Julia Anna Gospodarou | Black and White Fine Art Photography and Architectural Photography

  • New Video Course
  • START HERE
  • BUY PRINTS
    • HIGH-END FINE ART PRINTS
    • ARCHITECTURE
    • LANDSCAPE
    • PORTRAITURE
    • PANORAMA & VERTORAMA ART
    • SLOW | MOTION BLUR
    • DANCE | CADENCE
    • ENLIGHTENMENT
    • ABSTRACT | BLUE MATRIX
    • AMSTERDAM CANALS | PANORAMAS
    • URBAN SAGA | CITYSCAPES
    • FLUID TIME | CHICAGO
    • ODE TO BLACK | BLACK HOPE
    • LIKE A HARP’S STRINGS
    • A PATH TO THE SKY
    • CATHARSIS | TREES
  • STORE
  • WORKSHOPS
    • WORKSHOP NEWS
    • PRIVATE WORKSHOPS | MENTORING
    • COMMISSIONED WORK
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • GEAR & DEALS
  • BLOG
  • TUTORIALS
  • (EN)VISIONOGRAPHY™
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT THE ARTIST
    • AWARDS
    • PUBLICATIONS
    • INTERVIEWS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
  • CONTACT
Personal Article - "Long Exposure Architectural Photography - A perfectionist's art form - How to identify with it"

Home » Blog » Interviews Awards Publications Exhibitions » Artist Portfolio and Personal Article – How We See It, More Views Of Our Worlds – Book

November 1, 2012 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

Artist Portfolio and Personal Article – How We See It, More Views Of Our Worlds – Book

follow me on Instagram Julia Anna Gospodarou
Personal Article - "Long Exposure Architectural Photography - A perfectionist's art form - How to identify with it"

Personal Article – “Long Exposure Architectural Photography – A perfectionist’s art form – How to identify with it”

How we see it. More views of our worlds. The Book.
…is here

 

My photos and an article on Long Exposure Architectural Photography published in the “How We See It – MoreViews Of Our Worlds” book. The article speaks about how I see long exposure architectural photography,  why it is different from other genres, why it addresses to a rather reduced in number public and how to better understand a and love it.

More contributors in this new edition compared to the first one “How We See It – Our Views Of Our Worlds”, 75 female photographers and writers this time, all trying to enchant you with their artistic creations.

The book is available in large format as well as in small format and PDF. All proceeds go once more to the NOW Love Your Body Foundation.

You can browse and order the large version on Blurb here: http://bit.ly/Q99Cqj …and the small one here: http://bit.ly/Pp8xJO

Here is the full text of my published article:

 

“Long Exposure Architectural Photography  – a perfectionist’s art form – how to identify with it”

The world’s first photograph, “View from the Window at Le Gras” by Nicéphore Niépce, was an architectural photograph. It was taken from the Niépce’s window by exposing for several hours a bitumen-coated plate and it was showing his house and the surroundings. This was happening almost 200 years ago, in 1826 and that makes architectural photography the genre with the longest history among all styles of photography. Just a trivia or not, the fact is that architecture was always one of the most fascinating and challenging subjects in photography. Revealing the beauty and expressing the complexity of a building in an image is a challenge for the photographer and a fascinating thing to discover for the viewer.

Architectural photography can be seen as a perfectionist’s art form because it requires a precision that is not necessary for other styles of photography and also a subtle aesthetic understanding of natural light and of how it interacts with volumes and surfaces. Also, it requires a solid understanding of the theory of photography and a good eye for geometry in order to be done in a right and interesting way.
Giving a two-dimensional life to a three-dimensional object that is not very recognizable to the human eye (no building ever will be as familiar to our eyes as a tree or a flower)  and managing to present it in such a way as to make the eye overcome the estrangement and want to come closer, requires a deep understanding of space, an ease in recognizing the sculptural qualities of a building, and the knowledge of how to present them with the most simplicity so the viewer’s eye won’t feel overloaded and uneasy. Making the viewer identify himself with an unfamiliar object, as for instance, a modern building is, requires far more object study, precision and subtlety in composition, care for proportions and light rendering and also the courage to attempt it.

This holds even truer in the case of long exposure and abstract architectural photography, which are perhaps the styles that bring out the most in a modern building, but where the result is something completely different from what the viewer is used to see around him in his day-to-day life, thus far harder to identify with.

