Photographing tall buildings

[ThePresence]

I was contacted by a company asking me to photograph their buildings in Manhattan. It's a whole bunch of really tall buildings. I'm not a photography noob, but I have never done this kind of work. What lenses/equipment do you guys recommend? I realize it's a tricky job to shoot a tall building from across the street. So I would imagine the wider the better, but I want to hear from people who may have done it themselves. Thanks!

 

[OdiN]

Wider the better, and I hope you have Photoshop as you will probably need to do perspective and barrel distortion fixes.

Quick tutorial:

http://www.photoshopbox.com/ph...h/fix-perspective.html

Barrel distortion and other stuff is pretty straightforward with the Lens Correction tool in CS2 and later.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Wider the better, and I hope you have Photoshop as you will probably need to do perspective and barrel distortion fixes.

Quick tutorial:

http://www.photoshopbox.com/ph...h/fix-perspective.html

Barrel distortion and other stuff is pretty straightforward with the Lens Correction tool in CS2 and later.

I'm a graphic designer by trade, half my life is Photoshop.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN
Wider the better, and I hope you have Photoshop as you will probably need to do perspective and barrel distortion fixes.

Quick tutorial:

http://www.photoshopbox.com/ph...h/fix-perspective.html

Barrel distortion and other stuff is pretty straightforward with the Lens Correction tool in CS2 and later.

I'm a graphic designer by trade, half my life is Photoshop.

I thought I remembered that that is what you did as a profession, but I wasn't positive.

You've got to worry about reflections on glass and such too - weather, etc. A circular polarizer may be very beneficial if the building is mostly glass - to either compliment or remove reflections. You may want to find an angle where other buildings aren't reflected in it - also if they have competing business which is in the same area - I wouldn't imagine they would like to see a big reflection of a competitor in their building, so that's something to consider. If it's unavoidable, I assume you could modify it in photoshop to get rid of it.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN
Wider the better, and I hope you have Photoshop as you will probably need to do perspective and barrel distortion fixes.

Quick tutorial:

http://www.photoshopbox.com/ph...h/fix-perspective.html

Barrel distortion and other stuff is pretty straightforward with the Lens Correction tool in CS2 and later.

I'm a graphic designer by trade, half my life is Photoshop.

I thought I remembered that that is what you did as a profession, but I wasn't positive.

You've got to worry about reflections on glass and such too - weather, etc. A circular polarizer may be very beneficial if the building is mostly glass - to either compliment or remove reflections. You may want to find an angle where other buildings aren't reflected in it - also if they have competing business which is in the same area - I wouldn't imagine they would like to see a big reflection of a competitor in their building, so that's something to consider. If it's unavoidable, I assume you could modify it in photoshop to get rid of it.

I will take all the above info into consideration. Thank you!

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN
Wider the better, and I hope you have Photoshop as you will probably need to do perspective and barrel distortion fixes.

Quick tutorial:

http://www.photoshopbox.com/ph...h/fix-perspective.html

Barrel distortion and other stuff is pretty straightforward with the Lens Correction tool in CS2 and later.

I'm a graphic designer by trade, half my life is Photoshop.

I thought I remembered that that is what you did as a profession, but I wasn't positive.

You've got to worry about reflections on glass and such too - weather, etc. A circular polarizer may be very beneficial if the building is mostly glass - to either compliment or remove reflections. You may want to find an angle where other buildings aren't reflected in it - also if they have competing business which is in the same area - I wouldn't imagine they would like to see a big reflection of a competitor in their building, so that's something to consider. If it's unavoidable, I assume you could modify it in photoshop to get rid of it.

I will take all the above info into consideration. Thank you!

No prob! Just make yourself scour the details. Don't look at your photo as the "big picture" but find all the smaller details and things in it. Not always easy to do. Post some samples after the shoot if you can

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN
Wider the better, and I hope you have Photoshop as you will probably need to do perspective and barrel distortion fixes.

Quick tutorial:

http://www.photoshopbox.com/ph...h/fix-perspective.html

Barrel distortion and other stuff is pretty straightforward with the Lens Correction tool in CS2 and later.

I'm a graphic designer by trade, half my life is Photoshop.

I thought I remembered that that is what you did as a profession, but I wasn't positive.

You've got to worry about reflections on glass and such too - weather, etc. A circular polarizer may be very beneficial if the building is mostly glass - to either compliment or remove reflections. You may want to find an angle where other buildings aren't reflected in it - also if they have competing business which is in the same area - I wouldn't imagine they would like to see a big reflection of a competitor in their building, so that's something to consider. If it's unavoidable, I assume you could modify it in photoshop to get rid of it.

Remember to watch out for wide angles + polarizers, you won't get even polarization across the photo, especially noticeable in the sky.

 

[Fardringle]

If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

this :thumbsup:

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

this :thumbsup:

Wow yeah that's a great idea. May not work depending on the area but that would be pretty cool. Only issue would be shooting through the windows in the other building - some may be dirtier than others or something odd. Reflections on the window from inside the building, etc.

 

[Fardringle]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

this :thumbsup:

Wow yeah that's a great idea. May not work depending on the area but that would be pretty cool. Only issue would be shooting through the windows in the other building - some may be dirtier than others or something odd. Reflections on the window from inside the building, etc.

