Final Major Project
Booker Skelding
How to Photograph Doors
Technique and Settings
I quickly realised that photographing doors, isn't really a 'point and shoot' simple technique. Windows have a little more room for creativity. However to correctly photograph a door, as I have 'almost' done in the image below, there are many things to remember.
1.Step back, a longer focal length lens is better to avoid distortion.
2.Make best use of lighting conditions to avoid casting shadows. (unless thats the result you want).
3.Shoot in RAW, it will save any flaws in exposure and histogram issues.
4.Show a story in the way you capture the door. Open or Closed. What are you trying to say?
5.Framing the door, sometimes the surround is of more interest than the actual door.
6.Use a prime lens as a zoom lens can cause distortion.
7.Keep the camera parallel and try not to tilt the lens, to avoid distortion, (unless trying to create that result).
8.Mid range aperture approx f/8-f12.0 to avoid soft edges.
9. Leave breathing space around the frame, as edges maybe soft and can be cropped or discarded when sizing for specific sized mounts.
10.TRIPOD for LOW ISO
I have photographed this door over 100 times, over a 3 year period,
using 5 different lenses, 180mm, 90mm, 50mm, 24-70mm and 14mm,
with and without a tripod,
alternative weather conditions,
different lighting,
in sections, stitch together
in one shot,
with film,
with digital,
with converted infrared camera,
iPhone camera
I have then gone on to post editing, and probably have edited in 30 different finishes, using filters, black & white, pin hole, bleach effects and so the list goes on.
It is perhaps fair to say I've developed an obsession with perfecting my technique.
I have found that the 180mm Nikon prime lens is very sharp, however the 50mm is most adaptable and I do not always have to move too far back and cross to the other side of the road when photographing doors.
I have not included every technical setting for my images, purely because I mainly followed the settings of aperture f/7.1-f/8.0, ISO 100-400 and used a tripod to be able to accommodate the shutter speed needed to suit the lighting conditions.
For the final exhibition, I chose this version opposite, which I took using a 180mm prime Nikon lens, f/8.0, ISO 100, 3 seconds shutter speed. Full Frame Nikon D750
