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Tips for Better Window Photography

by Andrew Darlow

Hello to all the FotoTV users!

First, I'd like to thank the team at FotoTV for the opportunity to share these tips and techniques. I think that the content offered on FotoTV is outstanding and I hope to contribute video content as well in the not-too-distant future :)

If I had to choose my favorite thing to do with a camera (besides photographing my family), it would probably be taking photos on the streets of New York City. I grew up and currently live fairly close to the city, and I worked there for about 10 years as a commercial photographer so I've had a lot of opportunities to stroll around day or night with a camera.

For this article, I'd like to share a few images and give a few tips for shooting effectively from a window in a city. You can use these tips almost anywhere, but big cities like New York often offer a nice blend of architecture, lighting, signage and movement that all combine to offer a fantastic photographic palette.

Here are six tips to help create better window photographs:

1. Be patient!

Great light takes time, so you may want to wait up to two to three hours to experience a full range of light once the sun begins to set. The difference in the overall look and feel over a fairly short time period can be surprising. Of course, having an evening with a beautiful sky like I had when I took the photos in this series doesn't hurt. I took the photos shown here between 6 and 7 p.m in late October.

2. Shoot at a 45-degree angle against the glass.

If you carefully place your camera lens at a 45-degree angle with the front edge of the lens barrel against the window, you can both stabilize your camera and reduce reflections dramatically. This can also be used at street level while "window shopping" for great photos. Your autofocus may also still work fine, but if not, switch to manual focus. You'll also want to turn off your flash in just about all cases. The photo below was shot handheld in this manner.

3. Capture moving cars or people.

By including cars and/or people in motion, photos can come alive in dramatic ways. Of course, that means longer exposures (about 1/4 sec. to about 2 seconds is usually ideal). To help ensure sharp images, a tripod or stable wall to lean against can be very useful. For the photo above, I used an exposure of 1.6 seconds. To keep the image sharp, I leaned against the side of the window while positioning the camera at a 45-degree angle against the glass (described in Tip #2).

4. Include some window features.

Often the window from which you are shooting will contain a distinctive feature, like the curved top in the photo below. If you can open the window, there are interesting things that can also be done, such as showing a portion of the window in the frame. Reflections in the window, for example, can be captivating.

5. Shoot vertical and horizontal, and adjust your zoom.

The difference in look and feel between vertical and horizontal views can be incredible, and zooming in and out of a scene can further change the look and feel of an image. Even though the photo shown in Tip #1 was taken from the same location as the others in the series, shooting in horizontal orientation and angling the camera up a bit to include the sky produced a very different look.

6. Make lens correction adjustments.

Always keep in mind how buildings can "lean in or out" due to your camera position and lens optics. There are a few lens correction tools on the market today that can help you achieve the look of photos shot using view cameras. Photoshop CS5 does an excellent job with this, and Photoshop Lightroom 3 has very similar tools.

I hope that the next time you find yourself in a building with a great view (and a camera), you'll consider these tips.

Andrew Darlow is an author, photographer and consulting based in New Jersey, USA. He has lectured and conducted seminars and workshops around the world at photo-related conferences, and for photography organizations, including the Advertising Photographers of America (APA), The Center for Fine Art Photography, the Arles Photo Festival and the International Center of Photography (ICP). His editorial and fine-art work have been featured in numerous magazines, including Photo District News, PDN Gear Guide, Popular Photography, Professional Photographer, Rangefinder, and Studio Photography magazine. His work has been widely exhibited and his prints are held in many private collections.

Darlow is also editor of The Imaging Buffet (www.imagingbuffet.com), an online resource with news, reviews, and interviews covering the subjects of photography, printing, and new media. His book, "301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers" (Course Technology, PTR) was chosen as the winner in the "Photography: Instructional/How-To" category of The National Best Books 2008 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News. His newest book is Pet Photography 101: Tips for Taking Better Photos of Your Dog or Cat (Focal Press). For more information, visit the book's companion site at www.PhotoPetTips.com.

For more tips and free chapter downloads from Andrew Darlow's books on printing and photography, visit www.imagingbuffet.com. To sign up for Andrew's free photo and printing tips newsletter, and to receive 12 weeks of tips from his book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques, as well as a resolution chart and article to help you choose the right file sizes for printing, visit http://www.imagingbuffet.com/newsletter.