Visual elements of architectural photography

The form, line, scale, texture and color of architecture are the main components of visual elements in architectural photography. In most cases, the above elements will not appear in the same position on the screen at the same time, especially when the photographer needs to highlight a certain feature of the building. What visual elements need to be highlighted in a picture depends on the purpose of the photo and the photographer's creative intention and style.

Form can make people feel the depth of architectural space and the real world of three-dimensional space. When using plane photos to express three-dimensional buildings, the strength of its performance will largely depend on the use of visual perspective and shadows to improve the sense of space of buildings.

The outline building is a three-dimensional shape, but it often appears in the shape of two-dimensional space in human vision, and its most typical and simplest shape is silhouette. When the building is in backlight, the light comes from the back of the building. Under the strong light, silhouette becomes the main visual element of the building, while other elements such as space, texture and color are hidden in the shadow. When shooting, we should be good at using all kinds of perspective, light and shadow, and use and emphasize the expressive architectural outline to show the visual image of the building concisely, clearly and vividly.

Lines and lines also play an important role in the visual elements of architecture. In architectural photography, the concept of lines often does not appear directly on the subject in the form of "lines", but more in the form of the appearance characteristics of components, such as pillars, walls, roofs, stairs, railings and other components of buildings may appear in photos in the form of various lines.