Photofocus

Education and inspiration for visual storytellers

Michael Muraz

Michael Muraz is an international award-winning architecture photographer, bringing technical precision and creative passion to his fine art and commercial work. Based in Toronto, Michael travels extensively, photographing buildings and leading workshops all over the world.

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Latest posts by Michael Muraz (see all)

Architectural photography: Capturing angles for 3D renderings

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A lesser-known facet of architectural photography is creating images for 3D renderings. When an architectural firm designs a building, the client often needs 3D renderings of the building to market it, whether it is condos, rentals, offices or even public buildings. To make those renderings more realistic and to provide context, they're often inserted in real photographs. The past few years, I've worked with a few clients to photograph specific views so they could insert their renderings and create the final image. It's a little different … [Read more...] about Architectural photography: Capturing angles for 3D renderings

Interior photography: Lighting an impossible bathroom

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When photographing residential interiors, I sometimes use extra lighting to improve the final images. Today, I want to go through how I shot an impossible bathroom and solved my issues with some creative lighting. To start, here is a frame with just the ambient light. My main issue was that the bathroom was literally surrounded by glass, which meant a lot of reflections, including my own. The bright mirror lights were also not great. So you can understand the setup, I created the lighting diagram below, with the bathroom floor plan. Keep in … [Read more...] about Interior photography: Lighting an impossible bathroom

Licensing images for murals in commercial and office spaces

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In the past few years, I had several inquiries from companies who wanted to license my images for murals in commercial or office spaces. Since it's a pretty specific use, I thought some of you might be interested in the process. First, in those situations, let me explain how licensing works. I licensed the right for my client to use a high-resolution file to create a print for a mural. I'm not handling the printing and the only thing they can do with the image is print it once. Those terms are highlighted in a contract that the client has to … [Read more...] about Licensing images for murals in commercial and office spaces

Commercial architecture: Photographing office spaces

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Some of my favorite photoshoots over the past year have been office spaces. It's pretty incredible what some of these new offices look, nothing like what I experienced when I had a corporate job. Not only is the design usually great, but I also get to collaborate closely with my client's team during the photoshoot, as their staff often serve as models. Showing the space in use in the most important part of office photoshoots. One of the easiest ways to achieve that is to have a person walk through your frame. With the slower shutter speeds you … [Read more...] about Commercial architecture: Photographing office spaces

Improve your architectural images with symmetry

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Symmetry is pretty common in architecture. Many buildings have symmetrical features since it's often the most efficient design. So, naturally, symmetry becomes an important tool when photographing architecture! You hear many rules in the photography world, and symmetry is not always well regarded. If you think about rules like “don’t put your subject in the center” or “don’t put the horizon in the middle.” However, while rules help you when you get started, they tend to just suppress your creativity afterward. In this case, symmetry can be a … [Read more...] about Improve your architectural images with symmetry

How to stitch cityscape panoramas with Lightroom Classic

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In my last article, I shared five tips to photograph cityscape panoramas. It's now time to talk about the post-processing part! Fortunately, if you're using Lightroom Classic, the process is very easy. No need to use dedicated software. First, when you are in the Library module, select your images. You don't need to do any post-processing first, as the resulting panorama will be a RAW file (DNG). The panorama I'm doing today will be made of the five images below (you can have as little as two images and many more than five), of the view from … [Read more...] about How to stitch cityscape panoramas with Lightroom Classic

Five tips to photograph cityscape panoramas

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Panoramas are a great tool to capture cityscapes, especially when shooting sweeping skylines that cannot fit in the usual 3:2 or 4:3 ratios. Another benefit is that the added resolution that comes with stitching a panorama will also allow you to create massive high-quality prints. Shooting a panorama can be more complicated than it seems, so let's go over a few tips to make sure your files are ready to be stitched together in Lightroom or Photoshop (which we’ll explore in my next article). 1. Level your tripod head Maybe the first tip … [Read more...] about Five tips to photograph cityscape panoramas

How to get different moods for cityscapes

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While you can definitely shoot great images in the middle of the day, the time of day is a key element of shooting cityscapes. My favorite time is around sunrise or sunset. The light is softer and the city just looks more interesting. What's especially interesting to me is how much the light changes during the transition from day to night (or night to day). In this post, I'm sharing images from the Lakeshore Drive bridge in Chicago, one of my favorite spots in the city. By arriving at least 45 minutes before sunrise, I made sure I would catch … [Read more...] about How to get different moods for cityscapes

Using the transform tool to straighten verticals in architectural images

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When shooting architecture, you quickly notice that if you point your camera up or down, the vertical lines of a building will converge. It's just perspective, and while it happens with any genre of photography, it's more noticeable with architecture. In some cases, it can be a great tool to create drama, but in other cases, you may want to keep these verticals straight. One of the ways to do that is to use a tilt-shift lens, which is a specialty lens that allows you to keep verticals straight with the shift function. The tilt function moves … [Read more...] about Using the transform tool to straighten verticals in architectural images

