Photo How To

The urban landscape is a great place to capture dramatic images, and just about everyone lives near a city or town where there are interesting buildings to shoot. In the quick video below you’ll learn a few tips and tricks to use the next time you hit the streets.

There’s nothing complicated about this two-minute tutorial from photographer Peter McKinnon. As with most types of photography, he suggests doing a bit of prep work before you start shooting. In this case, take time to explore the surroundings and study how the scene appears from various vantage points. 

As McKinnon points out, a building that appears mundane at eye level may result in a phenomenal photograph when you approach closely and shoot upwards from a low perspective. In other words, the “best” vantage point isn’t always the most obvious one.

McKinnon offers good advice on how to frame a building for maximum impact, and reminds you to explore entryways, lobbies, and atriums where dynamic opportunities often abound. He also urges you to move in tight and capture detail shots of interesting architectural ornamentations.

The video also includes a quick rundown on the best gear to use for this type of photography, so watch the video, put a wide-angle lens on your camera, and get busy. You can find more interesting tips on McKinnon’s YouTube channel, and be sure to look at our recent story on using Lightroom to correct skewed perspective in architectural photos.