I like to compare the effect that a long exposure abstract architectural photograph has on the viewer with the effect a deconstructivist building has when seen for the first time. The first reaction of the viewer will be surprise then curiosity and in the end the word he will use to describe it will most probably”be ”interesting”. One will rarely hear the word “beautiful” when talking about abstract art, architecture, photography especially from the less trained viewer, and that because he cannot identify with the subject.

This is though not happening with classical architecture and even in the case of classical modern architecture this is a phenomenon far less likely to occur than in the case of more recent architectural objects. And that because modern and contemporary architecture has not been here long enough to be able to pass into the collective conscience, into the basic vocabulary and the typical and general imagery of society. In other words, it is too new and like all new things, it finds resistance in being accepted and loved.

This is exactly the role of the photographer dealing with subjects from the area of modern architecture: to educate the viewer and help him identify with a new subject and with an abstract way of presenting it. Not easy, but someone has to do it. There was always someone doing the first steps in every phase in the history of art. And it was never easy to make a new art form be accepted, with examples of resistance that sometimes go beyond any stretch of the imagination and we can even talk about cases of destroying objects of art that were considered too radical. Not exactly the case, but interesting to know where not being accustomed to a new form of art can lead.

Long exposure abstract architectural photography is an art form, and is indeed a fairly new art form, just like long exposure fine art photography in general. That means its place in the world of art and in the mind of the common viewer is still fragile and its statute not yet established, and if one takes a look around, it will be evident that the large public (the public outside the photographic circles) is still not aware of what exactly long exposure fine art photography is, and even less aware about the architectural side of it.

Most of the times this kind of photography is very personal and many times the final image has little to do with the real object seen in its original environment, from which it just keeps the main idea and tries to convey it by using volumes, light and time. Long exposure architectural photography is not a traditional form of photography, it bears much more inside it from the artist’s mind and soul and less from the reality he is capturing,

But of course, there are also the trained viewers of long exposure abstract architectural photography. These trained viewers will understand that abstract is the first expression of life and nature and that techniques like long exposure try not to estrange us from the object and its surroundings, but on the contrary to connect us with it through the invisible dimension that is time and which LE photography transforms into a visible component. And also to connect us with the unseen part of our minds, the part that is controlling us without us being able to control it.

For those who pass the line of estrangement and step out of their comfort zone without fear it will come much easier to understand more in-depth the magic of showing such a stable and immovable subject as a building on a background that represents just the opposite: the movement of the world and the passing of time,. For those viewers, the real beauty of this extreme art form will be evident and overwhelming.”

FURTHER STUDY RESOURCES – FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY, ARCHITECTURE, LONG EXPOSURE

You can find more resources about fine art black and white photography, (en)Visionography, long exposure photography and architectural photography in my extensive collection of photography tutorials. To receive my future tutorials directly via email you can subscribe to my website.

More about how to create fine art photography, from vision to processing and the final image you can read in my book From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography, with co-author Joel Tjintjelaar and in my video tutorial Long Exposure, Architecture, Fine Art Photography - Creating (en)Visionography a hands-on tutorial accompanied by an eBook presenting my processing workflow, or attend one of my workshops.

Julia Anna Gospodarou - (en)Visionographer

Julia Anna Gospodarou Fine Art black and white photographer Julia Anna Gospodarou is an internationally acclaimed photographer, architect with a Master degree, author and highly sought-after educator, teaching workshops and lecturing around the world. Founder of (en)Visionography™ and creator of Photography Drawing™, author of the best-selling book From Basics to Fine Art - Black and White Photography , with high distinctions in the most important photography competitions worldwide (International Photography Awards IPA Photographer of the Year, World Photography Awards SWPA and Hasselblad Masters finalist, as well as 80+ more awards), widely published internationally in books and magazines, Julia is passionate about the art in photography and striving to spread it into the world.
  • 0share

Related Articles

follow me on Instagram Julia Anna Gospodarou
Posted in Interviews Awards Publications Exhibitions. RSS 2.0 feed.
« Ode to Black | Black Hope III – Animus Black
Waving Light »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

juliaannagospodarou

Internationally acclaimed Photographer|Architect|Author|Educator|Founder of (en)Visionography™|FormattHitech GlobalAmbassador|Fineart Prints|Workshops

