Characteristics of light consumption in architectural photography

Light. It is a very important factor for photography. The following is the light consumption characteristics of architectural photography that I collected for you, hoping to help you!

First, the basic characteristics of light

The most basic feature of photography is instantaneity, which can accurately show fleeting moments in photos. We should make full use of this instantaneity, carefully observe the subtle changes of buildings and building environment under various light irradiation, capture wonderful moments, and make the buildings and building environment in the photos both real and beautiful. Sunrise and sunset are the most dramatic moments of the day when the color of the sky changes, and they are also the best moments to shoot the backlight of buildings. Under the strong light, the undulating building outline becomes the main visual element, while the space, texture and color of the building are hidden in the shadow.

During the day, under the lateral brilliant sunshine, the building looks bright and contrasts greatly, and the color is brighter than that under low-intensity light, thus highlighting the external characteristics of the building and truly conveying the three-dimensional space of the building to readers. When shooting buildings under strong light, we should pay special attention to the shadow effect caused by the change of illumination angle, and take those simple, vivid and neat shadows as an integral part of the picture.

At dusk, all the scenery will be bathed in golden brilliance, and the picture has an atmosphere that cannot be obtained during the day. The sunlight at dusk is almost horizontal and soft, which can not only produce obvious shadows and enhance the three-dimensional sense of the building, but also show the layering of the shadow part and the texture of the material surface. When using this low-angle light to represent buildings, we should pay special attention to the timing of shooting. If it is too early, the atmosphere of the picture is not strong enough. If it is too late, we should always prevent nearby high-rise buildings from suddenly blocking the sun and missing the opportunity.

When shooting modern urban buildings, you can also pay more attention to the reflection of light by glass curtain walls, and you may find many creative opportunities. The color of curtain wall changes greatly under different lighting conditions, especially at dusk. Be good at observing when shooting, and use the reflected light such as gold and silver on the curtain wall as much as possible to show the spirit brought by this light and shadow to the building.

1, luminosity. Brightness is the luminous intensity of a light source. When the luminous intensity is high, we say that the luminosity is strong. On the contrary, the intensity of any light source is from bright to dark. The brightness near the light source is strong, and the brightness away from the light source is weak. The luminosity of different light sources varies greatly. The same light source has different luminosity under different weather conditions. When the luminosity of light is strong, the tone of the object is bright and vivid, with great contrast and bright colors. When the brightness is weak, the tone of the subject is just the opposite to that when the brightness is strong. The color tone looks dim, the contrast is small and the color is not bright enough. 2. Light weight. Light quality refers to the soft and hard properties of light. The light quality can be the direct light emitted by the light source. We call this kind of light hard light or hard light quality, such as sunlight that is not blocked by clouds, direct artificial light emitted by spotlights and flashlights. The contrast effect of hard light quality is more obvious and dazzling, which is helpful to show the details and texture of the light receiving surface. The contrast is large and can cause clear and prominent shadows. Soft light quality is a kind of slow-emitting light, which has no clear directionality and will not leave obvious shadows on the photographed object, such as cloudy sunshine, artificial light reflected from the surfaces of walls, ceilings and other objects, or scattered light formed by rigid light sources and soft light devices.

Second, the direction of light.

Direction and orientation of light

Light level is the light angle (including horizontal angle and vertical angle) that constitutes a certain modeling effect of the main body. Illumination level Under the condition of a certain shooting direction, the illumination of subjects in different positions around the replacement target method is changed and measured. The light processing of photography can be divided into front light, front light, side light, side backlight, back light, top light and angle light horizontally. The determination of any light level depends on the viewpoint of the camera. The change of viewpoint means the change of light level and the change of light efficiency such as the light receiving area and direction of the subject.

1, smooth. "Front light" refers to the illumination light with the same projection direction as the optical axis of the camera. When the light goes forward, the subject is evenly illuminated, the shadow of the scene is blocked by itself, and the color is soft. The picture level is conveyed by the color and tone of the subject's own picture, so it can better express the color attribute of the subject, but it will appear dull if it is not handled properly. 2. Front side lights. The front light is illumination light whose projection direction forms an included angle of about 45 degrees with the optical axis of the camera. In architectural photography, this light is often used as the main plastic light. The front light can form a small area projection, which can enrich the tone level of the picture and hide unnecessary clutter. It shows the three-dimensional sense, surface texture and outline of the building well, enriches the light and dark levels of the picture, and plays a good role in modeling and plasticity. 3. Side lights. Side light is illumination light whose projection direction forms an included angle of about 90 degrees with the optical axis direction of the camera. The object illuminated by side light has obvious shadow surface and projection, and the contrast between light and shade is bright and strong. The photos taken in this light are full of dramatic effects. 4. Side backlight. Side backlight is the illumination light whose projection direction is at an angle of about 135 degrees with the optical axis of the camera. Most of the scenes illuminated by side backlight are in the shadows, and the edges of buildings often have bright outlines, which can better express the outline form and three-dimensional sense of the scene. When shooting buildings, this kind of light is often used to show the perspective effect of the atmosphere. 5. Backlight. Backlight, also known as "background light", is the illumination light from the back of the subject. Because it can only illuminate the outline of the subject from the back, it is also called sidelight. In the case of backlight lighting, most buildings are in the shadow, and only the outline is clearly visible, which distinguishes the buildings from the background sky. So this kind of light is suitable for shooting the silhouette effect of buildings. 6, ceiling light. The top light is the light irradiated from above the main body. Top light includes top light, top light and anti-top light. The lighting effects of top light and top light are similar, but there is not much difference, while anti-top light and anti-top light are similar. When shooting a building under the top light, the horizontal brightness of the building is greater than the vertical brightness, and the brightness gap is large, which is not suitable for representing the three-dimensional shape of the building and will produce abnormal and weird effects.

In short, the main light source of outdoor architectural photography is sunlight, and its illumination angle, brightness and color will change with the change of location, season, time and climate conditions, and can directly affect the color harmony and atmosphere of buildings in the picture, thus quickly changing people's feelings about buildings. It is the most important part of the photographer's artistic talent to have a deep understanding of the characteristics of light and be good at using its changes to create the tone and atmosphere of the picture. The ideal light needs not only patience, but also efforts to discover and use it. Usually, we should pay more attention to how sunlight makes buildings full of vitality and how it makes buildings dull. Photographers should have a scientific prediction of the possible impact of climatic conditions on the shooting results and have a good sense of presence when shooting. A photo that can attract readers sometimes needs to be taken many times and compared repeatedly before it can be made.