[Also explains tips for architectural photography] I took some photos because I moved my office.

Hello. My name is Goto and I am an in-house photographer who does portrait photography, food photography, architectural photography, etc.
(*Belongs to Web Service Division)

Our company Beyond moved its office in late April 2021.

A press release regarding Osaka office relocation has been published.

I was actually participating in an office relocation project, and the new office was designed with attention to every detail, from the cafe space (which turned into a bar at night!) to the office and various booths. Ta.

as many people to see the office in its best condition , so
I put my skills as a photographer to use and took on the architectural photography of the new office.

My career as a photographer is listed here.

Do you have an in-house photo studio? A story about employees creating welfare benefits

Now, from here I will send you photos of each room in the Osaka office that I took, so
please take a look!

In addition, in the second half, we will explain
tips and points for architectural photography can also be practiced on a smartphone , so I would be happy if you could use it as a reference!

Introducing the Beyond Osaka office with photos!

I will be posting photos of the Osaka office that I took below!

Reception/entrance

Let's start the reception/entrance .
The impression of the reception/entrance, which can be said to be the face of an office, is very important.

Now, this is the reception/entrance of Beyond Osaka office.
It has an atmosphere typical of an IT company. A large mirror gives depth to the space, where black is precious, and the company logo and chairs express the corporate color.

Common area/cafe (bar) space

Next is the common area. The common area is designed as a space for employees to take a break or to greet customers when they wake up.

help but wonder, "What is an office?"

It is a cafe during the day and a bar after 7pm, where you can enjoy time with employees, partners, and customers.

partitions have been installed at the seats

 

And here is the bar counter.

As you can see, there is alcohol behind the counter...!

At Beyond, members who have finished work after 7pm can have a drink here.
By the way, at Beyond, an employee who is good at making alcohol works as an in-house bartender as a side job.

Drinking alcohol from Beyond Glass is delicious. (Company spirit)

Now, with the information up to this point, you may be wondering,
"Where in this is an office?" Next, I would like to introduce the office and various booths.

office

The office a free address system (each member does not have a fixed seat), so they can work in a different location every day.
It's a nice change of pace, and it's quite fun.

For security reasons, we are unable to show you everything, but this window space is particularly popular.

The sense of openness is wonderful. A monitor is installed so you can work comfortably.

There are also different chairs for each seat, standing desks ``concentration booths'' you can work while blocking the outside view

 

Small conference room “booth y”

There are two meeting rooms available depending on the size of the meeting.

This is a small conference room commonly known as
"booth y" By the way, the booths in the company's conference rooms are named
"booth be," "booth y," "booth o," "booth n," and "booth d." In other words, our company name, Beyond, is the name of the room.

My personal favorite is the company logo wall board with grass growing on it.
This is what it looks like when taken alone.

Another way to take photos is to place flowers in a vase in front of the lens.

is designed with the assumption that it will be used for meetings and a filming location

For example, you can take a photo like this.

 

a CO2 sensor is installed in the conference room, which can detect whether the room is in a "three Cs" state

Large conference room “booth be”

Next, click here for the large conference room "booth be"

This is used when you want to avoid crowds during large-scale meetings or meetings with customers.
Both meeting rooms have windows ventilation possible.

Also, isn't the sense of openness wonderful?

 

For online meetings and siesta. Individual booths "booth o", "booth n", "booth d"

Due to the rapid increase in the number of online meetings, three separate booths were set up this time.
hold online meetings here you can also take a siesta break because the chairs can be reclined

 

A web camera and ring light are installed at the desk.

 

What did you think of the new Beyond office?

Well, from now on, I will briefly tell you about the architectural photography know-how that I have acquired while actually handling photography projects

The cameraman explains! Architectural photography tips that anyone can practice

Of course, camera techniques are not something that can be learned right away, but this time I will introduce some points that will make you say, ``Just paying attention to these things will change the quality of your shots!''

Before we actually introduce the key points of architectural photography, first of all, what kind of photographs should be ideally taken in architectural photography? Let's summarize.

What is a good building? Decide on the direction of shooting

What is a good building?

I think it depends on a case-by-case basis, but in most cases, the following a rough definition of a good building .