Julia Anna Gospodarou
_JUST LAUNCHED_ _EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT 15% OFF FOR 2 _JUST LAUNCHED_
_EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT 15% OFF FOR 24 HOURS_
The moment we were waiting for has come! 
The new 5.5+ hours video course FROM VISION TO FINAL IMAGE – Mastering B&W Photography Processing and the 50+ pages ebook Ultimate Guide to B&W Fine Art Photography are now publicly available after a stellar launch to my subscribers yesterday.
Already the reviews are raving so I’m sure you’ll love them.
You can find more details and order them at the link below (or at the LINK IN BIO). For the next 24 hours, you can do it with a discount. 
Enjoy! 

http://blog.juliaannagospodarou.com/mastering-black-and-white-photography-processing-video-course/

#blackandwhitephotography #photoshop #blackandwhite #photographycourse
#fineartphotography #fineart #architecturephotography #photographyclass #learnphotography
#photoediting #postprocessing #photoshop #longexposure #ndfilters #juliaannagospodarou
#envisionography #photographydrawing
ALMOST THERE!!! Official PRE-LAUNCH TO SUBSCRIBERS ALMOST THERE!!!
Official PRE-LAUNCH TO SUBSCRIBERS - Thursday, February 25, 1 PM New York EST – 6 PM London GMT.
NEW Video course: From Vision to Final Image - Mastering B&W Fine Art Photography Processing
NEW eBook: Ultimate Guide to B&W Photography
A 5.5+ hours video course with 50+ video sections accompanied by a 50+ pages ebook.
To get the PRE-LAUNCH DISCOUNT available ONLY to subscribers for 24 HOURS, subscribe here http://bit.ly/enV_Subscribe 
Check your inbox at the launch time!  You will love it! :) 

#blackandwhitephotography #photoshop #blackandwhite #photographycourse 
#fineartphotography #fineart #architecturephotography #photographyclass #learnphotography 
#photoediting #postprocessing #photoshop #longexposure #ndfilters #juliaannagospodarou 
#envisionography #photographydrawing
_VIPA 2021 Jury_ I have the honor to be part of th _VIPA 2021 Jury_
I have the honor to be part of the jury in the VIPA 2021 Visions International Photo Awards that has just been launched.

I am warmly inviting you all to submit your images to the contest and I wish you good luck to win one or more of the awards. 

Exceptionally, this year the competition will be free as a gesture to help the photography community that was so hard hit by the pandemic. The jury is volunteering and we are all happy to provide our work pro bono to keep the photography community alive and give the chance for exposure to more photographers.

Looking forward to seeing your images. Good luck! 

https://vipacontest.com/

#vipa2021 #photographyawards #photographycontest #photography #fineartphotography #photographyjury
COMING NEXT WEEK! And it's awesome! NEW Video cour COMING NEXT WEEK! And it's awesome!
NEW Video course: From Vision to Final Image - Mastering B&W Fine Art Photography Processing
NEW eBook: Ultimate Guide to B&W Photography
A 5.5+ hours video course with 50+ video sections accompanied by a 50+ pages ebook.
You’ve been asking for this for quite some time. I heard you and here it is! :)
To find out when the course will be published and take advantage of the PRE-LAUNCH DISCOUNT, subscribe here http://bit.ly/enV_Subscribe . The discount will be limited, so the faster you get in, the better.

#blackandwhitephotography #photoshop #blackandwhite #photographycourse #fineartphotography #fineart #architecturephotography #photographyclass #learnphotography #photoediting #postprocessing #photoshop #longexposure #ndfilters #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Delighted to have won the Best of Nation Award for Delighted to have won the Best of Nation Award for Greece and be a Top 10 finalist in Commercial Category at WPC World Photographic Cup 2021.

I haven’t entered in photography contests for the past years after I had the honor to win the Photographer of the Year award at IPA International Photography Awards in 2016, but this was different. It was teamwork, and we represented Greece with my fellow photographers at one of the most distinguished international competitions, which makes me even happier to have been awarded. 
We are still waiting for the team awards. Wish us luck so Greece wins. And keep an eye on this space to find out the final results. 

For now, you can enjoy the finalist images at this link https://www.worldphotographiccup.org/wpc_gallery/finalists-2021/

Go Greece! 

