One of the things I like about architectural photography is the different gear I get to ‘play’ with. And unlike wildlife photography it doesn’t weight a ton.

I keep a small drawstring bag in my kit with 2 lightweight lens. A 24mm and 50mm prime lens that can do most anything I need for this work.

Getting enough light inside these old houses is an issue. External flash units are prohibited. Prime lens open wider (faster) so light can be OK.

Above is the top floor, in sepia, of a three story 1800’s spiral staircase. All the light was from a large set of windows on the right and the hall window straight ahead. The right window helped since I was shooting straight into the hall sun.

Both back stairways were lit from a window. Shot with a Canon 24mm prime. On my Canon 7D2 that makes an equivalent lens of about a 36/37mm. A prime 35mm is a standard for street photography. So this works well here.

The final lens I like to have is the old stand by Canon 18-135 kit lens, used above. If I did more of this work a Canon L series would replace it. This lens has always done well for me and is versatile so I don’t see a replacement any time soon.

I believe the above was with the ‘nifty-fifty’, 50mm prime.

And last, another room shot with the 24mm prime. Unlike the other rooms I had plenty of light to work with.

The various lens used here are specialty type for specific work but none are particularly expensive. Using small primes makes you think different about composition but they are always sharper than a typical zoom.

It’s digital, so I can take extra photographs, change my settings all around, and finally fix things in post process if I screw up. I even bring an old Canon 70D at times, it weighs less. That camera wants more light, but I can fix most things. It’s digital.