Definition of a good building (interior)

• It is spacious enough and has a feeling of openness.
• There is sufficient brightness in the room (sufficient natural light comes in through the windows)
• Clean, clutter-free and sophisticated

Therefore, important to bring out these conditions as much as possible in photography .

it will be easier to get lost if you clarify what kind of photos you should or want to take before taking photos

Please refer to the article below for ideas and practical methods for taking the photos you want.

[With examples] A photographer explains tips for taking beautiful photos with a smartphone

Below, we will introduce specific photography methods that actually bring out the charm of buildings

The points are as follows.

Key points for architectural photography

1. Take wide-angle shots
2. shoot straight
3. Don't take pictures of unnecessary things
4. See the light
5. [Extra Edition] Involving people to create a story

I will briefly explain them step by step.

Tips for architectural photography ① Shoot with a wide angle

In order to create a sense of openness in a room, it is important to make the room appear as spacious as possible.

a wide-angle lens comes in handy .

I use is SIGMA 12-24mm F4 DG HSM | Art

When shooting with a single-lens reflex camera, it is best to use a wide-angle lens like this.

If you don't have a wide-angle lens, try shooting with the widest possible angle of view.

In addition, many modern smartphone models support wide-angle shooting , which is very convenient.

Tips for architectural photography ② Shoot straight

Here is the next point.

``No, that's obvious,'' but this is surprisingly profound...

In this case, straight means both perpendicular and parallel

If you don't do this properly, you may end up with distorted scenery, especially when shooting wide-angle shots.

are undesirable because they look unnatural to the human eye

The best countermeasures for this are to turn on the camera's grid display , and if possible, use a tripod

It's very difficult to take straight pictures, both perpendicular and parallel, but try to be as careful as possible.

Key points when photographing architecture ② Don't photograph unnecessary things

This is often overlooked, but it is a very important point.

For example, even in an office, such as trash cans placed in the room that have to be placed with an emphasis on functionality in daily life

These things are hard to notice in our daily lives, but when photographed, they instantly disrupt our worldview

Therefore, it is important to move unnecessary items out of the picture as much as possible before taking pictures.

Regarding this, it is easy to miss something unless you repeatedly gain experience through trial and error.

From my experience so far, you should be careful here! I would like to introduce some points that can be said, so please refer to the following first.

Check before shooting! List of unnecessary things that should not be photographed

• Check that the cords and wiring are not cluttered.
• Avoid leaving remote controls, tissues, etc. on your desk as much as possible.
• If trash cans are on the floor, move them.
• If someone is in the field of view, ask them to move only while shooting.
• Smooth out any items with noticeable wrinkles, such as futons, beforehand.
• Wipe away fingerprints from shiny desks and glass windows beforehand.

Also, on the other hand, the scenery is so bare that it's not enough! When this happens, you can add color to the scenery by placing a vase or something similar.

Click here for an example of a photo taken with a vase

Key points for architectural photography ④ Look at the light

If the inside of a room is dim and dark, it is difficult to convey the charm of the room.

Therefore, if it is daytime, open the curtains to let some light into the room, and try shooting in an environment with sufficient light in the room.

Also, even if you don't have natural light, if you can add contrast to the space with indirect lighting

For example, in the photo below, indirect lighting is applied to the alcohol to create an atmosphere.

To take photos with light on your side, check the following and try shooting.

Things to check to make light your ally

• If it's daytime, open the curtains to let in plenty of natural light (if it's too bright, use lace curtains to soften it)
• Basically, all the lights in the room are on (adjust them if there are too many)
• Produce a sharp light with indirect lighting

[Extra Edition] Involving people to create a story

Architectural photography is generally done without anyone in the picture, but sometimes it's better to have someone take a picture, which can help convey the charm and function of the space better.

For example, the entrance of the new office is equipped with a contactless temperature measuring machine and dispenser, but even if the temperature is taken unattended,

At first glance, you might think , "What is this stick with a tablet attached to it?"

So, by asking Mr. Fujisawa, a public relations officer, to take a picture of the stick as it would actually be used, we were able to create a photo that would make it easy to understand the function of the stick, which was difficult to understand

 

summary

These are the photos I took of our Osaka office and tips for architectural photography!

My photos are posted on Instagram (@gotoh_2682)

Thank you for reading to the end.