Nikos Siamos Akis Douzlatzis Anna Pantelia Prokopis Manousopoulos Babis Tsoukias John Makris Nik Pekridis 

#worldphotographiccup #photographyawards #commercial #fineartphotography #blackandwhitephotography #architecturephotography #oculusnewyork #juliaannagospodarou
Fluid Time V – Aligning Paths The 5th image in m Fluid Time V – Aligning Paths
The 5th image in my Fluid Time series, shot in Chicago in 2013. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 
I’m quite fond of this image, and I remember how much fun I had playing with the camera and the geometry to get a dynamic shot of the convergence of these 2 buildings. The image was shot with the 24 m TS lens of a Canon full frame. 
The particularity of this image is that I wanted to emphasize the composition's dynamism even more by using selective focus with the tilt function of the TS lens. One of the challenges was to place the area of focus in the right spot, given that focusing with the tilt function of TS lens is entirely different than the way we regularly focus. It took quite a bit of work and patience to get it right but it was worth it. 
This is one thing you need to have when working with the TS lens, patience. And the second is the desire to think out of the box and play with your gear. I just love doing that. 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #skyscraper #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Fluid Time IV – Stopping Time This is the 4th im Fluid Time IV – Stopping Time
This is the 4th image in my 2013 Fluid Time series and it shows one of the iconic historical buildings in Chicago, the Wrigley Building. Finished in 1924 and built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, it was one of the first highrises built in the area. 
Here too, I used the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens, as in all the images in the series, and it was actually a quite challenging image to shoot because of the intensity of the effect I needed, which wasn’t easy to create. But the more challenging, the more I love it. Easy images are boring, isn’t it? As everything that is too easy. :) 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #wrigleybuilding #skyscraper #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Fluid Time III – Two Worlds The third image in m Fluid Time III – Two Worlds
The third image in my 2013 Fluid Time series. This is one of the most interesting buildings in Chicago, the Hancock Center. One of the things I love about this building, in terms of architectural design is that the structural frame of the building is placed exteriorly and not at the interior as usually, and it is visible on the façade. For those who are wondering, this x-braced reinforcement system allows for larger open spaces in the interior of the building which is why it is ideal for an office building like this, and it also allows for rising taller structures. When it was built, in 1965, the Hancock Center was meant to be the second taller building in the world. 
Like all the images in the series, here too, I used the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens, to focus on the relation between the 2 buildings – hence the title: Two Worlds. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #hancockcenter #skyscraper #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Fluid Time II – Utopian Connections Second in my Fluid Time II – Utopian Connections
Second in my 2013 Fluid Time series, this image shows the Prudential Plaza Tower in Chicago, flanked by the Prudential Plaza One building and the Aon Center.
Here I used again the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens, as I did in all the images in this series, to isolate different planes of focus in order to create depth. 
There are three things that you can use to create depth: composition, selective depth of field, and selective work with light. All 3 of them are just as powerful if used right. 
I’m working right now on finalizing a video course about creating B&W photography where I will get into a lot of details about these aspects and many more. If you are interested, keep an eye on this space and I’ll be back with more about it very soon. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #prudentialplaza #aoncenter #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Follow me on Instagram
13.000Fans
9.000Fans
7.000Subscribers
3.000Subscribers
7.000Followers

NEW VIDEO COURSE & EBOOK

Creating (en)Visionography Video Tutorial long exposure fine art architecture photography

TOPAZ VIDEO AI $150 OFF + 15% OFF WITH CODE JULIAG – ENDS MAR 12, 2021

Topaz Labs AI Discount -Topaz Labs Discount
Creating (en)Visionography Video Tutorial long exposure fine art architecture photography
From Basics to Fine Art_Black and white photography, architecture, long exposure
new york workshop 2020
Topaz Studio 2 -Topaz Labs Discount
Formatt-hitech filters Discount
manfrotto gitzo Discount
 gitzo Discount
 Luminar 4 Discount aurora hdr discount
 skylum aurora hdr discount
 on1 photo raw 2021
 adorama discounts deals
 smugmug photography websites
long exposure photography ultimate guide
FREE DxO Presets Dark City
Topaz Labs BW Effects Full Review

QUESTIONS? CONTACT US

  • Log in
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies to make sure you have the best experience possible.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use described here: Privacy Policy
©2007- Julia Anna Gospodarou
  • 0share