pompei

Naples Archaeological Museum

Here I have used a large aperture to pick out detail in the cup, whilst creating a blur to disguise the surrounding cabinet and distractions in the background.



Grape harvest scene on the 'Blue Vase' - Pompei

Naples Archaeological Museum

The same technique has been used here, but I also had four overhead tungsten lights to avoid, unfortunately I was unable to change the white balance on my camera to compensate for their yellow cast, hoping I could deal with this later in photoshop.

Bronze Horse Statue - Pompei

Naples Archaeological Museum

Detail on the main and head of this stature was phenominal and I wanted to focus on this in particular, I think the angle of the shot adds to the feeling of movement in the prancing horse.

Water spouts - Pompei

Naples Archaeological Museum

There was a whole series of these animal heads cast in bronze, I wanted to get a number of them in the shot but to add interest decided to concentrate on one showing the others out of focus.

Runners from the Villa of the Papyri, Pompei

Naples Archaeological Museum

These bronzes are lifesize and were recovered from Pompei during excavations in the 18th century.  Found amongst almost 100 other bronzes and sculptures, they were thought to adorn a gymnasium and were cast in the late 4th and early 3rd century BC.

I wanted to get a shot which emphasised movement in these sculptures and capture detail in the faces.  It was difficult since there were constantly people moving through and around.  With a lensbaby I could have thrown more of the surrounding distractions out of focus, concentrating the viewers eye on the  magnificent figures.

Panel from a buriel casket

Naples Archaeological Museum

Here the carving in marble was so detailed I decided to keep as much as possible in focus, it was so beautiful I found it difficult to decide where to focus the lens. 

ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY - EQUIPMENT

When photographing buildings from the ground, it is often impossible to fit an entire building into the frame, without tilting the camera upwards.  This results is the top of the structure appearing smaller and vertical lines appearing to converge, this perspective increases in proportion to the angle of view.

Perspective could be eliminated by keeping the camera parallel to the ground, however, this would result in capturing only the bottom part of the building.  By keeping the camera parallel and shifting the lens, we could capture an image without perspective distortion.

Perspective Control Lenses allow the photographer to adjust the position of the subject in the image area whilst keeping the camera body parallel, therefore correcting perspective.

Keeping the camera level with an ordinary lens, results in capturing the bottom half of the building

Tilting the camera upwards results in vertical perspective

Shifting the lens upwards results in a picture of the entire building

Some lenses provide shift only and are referred to as 'shift lenses', some have tilt and shift and are called, 'tilt-shift' lenses.

Canon TSE 4528 45mm F2.8 Tilt & Shift Lens

View Cameras also offered the same type of flexibility to early photographers and are still used today, but with many refinements.  These were developed in the era of the Daguerreotype, the first publicly announced photographic process, named after Louis Daguerre.

A flexible bellows which joins the front and rear standard allows for movement in all directions.

Perspective control in software is now possible as in Photoshop's perspective and distort functions, however, some image resolution may be lost from the most distant parts of the subject.

Personally, unless I was photographing a building for historical record for example, I prefer some perspective, since it adds drama and an artistic element to a picture.  It takes the subject out of the mundane and ordinary and adds a different  viewpoint.

Amalfi Duomo

Canon EOS 5D MK11 with 24 - 45mm lens

 Interior of Naples Archeological Museum

Canon EOS 5D MK11 with 24 - 45mm lens.

Sources - web sites ; photstuff.co.uk

                                 photo.net

                                 wikipedia

9 TIPS FOR ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY/RESEARCH

1.  Be sensitive to the direction of light, as this can increase contrast, shadows, textures and reflections.
This can be overcome by using exposure compensation, or bracketing, shooting at different exposure levels and then merging the results in Photoshop.

2.  Use a wide angle or fish-eye lens to frame the whole building and put it in its environment.  If this is not possible, then taking several shots and stitching them together as a panorama, may be an alternative.

3.  It isn't always about the exterior, however, remember to compensate for artificial lighting when moving inside.  If light levels are low use a tripod with long exposure, or perhaps you could use supplementary lighting such as a diffuse flash.  To stop highlights being blown out you could also use an ND graduated filter.

4.  You could shoot a structure as a silhouette by positioning the subject between the camera and the sun.  Expose for the sky, if the foreground is too light, darken  it by using negative exposure compensation.  Night shots can be very dramatic, but aim to retain some colour in the sky to add tone to the background and help illuminate detail. A tripod is essential since long exposure will be needed, to keep iso values as low as possible and retain clarity of detail, use as wide an aperture as possible.

5.  Exciting architectural images can be taken in all weathers.  A storm brewing over a church for example, will add drama and interest to a shot.  Try revisiting a subject in different weather conditions to build up a portfolio of images.

6.  Use reflections to add an extra dimension to your subject, windows, puddles, sunglasses and wet streets can all be utilised.

7.  For inspiration research your building, and use a zoom lens to pick out focal points or architectural detail, try cropping in close for a frame filling abstract.

8.  Play with perspective by standing close to a tall building and shooting straight up, using the distortion to add drama to the shot, or alternatively, stand back and include everyday objects such as cars, trees and people to give a sense of scale.  Try to use a small aperture to retain detail or throw the foreground or background out of focus by using a large aperture.

9.  Architecture is built on the principle of symmetry, to try and discover the centre of this symmetry, place your hand across your eyeline and compose your shot around the centre.  Or alternatively, follow the principles of nature and include curves, shadows or reflections to soften the structure.

