Architectural photography is one of the most popular styles in fashion and artistic photoshoots. It’s also a pretty lucrative side business idea if you have your own set of tools and are willing to put in some effort.

If you want to start offering your services as an architectural photographer, here are some helpful tips for beginner photographers who want to take their craft up a notch.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different settings or lighting techniques. As long as you don’t mind spending money (which you should!), then go ahead and try something new!

It’s always better to over-do it than not enough – at least you’ll get some use out of those leftovers. Plus, when you're investing your time into this field, you'll eventually hit a wall where you just can't seem to find any interesting projects, so why not invest in yourself by trying new things?

This article will talk about some easy ways to improve your architecture photos starting from taking good pictures of landscapes to understanding light and using natural ambient light to create more dramatic images.

Create a team

As with any type of artistic expression, being able to express yourself is only possible when you have something that allows you to do it. When investing in architectural photography equipment, make sure to include your colleagues or even friends who will help promote your work.

By having other people contribute their own style and materials, your portfolio will grow!

And while some may not agree with what kind of lens you use or how you light a scene, they can add value to your work by taking pictures of similar locations or types of buildings and incorporating their unique styles into yours.

Your colleagues could also be the ones editing and styling your photos for online galleries and portfolios, so think about those relationships ahead of time to avoid potential conflicts later.

blog post: Architectural Photographer Tips

We gathered several more tips here for you to consider as an architectual photographer.

Choose your location

Choosing where to take pictures is an integral part of good architecture photography. There are many, many great locations you can take photos at, so don’t feel like you need to be in a specific place to have an architectural photograph.

Some very famous architectural photographs were not taken under particularly beautiful or interesting circumstances, but they still look spectacularly elegant!

When it comes down to it, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, and what makes one person consider something as beautiful may make another think it looks weird or plain ugly.

Don’t get too focused on only certain types of buildings, unless you really want to do that!

There are many ways to achieve striking, aesthetically-pleasing images when photographing buildings and urban landscapes.

And while there’s no wrong way to take outdoor architecture photos, keeping it natural and unobtrusive will usually result in the most pleasing shots.

Connect with the owner

As we have discussed, owning an architectural photo is not the same as shooting stills or lifestyle photos. With architecture photography, your client can be anyone! You will typically need their permission to shoot anywhere you want, and most likely they do not own all of the areas they work in so you must get permissions for those too.

If you are ever contacted about buying an architectural image, make sure you check out these tips first!

You should also familiarize yourself with how copyright laws apply to architectural images. Some countries use national copyright law while others use international conventions.

Think of the theme

When it comes to architectural photography, one thing that most amateurs do not seem to understand is how important it is to establish a theme for your photo.

The theme can be something as simple as creating reflections or silhouettes, to more elaborate concepts such as celebrating nature in urban environments.

Whatever you choose, make sure that you are clearly understanding the concept and that you are able to convey this message through your photographs.

Make sure it’ll be comfortable

While some people may not agree, I would say that having a professional camera is almost never worth the cost. A good smartphone can take great photos! If you are very artistic or creative, then go ahead and splurge on your phone but if you are more business-oriented, look into getting a simple point-and-shoot for around $100-$150.

Plan for lighting

Even if you have professional level photography equipment, it is still important to plan your light! When taking architectural photos, natural ambient light can make things very difficult.

Mostly, photographers use strong external lights or expensive internal studio lights to illuminate their settings. What most of these sites fail to mention is that there are many ways to work with ambient light in your setting.

Plan your images

A long, successful architectural photography career is one that has you planning your next photo session carefully. As we have seen, there are several ways to go about capturing architecture pictures, so choosing which approach to use depends mostly on what kind of photos you want to take and what types of architectures you like to photograph.

The first thing to do before picking an area or building to include in your image is determine what mood you wish to achieve with your picture. Are you trying to capture the beauty of a space? Or would you rather show off the striking shape of something?

By knowing the intended effect of your photographs, you can more easily choose timing and locations for your photoshoots. For example, if your goal is to create beautiful stills of lush green landscapes, then taking outdoor shots at sunrise or sunset is your best bet.

If you instead wanted to make artistic black-and-white portraits, then lighting areas directly according to natural shadows and light patterns is essential. By using complementary colors and shades, beautifully neutral imagery can be achieved.

After determining the desired outcome, find out where potential shooting spots are available. If there’s not much open space around a structure, other styles may not work as well.

Write your contract

Before you begin taking pictures, you must first agree on what services you will provide and for how long. This is called defining your job!

Most professional photographers have at least one style of architecture photography they use in their business. They may even have several depending on the project or season.

But no matter which type of architectural photography technique you choose, there’s one thing that every pro does not seem to have — a standard contract!

That’s why I created my own document with all the important information including exclusions, payment structures, and timelines. You can find it here.

I've also included some tips and tricks to help you create yours.