It's the first thing I thought of when I read the original post and it seemed like fun to me. I don't live near any tall buildings but the next time I'm in the city I may have to try it myself just to see if it works. To avoid reflections on the glass windows in the building, just put the lens flush against the window. I've done that before and it works rather well even on a mildly dirty window since the camera focuses on the target outside (in this case, the other building) and anything on the near window doesn't even show up noticeably unless it's particularly large or dark.

 

[corkyg]

Don't forget the vertical panoramic. It works!

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

this :thumbsup:

Wow yeah that's a great idea. May not work depending on the area but that would be pretty cool. Only issue would be shooting through the windows in the other building - some may be dirtier than others or something odd. Reflections on the window from inside the building, etc.

This is a cool idea but is very impractical in this case.
It would work on one or two buildings, but this company owns a lot of buildings.
The chances that I'll be able to get inside the building across the street, to go on every few floors and to have the same angle in each place are next to nothing. I want to give them a whole shoot that is somewhat consistent. Not to mention the insane amount of time this would take. But I'd like to try it one day just for fun.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

that's what a PC or TS lens does.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

that's what a PC or TS lens does.

Have you seen what Tilt/Shift lenses cost?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: OdiN


Have you seen what Tilt/Shift lenses cost?

i'm sure the presence could find a rental place in nyc

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

that's what a PC or TS lens does.

Have you seen what Tilt/Shift lenses cost?

Text
Around $1000 for an L series lens is not crazy. I paid about that for my 70-200 f4L IS. It's not like I'm buying this!

 

[Lalakai]

old school answer. find an old speed graphic camera. the lense rail can tilt to compensate for the distortion of shooting up a tall building. getting the film developed would involve some shopping around, but once you have the negative, scan and import into photoshop. word of warning, scanning a 4x5 negative is intense. we still use the graphics occaisionally and have the ability to develop up to 8x10 negs, but the scanner chokes and gags on the big files. impressive results though.

long live film :laugh:

 

[JMWarren]

Originally posted by: Lalakai
old school answer. find an old speed graphic camera. the lense rail can tilt to compensate for the distortion of shooting up a tall building. getting the film developed would involve some shopping around, but once you have the negative, scan and import into photoshop. word of warning, scanning a 4x5 negative is intense. we still use the graphics occaisionally and have the ability to develop up to 8x10 negs, but the scanner chokes and gags on the big files. impressive results though.

long live film :laugh:

QFT...that would give some great results...and 4x5 E6 is still alive and healthy

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

that's what a PC or TS lens does.

Have you seen what Tilt/Shift lenses cost?

Text
Around $1000 for an L series lens is not crazy. I paid about that for my 70-200 f4L IS. It's not like I'm buying this!

But with that lens you could go to New Jersey and take pics of all of them in one day. Save you a lot of time and travel

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

that's what a PC or TS lens does.

Have you seen what Tilt/Shift lenses cost?

Text
Around $1000 for an L series lens is not crazy. I paid about that for my 70-200 f4L IS. It's not like I'm buying this!

No, and I have spent more on a lens (70-200 f/2.8L IS) but to spend that much on a prime f/3.5 is a bit much. I mean how much will you actually get good use out of it?

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

that's what a PC or TS lens does.

Have you seen what Tilt/Shift lenses cost?

Text
Around $1000 for an L series lens is not crazy. I paid about that for my 70-200 f4L IS. It's not like I'm buying this!

No, and I have spent more on a lens (70-200 f/2.8L IS) but to spend that much on a prime f/3.5 is a bit much. I mean how much will you actually get good use out of it?

$99,000 on a 70-200mm f/2.8L lens seems a bit much. I think I'd return that thing . Oh wait, other lens......

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

that's what a PC or TS lens does.

Have you seen what Tilt/Shift lenses cost?

Text
Around $1000 for an L series lens is not crazy. I paid about that for my 70-200 f4L IS. It's not like I'm buying this!

But with that lens you could go to New Jersey and take pics of all of them in one day. Save you a lot of time and travel

Indeed.

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: ProfJohn

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Fardringle
If you want to give them an interesting (and possibly unexpected) view of their buildings, you may be able to work from different levels inside buildings across the street, particularly if the other buildings have public hallways/stairwells with windows that are open in the direction of the building you want to shoot. Take sequential pictures through the windows of the other building (every 10 floors or so, or whatever you need to get good overlapping shots), then stitch them together as a vertical panorama. This will give you a shot of the building as if you were looking at it directly from far enough away to see the whole thing equally from top to bottom without the rest of the city in the way. I'm heading out of the house for a few hours, but if this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to find a good example and post it when I get back.

It's a bit more work, but I think I would want to try this with at least one building to see how it turns out and to see if it's worth the effort or if you just want to stand at ground level and get a more vertical perspective.

that's what a PC or TS lens does.

Have you seen what Tilt/Shift lenses cost?

Text
Around $1000 for an L series lens is not crazy. I paid about that for my 70-200 f4L IS. It's not like I'm buying this!

But with that lens you could go to New Jersey and take pics of all of them in one day. Save you a lot of time and travel

Indeed.

if you want to see what that focal length is like, grab a 400mm and 2xTC and mount it to a 1.5x body. I use it to take pictures of the moon, or tight baseball batting shots from the other side of the field.