I tried to keep these guidelines in mind when taking architectural photographs on my Italy trip, particularly playing with perspective.  Since I did not have a tilt-shift lens available to correct perspective I decided to emphasise this.

Taking this shot from close to the base of the pillar, it has made it appear taller, and wider at the base.

Source - digitalphotographyschool.com

Nikon tutorial for photographing architecture

ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY/ RESEARCH

Guggenheim Museum, New York

Ezra Stoller

Static objects such as buildings and portraits were popular in early photography since only long exposures were possible, people were often posed with wires to hold them in position.

As photography advanced, other subjects became possible and architecture developed into a genre in its own right.

The most common form of architectural photography used today, is the photo in an estate agents window.  Often badly composed, with poor exposure, taken with an automatic digital camera, it is used only as a basic guide to a property.  However, for the sale of prestige properties, a professional photographer will be used to show the exterior and interior off to the best advantage.

Ezra Stoller was an early American architectural photographer whose interest in photography began whilst studying architecture at New York University, after his graduation in 1939 he concentrated on photography and one of his most famous pictures is that of Fallingwater, a property in Pensylvannia America, designed by Frank LLoyd Wright.

Ezra Stoller

architectural interior shot

He was considered America's leading architectural photographer and many architects did not consider their buildings to be complete until they had been 'Stollerized'.  Working with great architects such as Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohn, Alvar Aalto, Marcel Breuer and many others his photographs are now regarded as fine art with prints and portfolios in many museum collections.  His pictures influenced many modern architects and through them, introduced and popularised modern architecture to the general population. 



Here details in the window embellishment and wavy tiled surrounds act as leading lines into the picture, echoed by the sweeping curve of the roofline giving a great sense of scale and depth.

Details are as important as a wider panoramic shot, shine on the bannister rail gives us information about the texture whilst the curving lines add dynamism and lead the eye around the whole picture.

"Photography is space, light, texture, of course, but the really important element is time.  That nanosecond when the image organises itself on the ground glass".  He would sometimes wait for days if necessary for the perfect conditions in which to capture the image.

This was something that I took from Edward Swinden's the street photographers lecture, he said he often returned to a location many times in order to capture an interesting event in the correct conditions.

Here a large pillar takes the gaze up to the sweep of the roof almost echoing the sweep of a wing, adding to the image of a light and airy interior which you want to go into to explore.

I love the dynamism of this shot with verical lines adding to the feeling of  lofty hight and the diagonals making for a tight composition.

Here the wooden flooring leads you into the room with light on the rear wall making you wonder what is around the corner.



Here people add scale to this lofty interior, with the curved organic lines making it feel less institutional and leading your gaze futher into the distance.  Edward Swindens pictures are reminiscint of the patches of dark and light with people highlighted as the main point of interest.

Edward Swinden

Most of Ezra Stoller's photography was in black and white using a large format camera and the company he founded in 1966, Esto Photographics still represents many architects today, since his death in 2004, it is now operated by his daughter.

Interior of Gallerie Umberton 1, Naples Italy - Lesley Gooding

This was such an impressive open space after the streets of Naples, people add scale while the ascending arches lead your eye up to the dome above.

Exterior of Church of St Francis of Paola, Piazza Plebiscito, Naples Italy - Lesley Gooding

Using pillars and arches from Pompei as inspiration, these covered walkways form an impressive framing to the church and make a dramatic photograph, with strong sunlight echoing the shape and form on the ground.

Galleried entrance to Duomo, Amalfi Italy - Lesley Gooding

The line of pillars lead you into this picture with pattern adding to the interest on the floor and echoed in the decorated window openings.  Light coming in from the right highlights the texture of the marble flooring.

Sources - New York Times (online newspaper)
                Lumiere Gallery.net
                Artnet.com
                Esto.com/ezrastoller

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FROM AROUND THE WORLD

video link


I tried to embed this video of street photography from various artists around the world, but unfortunately there was not a code for blogger, so I have had to settle for a video link.


Check it out, there are lots of great shots!

MORE STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

None of these photographs have been photoshopped.

We took a coach tour down the coast from Naples to Amalfi, a famous and very beautiful part of the coastline.   Amalfi, a small Italian town, lies at the foot of Monte Cerreto and was capital of the Maritime Republic of Amalfi, an important trading power between 839 - 1200.  The wealth of the town can be seen in its buildings including the Cathedral which dates from the 11th century.  It was also famous in medieval times for its flourishing schools of law and mathematics.

Walking up the narrow streets we were drawn into the Museo della Carta, the Paper Museum, here we saw paper being hand made and pressed on a block.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my glasses with me and the icons to correct white balance to remove the yellow caste of electric lighting, were very small on my Canon display.  This was very frustrating but I took pictures anyway with the intention of correcting them in photoshop.

Petals and leaves were added for decoration.

There were many examples of ancient paper and photographs.

 

Also block printing and handwriting.

Beautiful coloured papers,

 

and ancient books.

Of course there was the Piazza Duomo where you could relax and take in the atmosphere.

 

As well as many beautiful buildings which have been converted to shops and cafes.

This is a public drinking fountain, carved in marble, decorated with a mock mountain and little figures.  Whilst we stood, many people drank the icy water straight from the mountain.

We watched the world go by for a time and this local gentleman stopped off from his shopping, to pass the time of day with a shop owner, whilst an elderly lady hung her washing from her balcony.

Amalfi became very popular again in the 1920's and 30's as a holiday destination for wealthy British families and aristocrats.