Save the Date!

Our next meeting will be held on October 12, 2026 at 9:30 am in RSF2 and via Google Meet at October 2026 Meeting.  

As a reminder, we are now alternating between critique meetings and discussion meetings.October is a discussion meeting, and no points or ribbons will  be awarded.

Our subject for September is Glass Buildings. 

Photographing glass buildings offers incredible creative opportunities, but it also comes with unique challenges like harsh reflections, tricky lighting, and extreme contrast.

Here are some tips to help you capture stunning architectural shots of glass structures:

1. Master Reflections and Polarizers

• Use a Circular Polarizer (CPL): This is your most important tool. Rotating a polarizer cuts down unwanted glare and reflections on glass facades, allowing you to reveal the interior details behind the windows or deepen the color of the sky.

• Embrace Intentional Reflections: Sometimes reflections enhance the shot rather than ruin it. Look for opportunities to capture distorted cityscapes, passing clouds, or neighboring historic buildings mirrored in a modern glass wall.

2. Play with Light and Time of Day

• Golden Hour: Shoot during the hour just after sunrise or right before sunset. The low sun creates warm, directional light that rakes across glass panels, highlighting textures, panels, and structural frames.

• Blue Hour: The period just after sunset (or before sunrise) is magical for glass architecture. When interior office lights blend with the deep blue twilight sky, the building begins to look like a glowing lantern.

• Overcast Days: Don't pack your camera away when it’s cloudy! Diffused, overcast light eliminates harsh shadows and high-contrast hot spots, making it ideal for capturing smooth, even tones on sleek glass and steel.

3. Focus on Geometry, Patterns, and Abstraction

• Look Up and Down: Glass skyscrapers offer mesmerizing repeating patterns, grids, and geometric lines. Stand directly beneath the building and shoot straight up (worms-eye view) for dramatic, symmetrical compositions.

• Isolate Details: Instead of trying to fit an entire tower into the frame, zoom in on a specific corner, a curved glass atrium, or the intersection where structural steel meets reflective panels.

• Hunt for Architectural Glass Reflections: Look for places where multiple glass buildings reflect one another, creating surreal, multi-layered visual puzzles.

4. Composition and Technical Settings

• Watch Your Lines: Keep your camera level to avoid distracting converging lines (unless you are intentionally tilting up for dramatic effect). If your camera has a digital grid overlay, turn it on to keep verticals straight.

• Expose for the Highlights: Glass surfaces can easily blow out into harsh white patches under direct sunlight. Check your histogram and use exposure compensation or exposure bracketing (HDR) if the contrast between the bright sky and shadowed glass is too extreme.

• Incorporate Scale: Pair the sleek, cold perfection of glass with an organic element—like a tree branch in the foreground, a passing pedestrian, or a historic stone doorway—to give the viewer a sense of scale.