Using negative space to improve your architectural photography

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When photographing architecture, it's easy to get overwhelmed. This is why I like details and abstracts so much, as it allows me to simplify my compositions and isolate certain features of a building. One tool I use a lot and that can really help with your composition is using negative space. What is negative space? When framing your image, negative space is space you deliberately leave around your subject to give it some breathing room. It gives your image more minimalistic feel, usually emphasizing a specific feature of your subject. For … [Read more...] about Using negative space to improve your architectural photography

Guide to Facebook Ads, part eight: Instagram ads

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For this last installment of my series about Facebook Ads, I had to talk about Instagram! The social media of choice when it comes to photography, Instagram should definitely be part of your marketing strategy. There are two ways to create ads on Instagram. You can either use the Ads Manager, where you can choose to create an ad for Instagram only or for both Facebook and Instagram, or you can do it in the Instagram mobile app directly, which is similar to boosting a post on Facebook. Prerequisites First, let's talk about what you need to … [Read more...] about Guide to Facebook Ads, part eight: Instagram ads

Guide to Facebook Ads, part seven: Additional tools

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In the last article about Facebook Ads, I went through how to optimize your Facebook Ads to get the best results. By now, you should have a solid strategy for your Ad Campaign and following its performance. Today, I want to talk about a few more tools that Facebook gives you to really customize your customer's experience. Offers If you're advertising a discount, a special offer or something similar, you may want to use the Offer feature. It's a great tool to market special offers and it's easy to use. There are two ways to create an offer. … [Read more...] about Guide to Facebook Ads, part seven: Additional tools

Guide to Facebook Ads, part six: Advanced optimization

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It's time for another installment of my Guide to Facebook Ads! So far, you've learned about the basics of ads, discovered the Ads Manager interface, learned how to create a campaign from scratch, how to use the Facebook Pixel and explored the analytics side of ads. It's now time to improve the results of your ads! As you will see rather soon, testing different strategies, ads, audiences and more, is key to succeeding with Facebook Ads. You will constantly be looking at your Analytics and tweak your ad parameters to optimize your results with … [Read more...] about Guide to Facebook Ads, part six: Advanced optimization

Guide to Facebook Ads, part five: Analytics

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Last week, we talked about the Facebook Pixel and how to set it up. Now that you're all set up and that you know how to run ad campaigns, it's time to start talking about analytics. Running ads is one thing, but you need to analyze how they're performing to make sure you're not wasting your money. This is a key part of ads and it will allow you to refine your ad campaign and get better results. When you log into Facebook's Ads Manager, the main screen has a lot of data. It's very useful and you can learn a lot about your ads here. Analytics … [Read more...] about Guide to Facebook Ads, part five: Analytics

Guide to Facebook Ads, part four: The Facebook Pixel

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So far in this Guide to Facebook Ads, you've learned about the basics of ads, discovered the Ads Manager interface and learned how to create a campaign from scratch. You're now set to start advertising on Facebook! Our next step is to make sure you have good analytics so you can measure your results. Today, let's talk about the Facebook Pixel! The Facebook Pixel is an analytics tool that allows you to measure how effective your ads are by tracking people's actions on your website. Basically, it allows you to see how people who click on your ad … [Read more...] about Guide to Facebook Ads, part four: The Facebook Pixel

Guide to Facebook Ads, part three: Creating a campaign

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It's time for part three of my guide to Facebook Ads! After covering the basics of boosting a post and the Ads Manager, let's dive into creating your first campaign. The process is a little more involved than with boosting a simple post, but once you create a few campaigns, it'll get easier! You'll also have the option to duplicate ads, sets and whole campaigns instead of starting from scratch every time. Getting started To start, get to your Ads Manager and at the top left, click on the Create button. It opens a pop-up screen where you … [Read more...] about Guide to Facebook Ads, part three: Creating a campaign

Guide to Facebook Ads, part two: The Ads Manager

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Facebook's Ads Manager can be daunting, but once you know how to use it, it's a very powerful tool to advertise on the platform. It allows you to control everything about your ads and the analytics are great. In my last post, we talked about how to boost a single post. It's a good introduction to Facebook Ads, but it won't get you far. This time, we're going to get to the next level and learn to use the Ads Manager, so you can plan campaigns and implement your strategy. The Ads Manager is part of the Business Manager, which is a platform … [Read more...] about Guide to Facebook Ads, part two: The Ads Manager

