 BetterPhoto Member |
What Lens to Use When Shooting Buildings? I am trying to get into architectural photography. I have a job coming up in which the client would like me to shoot high-rise buildings. Their number one complaint is most photographers distort the building. What lens and would one suggest shooting medium format? Thank you, I appreciate any info.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Terry L. Long |
If you use a normal lens and you have to tilt the camera upward to encompass the entire building/structure, you'll distort the building. It'll look like it's falling backwards. Also, the parallel vertical lines will seem to converge towards the top. In order to prevent this, you have to keep the "film plane" parallel to the building. If you're too close, the structure won't fit in/on the film so you have to back away from the subject. Another way is to get pretty far away and use a telephoto lens, but then you run into the problem with compression. Most architectural photographers use a large format camera, usually 4x5 or 8x10, to photograph structures. The tilts and shifts of the lens or film standards will prevent converging lines (distortion, as you mentioned). You can get into a 4x5 system with lenses and film holders for somewhere around $1200.00. If you're adamant about medium format, you can purchase a "tilt/shift" lens. Their movements aren't as much as a large format system but they're better than nothing. A tilt/shift lens for MF costs quite a bit. It'd be cheaper to get into LF rather than buy a t/s lens for MF.
|
|
|
|
||
- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Sounds like the client may have asked you to do it without having to show them some samples of what you've done previously. So that makes me think that they've only had wide angle shots done in the past. Tilt-and-shift lenses will eliminate distortion, but you could probably satify this client if you minimize it. A 50mm for 35mm film is a normal perspective lens that shows close to how your eye sees things. So if you shoot a building with that perspective, it would be close to looking at the building itself, and the client may be happy with that. In order to actually keep the film plane parallel with a subject as tall as a high rise, you'd have to shoot landscape style or somehow raise yourself off the ground so that the middle of the frame matches with the middle of the building - giving you equal coverage over the top half and bottom half so there's no tilting the camera to include the top of the building. A small telephoto won't give too much compression, like 75-100mm, and can help in isolate - if the client dosen't want other stuff in the photo. This will affect your choice of vantage point. If you have medium format, or if you already have the money for medium format, then the bigger negatives will benefit for publication of any photos. But if 35mm suits the client's needs, you don't have to get medium format right away. Do the job, use that to try to get more jobs, and if you start to hear from people who need medium format, then you can buy one. If you can, let the people who buy your stuff pay for new equipment. And by the way, regular 50mm lenses are comparable to, I think, 85mm lenses in medium format, as far as perspective goes. I'm sure exactly, but it's somewhere around there.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Ann |
Hi Hope this suggestion will help you. I bought a Nikon 4500 swivel camera and it is the best for architectural photography.Most real estate agents used this camera as well.The price is reasonabe and I promise you will be happy with it. Ann
|
|
|
|
||
|
David Robinson |
Consider purchasing a high end digital camera and stretching the image in photoshop to rectify any distortion due to pointing the camera up. David
|
|
|
|
||
|
This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here
Report this Thread |
||