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Posts Tagged ‘Architectural’

Architectural Fairy Tales: Unreal Structures Tell Strange Sci-Fi Tales

11 Feb

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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These fictional structures seem to be ripped right out of the concept art for a sci-fi film, envisioning a world of architecture that’s totally out of scale with humans but fittingly grand for the environments in which they’re placed. ’Last Day’ by Ukrainian architect Mykhallo Ponomarkenko is the first prize-winning entry at this year’s Fairy Tales concept architecture competition, using classical painting techniques to tell stories of a huge artificial platform that uses anti-gravity engines to escape the laws of physics.

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“Landscapes have always inspired me to put something weird, unreal and out of human scale into them,” says Ponomarkenko. “Something not feasible and not practical that contrasts with the natural surroundings, but also exists at the same scale. These satirical interventions lead to new ideas and feelings about nature – they make the viewer more aware about the environment and our harmful impact on it.”

“We are flat surface creatures. Sometimes I feel that we crave it so much that the planet is going to be turned into pavement so cars can go anywhere, and our industries could continue expanding. The ‘Saturn Rings’ in my proposal represent these flat surface desires but in a more poetic, optimistic, and friendly manner.”

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Organized by Blank Space, an online architecture platform, the fourth annual Fairy Tales competition announced three winners selected from over 60 project submissions. Winners are awarded prizes of $ 2,500, $ 1,500 and $ 1,000, respectively, and select projects will be featured in the fourth print edition of Fairy Tales: When Architecture Tells a Story. Read the story that goes along with ‘Last Day’ and see the rest of the entries over at Blank Space.

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“The proposals put forth in the Fairy Tales competition create entire worlds of the imagination – they build their immersive stories as much by what they don’t say, as by what they do,” says Blank Space. “The winning entries in this year’s competition include oblique references to current events, mundane daily activities and human emotions that we all easily relate to – they make visible how we shape space, and in turn, how space shapes us.”

“The images and narratives are so wildly outlandish, and yet, so grounded that it seems like we could mistakenly stumble into any of them. They are personal and powerful – a testament to the power of architecture as a world-builder.”

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Architectural Relics: When Demolition Leaves Behind Nonsensical Structures

19 Jan

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Steps that go nowhere, pedestrian walkways that dead-end into elevated bridges, doors that open out into mid-air: these so-called ‘Thomassons’ are what happens when workers demolishing an outdated structure leave part of it behind, whether out of necessity or laziness. Ultimately, they become almost sculptural in their absurdity, visual ties to the past of a particular place. Walking up one of those staircases to nowhere almost seems like it could be the key to time travel.

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Japanese artist Akasegawa Genpei named these nonfunctional structures ‘thomassons’ or ‘hyperart thomassons’ in the ’80s in reference to a baseball player with a ‘useless position’ on his team. He noted one such structure in Tokyo in 1972, a staircase that had no entranceway once you reach the top. Discovering more around the city, Akasegawa began giving them names like “the useless window of Ekoda,” building a collection that was published as a book called Chogeijutsu Tomason.

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These days, images of such relics are collected via Instagram tags, on the Hyperart: Thomasson tumblr and on Reddit. There’s even a Thomasson Observation Center on Facebook, accepting public submissions and curating them into new visual references.

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Like the human appendix, these vestigial structures have long since ceased to be useful, yet somehow they’re still around, even as the world constantly shifts and changes. That in itself is pretty strange and incredible.

(images: Mathieu C, Matthew Fargo, Seng Chen and mindbomb via hyperart thomasson tumblr; reddit; wikimedia commons)

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Vanishing Points: Simple Architectural Drawing Hack Puts Art in Perspective

05 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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Architectural drawings have long used geometrical tricks to convey scale, depth, distance and other three-dimensional aspects of realities on two-dimensional surfaces. In a two-vanishing-point drawing, the artist aligns their ruler with a point on one side or the other and draws a line along the edge (or employs another modular straight-edging tool).

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The same came be accomplished much more quickly, however, using this simple technique: pin a flexible string to both points along the horizon line and slide a hook along the center. The results will naturally be a bit less than precisely linear, but for many architectural artists a wavy line is typical or even desired (it gives the piece a less rigorously complete look).

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Of course, it will only work for a traditional two-point perspective – in cases where the artist wants to include a third vanishing point (for instance, to emphasize verticals in looking up at a skyscraper or create a fish-eye effect) a straight-edge is still required. That, or a free-handed approach based on a picture, presumably the basis of the drawing above.

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Architectural Polychrome: Vintage Interactive Color Guidebook by Le Corbusier

28 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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Created by Le Corbusier, one of the most famous architects of the Modern movement, this vintage Polychromie Architecturale: Die Farbenklaviaturen book features interactive pop-up and pull-out pages to illustrate ideal color combinations for architectural and interior designers.

