Architecture is an art form that reflects human creativity and technical ingenuity rather than simply buildings and structures, and to me, one of the most compelling ways to Capturing the beauty of architecture is through multiple exposure photography. Architectural photography using multiple exposures allows you to create unique and visually stunning compositions, show architectural details in a whole new light, capture intricate details, patterns and textures of buildings and structures in a creative and artistic way.
What is multiple exposure photography?
Multiple exposure photography is a technique where two or more photos are combined into a single image, which I’m sure you already know. In traditional film photography, this is achieved by exposing the same frame multiple times, resulting in the mixing of different images on a single negative. In digital photography, multiple exposures can be achieved through in-camera settings or post-processing techniques. Depending on your camera, you may be able to capture 2 or more frames as a composite exposure. For the examples shown in this article, I used a Fuji XT-5 which captures up to 9 frames.
Control
Perhaps the main difference between multiple exposure and ICM is that you have better control over composition and details in the final image. With ICM, you create a composition in relation to your subject and then your shutter speed and movement determine the final result. Both have pluses and minuses and both can be combined to create your image. For example, you can use the multiple exposure settings in your camera and take any consecutive image as ICM, in manual settings, and then capture the remaining photo(s) as a shot composition. sharp. Leads to a combination of both ICM and multiple exposures.
Camera settings
My own personal preference for this type of image now is to shoot only in jpg format so that I have the final image taken in one frame without the ability to edit the position of the captured frames. in post-production as would happen if you shoot in raw format. Even if you take a raw image, the camera firmware will produce the final blended image for your sequence, however, for me, I have found that with other single raw images, i will want to rearrange some of them to get my final image. While only shooting in jpg meant that I had to think about the image and improve my technique to achieve what I was looking for.
If your camera is equipped with a multiple exposure mode, you should have several blend modes available to choose from, try them all as each will produce a different result based on the Your subject and available light. My favorite is the medium blend due to the results it gives. On another note, for quick access to many features, I saved it in the XT-5’s My Menu feature.
There are no hard and fast camera settings to follow for this type of photography as it all comes down to preference. I personally go between f/8 and f/14 because I like the visual effect of the architectural details being overlaid in the photo because every time I look at the photo, I see more and more things in it. They can also be taken with wide apertures, on hot sunny days it is recommended to use an ND filter of about 3 stops. Manual or aperture-priority camera settings again both work depending on the end effect you’re after. Personally, I now lean more towards aperture priority when taking these photos as I can spend more time focusing on the effect of the overlay details in the composition rather than exposure and speed. shutter.
Lenses, again, this is completely up to you as different focal lengths yield different results. Using a longer focal length will require less movement in camera position/angle to produce the desired result. However, with the examples shown here in this article, the majority of them were shot at 16mm, so you can see that comes down to personal preference.
Technique
There are many different ways to capture these types of images and it comes down to your own personal preference for the final image and how you process it. Two or three exposures may be all you need to get your image, or perhaps in my case between six and nine images.
For myself, each layout is usually handled in the same way that I like the visual results it returns. It also depends on how much architectural detail is in the image; More detail, tighter movement, less detail, bigger movement.
The image above is indicative of a tighter motion scenario. The red lines represent the first composition with the main subject being the central building framed by the other two buildings. The purple lines represent the tighter directional movements of this multiple exposure, and with each exposure I try to keep the main subject in the frame. Of course, this is not always the case as each composition will decide whether your main subject will be in the frame for all the shots.
You don’t always focus on your subject, like in the photo above where a series of photos were taken of the architecture and then in this series I shifted my focus to the river and Take one photo, then go back to take the rest of the buildings. Doing this allowed me to add a slight texture of water ripples across the entire image.
edit
To get the end result you’re looking for, you might want to do quite a bit of post-processing or simply color correction, which is where it’s entirely up to you as you’re creating. A unique work of photographic art. For the image below, a simple overlay of the bottom image with a lighten blend mode in Photoshop was all it took to achieve the vignette effect I was looking for.
It can be said that this is your photographic art, there are no boundaries in how you edit to achieve the final effect. Sure, composition guidelines are still needed to control the viewer’s eye, but colors, tones, and all other editing elements are up to you to choose. Even tapping into the abstract nature of a photo and retouching can lead to some unique images; which is of course subjective.
The following images are the result of various basic editing techniques including masking to blend different parts of the same image, flipping an image to create a reflection effect, and blending two images together.
Give it a go
Ok, so I know it might not be for everyone, but at the same time, it might be worth a try if you’re into a creative rut. Don’t be afraid to experiment and get creative with your images and compositions. Try different combinations of images, exposures, and blend modes to achieve the desired results. Push boundaries and think creatively as your images can create compelling architectural multi-exposure images.
Include people in your image if you are in a busy city as it adds visual elements within and helps to breathe nuances of life into the surrounding architecture. I don’t do it very often myself but every time I do, I find it fascinating because the visual details in the scene clearly increase and I find more and more interest in the image even when the composition is not so great.
Think about the elements you want to include in your image, considering the placement of lines, shapes, patterns, and reflections as they can add depth and interest to your final composition. Above all, have fun experimenting.
