Architectural Beauty

        In the handbook, "How to Photograph Absolutely Everything", the author focuses a whole section on architecture. Personally, I find architecture to be very fascinating and beautiful, so this was the perfect photo subject for me to attempt to shoot. In the beginning of the chapter, Ang states, "Architecture offers an enormous advantage over almost any other field of photography: your subject will stay in one place. . . To create something fresh, you need to consider light and viewpoint just as much as. . . the building" (Ang 213). Regarding this, I recognized I needed to pay close attention to the light and angle in my photos.
        I decided to head to Seattle, somewhere I knew I could find inspiration in many of the modern and abstract buildings. Architecture provides endless inspiration, so walking around and taking in a structure may be a good idea to further understand what you want to photograph (Ang 216). This recommendation helped me spontaneously capture shots, that I would later sift through to isolate my favorites. Usually I'm drawn to sleek, modern buildings like the ones in the first picture. As Ang states, "Beauty is often in the detail" (216), which I conveyed in my next photo of a building with abstract patterns surrounding the exterior.

        A location I specifically wanted to go to was Gas Works Park, located on the north shore of Lake Union in Seattle. A couple pages were dedicated to the topic of "Industrial Appeal". The photo provided on these pages reminded me of the gas plant at this particular park, which inspired me to go out and take my own photos there. Ang advises, "You may travel past an industrial landscape. . . without seeing any photogenic potential. However, sun, cloud, and smoke can sometimes conspire to create a stunning composition. . . It's unlikely that you will be able to get very close, so you may need a long zoom setting" (275).  I focused on capturing the sun and clouds as the background since the gas plant was no longer active for there to be any smoke. Additionally, I wanted to portray a sunset silhouette, where the strong colors present in the sunset would further bring out the silhouette of the industrial structure. Also, I used a long zoom setting as the author advised. 

        An extra photo I chose to include exhibits bridge architecture. Ang tells the readers, "Bridges are full of photographic potential. Start taking pictures of the structure as soon as it comes into view. . . explore its many characteristics, suggesting ideas and angles for many fine images" (246). Intrigued by the bright orange and blue color of this bridge, I decided to shoot it from an angle showing the bridge as it lifted to let ships pass. 

What types of architecture do you think look beautiful?

Do you agree that beauty is in the detail?  

Ang, Tom. How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures from Your Digital Camera. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2007. Print.