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Developed for and published by a Swiss wallpaper company, a rare first edition of the 1931 original volume is being auctioned in New York, its paper sliding elements and color sample storage pockets still functional and intact.

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Like much of his work, which treated architecture as “machines for living in,” Le Corbusier saw color as something that could be systematized for the modern era. These, in turn, could effect the health and happiness of building occupants. His polychromatic custom color systems included a “color keyboard” for matching hues and shades across the spectrum.

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Also as with his other systematic efforts, Corbu boiled down color selection to key components like mental effects, weight and depth, perception and unity – these parallel the logical and reductive approach of his “five points” for designing architecture. Color combinations were designed to take advantage of the positive potential in mixing and matching.

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Lighter and more natural colors could warm rooms while darker shades could camouflage parts of a space. He also designed wallpapers that took his color theories into account, combining them with rational geometries to form modern patterns. Despite the rarity of the volume and fame of its author it is expected to sell for only a few thousand dollars at the Swann Auction Galleries.

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Drawing Sculptures: 3D Architectural Art Styled After 2D Sketches

01 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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This ongoing series of sculptural floating cities and suspended towns could be mistaken for pencil drawings when glanced on a wall or seen in a two-dimensional medium like photography.

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Spanish artist David Moreno sees it that was as well: at attempt to draw sculptures, but using steel rods lashed together with piano wire rather than a pen on a pad. Background depth, shadows and other slight dimensional clues cue viewers into what they are really seeing.

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These stick-figure structures correspondingly look deceptively simple: what would normally be a single stroke is instead a meticulous assembly process, the rods tied together by hand and piano wire wrapped and clipped to support them.

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The Barcelona-based artist has also toyed with 3D-printing extrusion devices to shape similar works in more colorful formats, combining, for instance, a series of stylized chairs into a mass of interconnected hanging sculptures.

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In other cases, strings and wires are looped and stretched to form complex shapes or interact with other objects – stories and figures emerging from a combination of materials and forms.

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While the specifics of his work shifts from one installation to the next, a common theme is clear: taking traditions of line art into the third dimension and seeing what can come of the process (via Colossal).

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Architectural Interventions: 12 Radical Modern Changes to Historic Buildings

25 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Honoring the historic significance of deteriorating buildings while reinventing them for modern contexts and usage, these architectural interventions don’t try to erase signs of aging and damage or blend the demarcation between old and new. Cracks in stone manors are filled with glass, elegant Parisian facades are recreated in stark concrete, rusted steel volumes are lowered right into the empty shells of ruined brick houses. Whether renovating or reimagining the original structures, these projects preserve history and highlight the passage of time instead of demolishing or disguising it.

Astley Castle Renovation by Witherford Watson Mann, Warwickshire, England

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Ashley Castle, a former fortified manor for England’s Royal Family that fell into abandoned ruin for decades, comes back to life in the hands of London-based Witherford Watson Mann Architects, who repaired the damaged parts of the space with an insert that simultaneously blends and contrasts with the existing walls. The new brick follows the uneven breaks in the original masonry, preserving it not as it originally looked, but as it looked prior to the renovation, with all its years of history and wear.

Blencowe Hall by Donald Insall Associates, England

All images copyright nicholas yarsley (wizzwam ltd).

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A similar approach fills a crack in Blencowe Hall in Cumbria, enabling a deteriorating former manor house to become a luxury hotel in the countryside. The south tower was missing a roof and had sustained a large breach in its east wall. Donald Insall Associates worked with local architect Graham Norman to insert a steel frame and glazed wall into the reach, retaining it “as part of the story of the building.”

The Dovecote Studio by Haworth Tompkins, England

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The Dovecote Studio is another example of radically preserving ruins that are deemed “too damaged to save” with some creative thinking. Studio Haworth Tompkins filled the empty shell of an abandoned building with a cortex steel building, which reads as an entirely separate structure within the original envelope but complements the red of the old brick as it rusts. The whole thing was preassembled and literally dropped inside by a crane. It now acts as housing for artists in residence, rehearsal space and temporary exhibition space at the internationally renowned music campus at Snape Maltings.

Kew House by Piercy & Company, London

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Very little was left of the original buildings that stood on this street within the Kew Green Conservation Area of southwest London, yet the new construction honors it all the same, incorporating it into the exterior facade. A nineteenth century stable wall acts as the defining architectural feature of the street-fronting side of a new four-bedroom family house by Piercy&Company, retaining its sense of history while allowing the construction of a modern home for modern needs.

