Architectural Photography: Is Winter a Good Season?
In Praise of the Misty Morning
Winter and a Country House - Delapre Abbey
Being an architectural photographer in the UK can be challenging. The UK is not exactly known for its favourable weather conditions for photographers, especially for those whose primary aim is to showcase design and the built environment in the best possible light, quite literally. For exterior shots, we can't simply bring in gigantic studio lights to create the desired lighting; we are strictly dependent on what Mother Nature provides.
If you observe architectural photography, you’ll notice that skies tend to be quite characterful, either through their colours or cloud formations. They are rarely just grey or flat. I have previously discussed how Scandinavian photographers embrace the muted colours that their climate and seasons offer. Indeed, some Scandinavian architecture is often depicted against greyish skies, but if you look closely, you will see that these skies are complemented by the surrounding environment where the buildings are located. This might include expansive forests, mountainous landscapes, or deep snow-covered vistas. However, it is uncommon to see urban buildings or homes featured with a plain grey sky.
Unfortunately, in the UK, we experience a significant amount of flat grey skies during the winter months. To be honest, our summers can sometimes be little different; only an increase in temperatures and foliage indicate a change in seasons. The greys we encounter can vary from almost white to school-trouser charcoal, but grey they remain.
As a result, architects, builders, and designers alike will discover that British architectural photographers possess one key quality in abundance: patience. This patience comes with a bit of an obsession with weather apps. We are constantly monitoring conditions, eagerly waiting for any opportunity to head out at first light and photograph the heck out of our assignments. We are on the lookout for any phenomenon that will lend our winter shots a little something extra, eliminating the need to digitally replace a sky (which we hate doing). We hope for a hint of watery sunlight caressing a façade or a low winter sunset that makes a building glow against a neutral backdrop. And then, there’s possibly my favourite winter weather occurrence…
Allow me to introduce one of the UK’s most cherished and frequent winter weather events: the misty morning.
You might be wondering, isn’t a misty morning just another grey backdrop? Well, no. Unlike a flat grey sky, a foggy morning adds depth and dimension to our images. Backgrounds emerge in a gentle, ethereal way where trees appear mysteriously as if they are there yet not quite visible. Landscape elements resemble photographs that a digital editor has layered with 50% opacity. Even with closer subjects, while the focus remains sharp, the natural mist infuses a softness into the overall composition.
And so it was, that one January morning I woke to discover the majority of my road I live on shrouded in fog. I grabbed my camera bag and tripod, dressed for the elements and headed to a local historical house near me, Delapre Abbey. As daylight increased, the fog dissipated a little, but there was still enough to add atmosphere to a winters day and a country house. Even when there’s no specific assignment, there’s always something to shoot with my cameras.
The Abbey buildings may be in sharp focus, but the mist adds a natural softness to the image.
