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Thread: Photographing Buildings.

  1. #1

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    Photographing Buildings.

    What functions of a view-camera do you consider important when choosing a Camera for photographing buildings and what lenses would you choose?
    I want to discuss 4x5 mainly.

  2. #2

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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    rise, shift-both front/rear. shorter lenses with lots of coverage, super anglulon xl's, nikkor sw

  3. #3

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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    47 XL, 72 XL or 75mm, 90mm, 135mm, 210mm, 300mm

    Just one of the big names!

    Cheers Armin

  4. #4
    Kirk Gittings's Avatar
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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    Quote Originally Posted by Keith Tapscott. View Post
    What functions of a view-camera do you consider important when choosing a Camera for photographing buildings and what lenses would you choose?
    I want to discuss 4x5 mainly.
    Allot of rise, flexible bellows and the ability to use wide lenses on flat boards.
    Thanks,
    Kirk

    at age 73:
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep"

  5. #5

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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    Interiors or exteriors or both? I didn't do a lot of interior architecture but I would think a wide angle lens - something in the 80mm range or less - would be important. I didn't do enough interiors to know about movements.

    For exterior it depends on how you plan to photograph - e.g. the entire building for some kind of historical project? Details only? Windows and doors mostly? All of the above? I did a lot of exteriors at one time. Sometimes you don't need any movements. Sometimes you only need front rise. Sometimes you need front rise and front and back tilt (e.g. with a tall building to which you're standing fairly close and want to include the top of the building without a lot of foreground). But in general I'd consider front rise and front and back forward tilt as important (though often not absolutely necessary) for exterior photography with a LF camera.

    My widest lens was an 80mm and I found that sufficient for the things I did.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  6. #6
    おせわに なります! Andrew O'Neill's Avatar
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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    Lots of rise in the front, swings front and back, slide in the back... don't care about slide in the front, and finally, tilt front and back. Short lenses with lots of image circle like XL's, especially for interiors.

  7. #7
    lenser's Avatar
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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    If you are shooting buildings that require a lot of rise, then you've got to opt for wide angle lenses with huge image circles. Otherwise, you may be able to get the tops of the structures, but with severe vignetting. As Kirk says, flexible bellows, preferably a camera that allows for a bag bellows.
    "One of the greatest necessities in America is to discover creative solitude." Carl Sandburg

  8. #8

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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    110xl on 810

  9. #9
    Land-Scapegrace Heroique's Avatar
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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    Sometimes the best movement is up the staircase of a nearby building w/ a good window on your subject.

    Front rise of a different sort.

  10. #10

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    Re: Photographing Buildings.

    The last church I photographed took all the rise my camera could muster, plus the Mr Deardorff's amazing sliding lensboard.
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

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