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Small in Japan: Tokyo’s Unique Museum of Miniature Architectural Models

22 Sep

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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The first of its kind, this Japanese museum focuses exclusively on showcasing architectural models through rotating displays of miniatures, treating these crafted works as their own subset of art. The Archi-Depot in Tokyo is a huge warehouse space with 17-foot ceilings and a dazzling array of models from everyday architects as well as famous designers alike.

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Each model comes with a QR code that provides information about the work, including blueprints, renderings and photographs of finished works as well as details about the architects.

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Special lighting and climate control features help preserve and protect the models, just like art in an ordinary museum. The institution is as much oriented toward maintaining these works as it is toward displaying them.

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These miniature buildings can be fantastic in their details and visual expression, but are often only seen behind closed doors in architecture firms. This museum takes these carefully-constructed works and puts them on public display.

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Featured architects include Kengo Kuma, the designer selected to create the 2020 World Olympics Stadium, as well as Shigeru Ban, famous for his work with paper and cardboard.

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Not all of the models represent buildings either under construction or already completed. Some feature conceptual pieces or draft works that for financial or other reasons will never be built. Shelf space is also rented out to architectural firms needing a place to store their models (and, of course, wanting to advertise their skills to a broader audience).

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“Most architects have a store room full of lovely models that no one gets to see. But the situation is worse in offices in Japan, where space is really at a premium,” explained Klein Dytham co-founder Mark Dytham. “So this initiative is really brilliant – it’s a win-win for the architect and Archi-Depot. You rent a set of tall shelves, display your models on the lower shelves, and store the boxes and cases on the upper shelves. Hey presto, an instant architectural model museum with works by most of Japan’s leading architects.”

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A Study in Architectural Contrasts: 12 Modern-Meets-Historic Additions

08 Aug

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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At what point do modern extensions to historic structures surpass and overwhelm the original buildings rather than complementing and enlarging them? Contrasting architectural styles can be a tricky proposition, especially in preventing the addition from looking dated or outshining the historic buildings. In some cases, these modern renovations successfully preserve the originals while bringing something fresh and new, while others fall on their faces. These examples represent both extremes, and a few in between.

Beyazit Public Library Restoration by Tabanlioglu Architects, Istanbul, Turkey

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In restoring Istanbul’s Beyazit Public Library, which dates back to 1501 and holds a collection of rare books, Tabanlioglu Architects took a minimal-intervention approach, inserting glass boxes to protect its most precious volumes and adding transparent membrane structures to cover the courtyard. A modest extension on one end of the building remains respectfully within scale of the original architecture in order to complement rather than outshine it. Contemporary lighting, support beams, modern furnishings and glass display cases contrast subtly with the traditional surfaces.

House in Vexin by Jean-Philippe Doré, France

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Three historic homes come together into a single residence with the addition of a modern volume for ‘House in Vexin’ by Jean-Philippe Doré. The existing buildings were renovated in the vernacular style of the French village, while the glass and steel contemporary volume offers a deliberate (but not overbearing) contrast. From the street, only the historic buildings can be seen, the addition tucked out of sight.

Moritzburg Museum Extension by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, Germany

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The 15th century stonework of a ruined castle in Halle, Germany, ends up providing a striking envelope for a new structure by Spanish studio Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, which is simply inserted inside. The extension provides a new roof for the formerly open-air ruins, and suspends a new floor from the center to add exhibition space without installing columns in the main gallery. The angular geometry of the roof adds additional space as well as skylights. At night, the glass insert shines like a lantern. Now the Moritzburg Museum, the building holds an important collection of modern art.

Sonora 113 Office Building by Iñaki Echeveria, Mexico City

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Sonora 113 can’t really be called an extension, considering that the new section literally towers above the original. It’s more a case of a historic facade that has been integrated into new construction to preserve some of the neighborhood’s character. The architects worked around what was once a modest yet beautiful home, the towering addition rising many stories into the sky and curving around the facade to meet the sidewalk. It raises interesting questions about what constitutes historic preservation – though if the building had been more culturally significant, it likely would have been saved to stand on its own, and this project likely prevented it from being torn down altogether.

Music School Louviers by Opus 5 Architects, Normandy, France

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First built in 1646, this historic stone building in Normandy served as a monastery, church, tribunal and prison before its transformation into a music school in 1990. Opus 5 Architects were tasked with extending space for the school and shedding all of its prison elements without allowing the new structures to overwhelm the old. The result is a series of reflective glass and concrete panels that manage to blend in with the original materials, complementing and multiplying them.

