Using Contrast for Better Cityscape Compositions

Last week, we showed you multiple ways to use contrast to improve your architectural images. This week, let’s talk about cityscapes! While it might not be always as obvious, you can certainly use contrast to your advantage with cityscapes too. Of course, the first option is to find a scene with dark and bright areas, […]
Los Angeles Workshop 2019 – Day 2 Recap

As promised, following the Day 1 Recap of the Los Angeles workshop a couple of days ago, here’s Day 2! We started the morning at another favorite location, the Walt Disney Concert Hall. This year we lucked out with being able to explore the interiors from top to bottom. This is one of my favorite […]
Los Angeles Workshop 2019 – Day 1 Recap

Late February we held our Los Angeles workshop for the 3rd year in a row. We try to change things up a bit each year, learning what does and doesn’t work best from previous years. After last year’s visit to the Getty we realized we need more time at this fantastic location, so we spent our […]
Creating Photo Series – Recurring Themes

There are a few ways to create a photo series. We’ve discussed the one-subject/one-day method (I need a better phrase to explain that!), and we’ve talked about creating a series based on a preformed plan. Today we’ll discuss my most common means of creating a series – recurring themes. Don’t get me wrong, the first two […]
Using Framing to Create More Interest in Your Architectural Subjects

One of our favorite ways to compose architectural subjects is to frame them. There are many ways to do this, from abstract takes to cityscape views. Let’s go through a few examples to give you an idea of what we mean. Starting with an abstract perspective. One way is to use a portion of the […]
Miami Workshop Recap, Day 1 – 2019

Escaping to Miami in early February just after record-breaking cold here in Chicago was most welcome! We spent 2 days photographing the best architecture and cityscapes the city has to offer. Plus I snuck in some cloud photos with the incredible sunset and sunrise we were lucky enough to experience, although not by the city’s building’s, […]
Paris Workshop 2018 – Day 1

The last couple of months have been full of workshops! From Paris & Chicago with Photography Unfolded to private workshops in Chicago and a 3-day workshop with the Chicago Botanic Gardens (days 1&2, day 3). I have A LOT of editing to catch up on! Today I’ll share day 1 of 4 from Paris. We […]
Using isolation to compose architectural images

“The art of photography is about directing the attention of the viewer.” – Steven Pinker Composition is probably the most important element of creating an effective photograph. Having a great subject sure helps, but even something mundane can be made interesting if you know how to compose your shot. In terms of creating architectural abstracts, […]