Professional Architectural Photography (Professional Photography Series) [Paperback]

Michael G Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0240515323 | ISBN-13: 978-0240515328 | Edition: 2nd

As a perfectionist art form, architectural photography is a methodical process demanding patience and clinical precision from its practitioners, combined with an experienced understanding of the potential and effects of natural light.

Packed with detailed information plus firsthand tips and advice - this is a complete introduction for any aspiring architectural photographer, or a practicing professional needing to brush up on skill and knowledge.



Michael Harris works in London as a freelance photographer specializing in architectural and interior photography. His work covers a wide spectrum from industrial and commercial, to residential photography, with clients ranging from architects and property agents to magazine publishers. He is author of Professional Interior Photography also published by Focal Press.


Gives advice on professional business practice and offers practical solutions to typical problems
Illustrated with stunning colour photographs throughout
Contains an analysis of published assignments

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This book gives excellent practical guidance on the equipment to be used and the main criteria for ensuring the production of good quality architectural photographs, with adequate regard to light and composition in particular. Architects and estate agents, amongst many other professionals, will find it of great value.'
ASI Journal

'Repays close study, particularly on the technical side.' - Society of Architectural & Industrial Illustrators News

"For those wanting to aspireto architectural photography or simply broaden their general photographic techniques and improve in this area, Professional Architectural Photography is an especially effective book"
BOOKNEWS Als
"Plenty of uesful stuff."
AMATUER PHOTOGRAPHER

From the Publisher

As a perfectionist art form, architectural photography is a methodical process demanding patience and clinical precision from its practitioners, combined with an experienced understanding of the potential and effects of natural light. Professional Architectural Photography is packed with detailed information plus firsthand tips and advice; it is a complete resource for any aspiring architectural photographer or practicing professional needing to brush up on skill and knowledge.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 2nd edition (November 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240515323
• ISBN-13: 978-0240515328
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,046,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must-read" book for aspiring architectural photographers!, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Professional Architectural Photography (Professional Photography Series) (Paperback)

Professional Architectural Photography by Michael Harris is a wonderfully informative and beautifully illustrated "must-read" book for any photographer who desires to shoot the interiors and exteriors of buildings. The book is easy to read, concise and to the point, and offers a wealth of information detailing with the art and science of architectural photography. As a professional photographer and photography instructor, I had always desired to try my hand, so to speak, at capturing on film the architectural beauty of historically significant buildings. After reading this book, I can't wait to go out and shoot my own architectural photographs. In fact, I was so motivated by the way the author presented the information contained in the book that I went out a couple weeks later and bought a 4" x 5" large-format view Camera. Trust me! If you think you'd like to dabble in architectural photography, invest in this book. You'll be glad you did! Even if you're not a photographer, but you like viewing photographic images in home remodeling or architectural magazines, this book will teach you much about (and give you a better appreciation for) architectural photography. Who knows? It may even launch you into a new career.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but a bit cursory, November 2, 2004

By 

Richard Coutts "buttonsrtoys" (Halifax, Nova Scotia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Professional Architectural Photography, Third Edition (Professional Photography Series) (Paperback)

I'm an architect and a beginner photographer and was looking for a good, comprehensive book on architectural photography so I could photograph my jobs for my portfolio. This book has a lot of good technical information, but deviates from the topic many times (in my opinion). For example, there's a sections on the architectural history, the role of the architect, aesthetics in architecture, etc. I don't need this and I think this is been covered extensively in other books. I don't mind if this information is there, but the topics covered could have been given more depth and examples, rather than spending time on tangential subjects.

Mostly, I bought this book because I need to understand the intricacies of lighting interior spaces to get the most beautiful photograph I can. Just when the chapter on lighting was getting good, the author recommends the reader buy his other book "Professional Interior Photography" for more information -- bummer.

So, for someone interested in reading about the subject and related areas, this seems like a good book. For someone like me looking an in-depth book only on architectural photography, I'd recommend to keep looking.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Technical Primer, August 18, 2001

By 

CMOS (US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Professional Architectural Photography (Professional Photography Series) (Paperback)

If you're interested in architectural photography as a profession, you will probably gain some valuable insights from this book. While few of the photographic examples used are what I would call "stunning", the author provides a very methodical and thorough approach to learning the craft. And while certainly not a how-to book for inexperienced photographers, Harris has done a good job of defining the issues and explaining the technical solutions that are inherent to architectural photography.

Everything of importance is explained, from film selection and filtering, to complex exposure formulas and specialized equipment.

A warning though: if you don't have a basic understanding of Geometry, you might have trouble applying some of the concepts in this book (and thus trouble producing attractive architectural photographs). More than any other genre of photography, architectural photography is a thinking man (and woman's) game. You don't "seek out" or "sense" a beautiful photograph so much as carefully manufacture them.