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A Study In Architectural Contrasts 12 Modern Meets Historic Additions

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Deconstructed: 25 Famous Floor Plans as Architectural Labyrinths

23 Jul

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

 

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The most fundamental blueprint of a building is its floor plan, which organizes the spaces to be occupied, creating a footprint to be extruded into three dimensions. In his ARCHIPLAN series, Federico Babina splits the difference, pulling elements up high enough to form mazes for exploration.

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His set of 25 compositions includes works by Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Louis Kahn, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and other famous architects both past and present. In each case, a critical classic work is selected then, its plan extrapolated upward and its spaces filled in with roaming characters.

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In some cases, the cutaways are particularly revealing – the work of Shigeru Ban, for instance, represents experimentation with various materials like paper and bamboo, reflected in the hollows in the sliced drawing.

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Solids and voids are shown through shading, shadows and light. These visual distinctions highlight straight and curved surfaces, walls and columns, while also revealing something about the stylistic approach of each designer.

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Other architects highlighted in the series include: Ando, Rossi, Niemeyer, Ando, Ito, Zumthor, Wright, Sanaa, Libeskind and Koolhaas, representing a range of Modernists, Postmodernists and Deconstructivists of the 20th Century.

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In other artistic sets, Babina has explored built phenomena in different ways, developing a series of architectural movie posters and re-imagining famous art as architecture.

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8 Quick Tips to Improve Your Photos of Architectural Details

19 May

When you’re photographing architecture, it’s easy to get lost in the grandeur of some buildings. That’s not a bad thing. That’s how they were designed, to be a spectacle. Cathedrals, palaces, opera houses, and state buildings are all examples of architecture that’s meant to impress.

That’s the bigger picture. In terms of photography, however, it can be better to pull away from the grand, and look for opportunities in the details. All buildings and structures are sums of smaller parts, and it’s these parts that can often lead to visually interesting photos. Photographing these details comes with its own set of considerations. This article will point out a few things to look out for while you are out and about looking for the smaller picture, and 8 tip on how to improve your photos of architectural details.

#1 – Low contrast lighting

If the weather is poor and the sky is a drab, colorless grey, it may seem like a less than worthwhile opportunity for photography. That may be the case for some subjects, however, overcast days provide incredibly soft light that is quite suited for architectural details. This softness allows you to capture subjects with a lot of fine detail, that would normally be lost in the contrast.

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Overcast days will help to bring out details that would have been lost in contrast.

Likewise, keep an eye out for photo opportunities in areas of shade. You may need a tripod to take advantage here, but the extra effort is worth it.

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Photographing subjects in the shade provides soft, even lighting.

#2 – Side lighting

For bold images, look for scenes with strong light coming from the side. This type of lighting will increase contrast, especially in texture, and it will help to emphasize the shape of your subject.

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Side lighting helps to emphasise texture and shape.

#3 – Patterns in light and shadow

Pay close attention to how light falls on various subjects. When you’re photographing details, shadows and highlights can, themselves, become an important compositional element.

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Shadows and highlight can become graphic elements in their own right.

#4 – Patterns

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Repeating patterns can make for bold imagery.

To me, the best part of photographing architectural details is the wealth of compositional possibilities. Man-made structures are full of patterns and shapes that can be exploited for photos. Take advantage of them by filling the frame for an abstract feel.

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The curve in these stairs made for natural leading lines.

#5 – Reflections

For all of the wonderful architecture in the world, there’s at least as many drab and ugly buildings that appear to have little to offer photographers. They often do have something worth captuing, but it takes work to figure it out. One way to add interest to these subjects is to look for reflections. Reflections can add visual interest and color, to an otherwise lifeless and boring subject.

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Reflections can add a boost to an otherwise lifeless scene.

#6 – Fixtures

It’s not always about the buildings, and only the buildings. Fixtures can often be overlooked, yet they can prove to be as compelling a subject as the architecture. When you’re considering a location, do look out for interesting fixtures like signs, light fittings, and security cameras.

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Keep an eye out for interesting fixtures that other may overlook.

#7 – Statuary and monuments

When you think of architecture, statues are probably the last thing on your mind. However, they are a key element to a lot of buildings and monuments. For example, the Charles Bridge in Prague has 30 large, and very detailed, statues that beg to be photographed.

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Statues are a common architectural features. Don’t neglect them with your camera.

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#8 – Black and white

This last tip is for when you’re back at home. If your images are full of texture or strong patterns, consider a black and conversion. Stripping the color element out of those images will help to emphasize your compositional elements, and can lead to much stronger photos.

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Black and white processing can help to emphasise texture in a scene.

Experiment

These tips are hardly exhaustive, and only scratch the surface of the possibilities available to you when photographing architectural details. If there’s something man-made, there’s a photograph to be had somewhere. Just keep going until you find it.

Do you have a tip of your own? Please share it below!

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