A great composition highlights the importance of negative space within photographs. The vibrant blue sky is rendered as a dynamic shape created by the symmetry of the architectural design. The rotated angle of the photograph subverts this symmetry and uses the dynamism of the structure's features to create a striking photograph.
Making use of unusual climate conditions is an important job for serious photographers. This photograph does so very well.
A simple composition has reshaped The Shard to appear more like a pyramid. The principle elevation facing the onslaught of the snow storm. The photographer making use of their camera's flash to accentuate each flake. The monochrome hues are perfect for the building and conditions in this instance.
This is one of the toughest competitions, as it is very difficult to create a fresh take on well known buildings.
What attracted me to this photograph was firstly the immediate recognition of the famous Milan Cathedral. However, the note of visual confusion caused by the split frame and introduction of another building space together with multiple reflections, was intriguing. I wanted to study the photograph much more closely to determine what exactly was going on.
The balance between the exterior view of the cathedral and interior view of the neighbouring Museo del Novencento, is perfect. The swirling reflection lines of the light installation provide a quirky flourish.
The two figures (one walking towards our subject, the other photographing it) provide an associated link between the cathedral and the and act as the perfect completion to this excellent photograph. Well done.
3,443 Images entered
The Taj Mahal must surely be one of the most photographed buildings in the world. Making a new photographic interpretation of it is difficult.
This view, however provides an alternate consideration of its context from across the Yamuna River. The three figures in the foreground carrying their bundles along the sandy shoreline, provide contrast to the ant-like tourist figures we can see at the base of the Taj.
The setting sun, hazy sky and golden hues create a resonant atmosphere befitting the landscape, the ancient building and local activities.
The Dancing House backgrounds the Statue of Alois Jirásek in this evening light photograph in Prague. Contemporary cityscapes so often feature repetitively designed facades, but this building, nicknamed 'Fred and Ginger' seemingly merges its eclectic rhythm with that of the organic shapes of the statue that foregrounds it.
I know this vantage point having once made a much more formal photograph many years ago whilst documenting the transformation of the Bankside Power Station into Tate Modern (from which this photograph is made).
I like this simple, quirky view of one of London's great buildings - St Paul's Cathedral. How wonderful that we can now view it and London's cityscape whilst enjoying a cup of tea. An active photographer is always looking for an original photograph, and this fits the bill perfectly.
1,187 Photographers
Kuwait City's skyline is not as well known as its southern neighbours in the Persian Gulf. Consequently, this piqued my interest.
The simple composition and long exposure provided a perfect compliment to the unique sunset sky and shimmering water. The Al Hamra Tower sitting proudly centre stage.
What I particularly appreciated was the structure and local activity in the bottom right of frame. The timber jetty and local fishers provide a note of contrast to the modern towers in the background.
88,254 Ratings
This is such a contrast the many serene photographs of the building from this vantage point. The buzz of activity by the, mainly local tourists, is so reflective of my experience of India. I love looking at the people, the young couples (especially the pair in centre frame), family groups, the sprinkle of foreigners, and the one figure looking to camera.
All are linked by one thing: the beautiful building they have come together to share.
Great photograph.
The Taj Mahal once again. This time in closer quarters which provides the opportunity to see the building in closer detail.
The photographer has included a relaxed scene of a handful of visitors. Their casual poses within the shadow of one of the towers provides a wonderful juxtaposition to the scale and mass of this striking structure.
The gritty, frame-edge flare and yellowy hues are reminiscent of early colour travel photographs.
One of the world's most famous buildings, New York's Empire State Building, is rendered in this photograph without its famous tower!
Drawn to the brightly lit familiar stepped facades, this viewer's guess as to the building's identity is reinforced, firstly by the 'Fifth Ave' sign and then the glowing 'Empire State' sign in bottom right of frame.
So reminiscent of Berenice Abbott
There is a wonderful stillness to this photograph in St James' Park, London. Populated by a pair of passing geese and scattered autumn leaves, the park bench sits in quiet contemplation of the view to Westminster Abbey.
This is a thoughtful photograph of a famous building and reinforces the importance of 'place' when we consider architecture and the built environment.
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The distinctive stripes of the rampart that leads to the St Francis cathedral is a fantastic subject to photograph. It has a specialness that eclipses the cathedral itself. It is simple and strong in design. And for those of us lucky enough to have experienced it, provides a wonderful space to amble through the city.
I love the way in this photograph, the built landscape anchors the view to the Umbrian hinterland beyond.
A simple structure complimented by a simple photographic composition that ably highlights the Washington Monument's intrinsic dynamism.
A clear, blue sky backgrounds the orange-hued obelisk creating a striking photograph. The shadowed ground level anchors this scene whilst including details of people, flag poles and other features which, collectively reinforce the dramatic scale of the subject.
Cityscapes provide wonderful opportunity to juxtapose multiple buildings. In this instance a city canyon view leads to a narrow rendition of the distinctive Transamerica Building in San Francisco. The similarity of geometric shapes embedded in each building, together with their light tones and hues, provide a link with all.
The Olympiastadiom in Berlin is not a well known building compared to many that others have tackled photographically in this competition. Built for the 1936 Olympics, its association with the Nazi regime, left its reputation tarnished to some degree, until a complete renovation to a modern stadium gave it a new relevance.
This perfectly balanced composition reflects the understated original architectural blueprint. The curved colonnade, clean-lined stonework, soft contrast and warm hues, make for a very pleasing photograph.
An excellent architectural photograph.
The London Eye is now an established presence on the River Thames. This profile angle, though is different. Whilst it nullifies the dramatic circularity that we associate with visual representations of the Ferris wheel, this new angle has reduced the structure to a vertical shaft. In so doing, it has provided the photographer space within the frame to include other information. Westminster Bridge acts as the composition's base, the black bollards are evenly spaced, while the black cab and red double-decker bus reinforce that this photograph is in London.
Great idea, well executed.
Another example of a photographer taking advantage of location peculiarities to reinterpret a well known subject. I love the subtle hand movement of the artist and the mottled nature of their glove. The merge almost as one.
Such an approach, as with others in this contest, provides a link between the famous building and the location and its people.
Brief
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There are a lot of buildings in the world that one could call ‘iconic’, and are instantly recognisable to many of us. For as long as buildings have been built, countries, cities, rulers, religions and corporations have spent their money creating impressive architecture that will speak of their power, wealth and sophistication. We’re focussing here on exterior views of famous buildings, whether up close, or situated within their wider setting.
I like the oddness that this ultra shallow depth-of-field photograph holds. The structures, the place, look familiar but are so out of focus it takes time to determine that the camera is positioned at Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the mid background and the The Capital the far background.