Guide to Facebook Ads, part one: The basics

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There's no question Facebook is still a major player online in 2019 and its ad platform is an important tool for many marketers. As a photographer, there are a lot of reasons to use Facebook ads: Wedding photography, portrait sessions, workshops, tutorials and more. It's a great tool to target specific groups of people and it's well integrated with many other services. Facebook's ad interface can be intimidating and ad campaigns can be counterintuitive, so this is the first post in a series of articles about Facebook Ads. Over the next few … [Read more...] about Guide to Facebook Ads, part one: The basics

Using aerial views in architectural photography

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Aerial photography is definitely booming in recent years and you can use it to your advantage for your architectural photography. Aerial views can offer a new perspective and many clients appreciate it. Let's talk about how to shoot aerials and what to look for once you're in the air. Decide how you're going to shoot The first step is to decide where you are going to shoot from. When it comes to aerial views, there are several options, including plane, helicopter, drone and rooftops. The helicopter/plane option is great for large buildings … [Read more...] about Using aerial views in architectural photography

Including people in architectural images

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When photographing architecture, it's easy to focus on the building itself and forget its purpose. While architecture is the main subject, it is important to capture how people are interacting with the building or space. This is why including people in your architectural images is key to convey the design. Architects and interior designers increasingly want people in the images they commission, especially for spaces like offices, university buildings, etc. Including bystanders Oftentimes, including people means photographing strangers … [Read more...] about Including people in architectural images

Sensor cleaning: The ultimate guide

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In my previous article, I talked about cleaning your lenses and your camera. It's time to tackle a bigger, more complex subject: cleaning your sensor! If you shoot a lot, and especially if you shoot mirrorless, you definitely need to clean your sensor. If you have never done it, it can be quite intimidating, as you don't want to damage your camera. If that's your case, you may want to consider a professional sensor cleaning at your local camera store. But if you have to clean your sensor often (say, because you shoot mirrorless) or if you're … [Read more...] about Sensor cleaning: The ultimate guide

Interior design: Photographing high-end retail

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Architectural photography is a larger genre than most people think. On the commercial side, the type of building or space matters a lot and some photographers are specialized in residential properties or hospitality, for example. Today, I wanted to talk about photographing high-end retail. Over the past couple of years, I've been commissioned by luxury brands to photograph the stores opening in Toronto. It's a pretty specific type of photography, so here are a few tips if you're photographing a high-end store. Contract Make sure you … [Read more...] about Interior design: Photographing high-end retail

Quick Guide: Cleaning your camera and your lenses

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If you photograph a decent amount, you probably need to clean your camera and lenses pretty regularly. As a professional photographer, cleaning my gear is something I do regularly, so I like having good tools for the job. Cleaning your camera and lenses isn't as paramount and complicated as cleaning your sensor, but it's good to do it from time to time. If you have a few good tools, it can be a quick endeavor. Dust blower The first thing is usually getting rid of dust and particles. A good dust blower is usually enough, I recommend … [Read more...] about Quick Guide: Cleaning your camera and your lenses

Gear Guide: Architectural photography kit

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To keep this series about architectural photography going, let's talk a little about gear :-) Having the right gear can help you best more productive, faster and overall give a better service to your clients. However, don't forget that it doesn't replace skill and it won't make you a better photographer. This is a pretty extensive gear guide for commercial architecture. Don't worry if you're starting out or if you don't have a lot of gear. You don't need all of this at all. And you can rent a lot of it for specific photoshoots. I started … [Read more...] about Gear Guide: Architectural photography kit

Easy sensor cleaning with Visible Dust’s Arctic Butterfly 724s

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Ever since I switched to mirrorless with my Sony a7R II, I've been trying to figure out the easiest way to clean my sensor. As you might know, without the mirror to protect the sensor, mirrorless cameras can collect a lot of dust spots! I've gone through a lot of options — blowers, sensor swabs, etc. Most of them are ineffective, hard to use or both. I would be fine getting my cameras cleaned by a professional, but here in Toronto, for some reason, the only store who can clean Sony sensors takes two business days, which in most cases doesn't … [Read more...] about Easy sensor cleaning with Visible Dust’s Arctic Butterfly 724s

Photographing architecture in winter

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As a commercial architectural photographer, most of my clients want images shot in great weather conditions: Blue skies, maybe a few clouds, green grass, leaves on the trees, etc. Living in Toronto, it means I can photograph exteriors from approximately June to October (or May to November on a good year). Does it mean I never shoot in winter? Not at all! There are some shooting opportunities in winter, like interiors and shooting with snow. Snowy conditions and low winter light can be great for architectural photography. With the right … [Read more...] about Photographing architecture in winter

Shooting through glass

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In some instances, shooting through glass is the only way you're going to get the shot. An example I encounter pretty regularly is shooting at observatories like One World Observatory in New York City or the Skydeck in Chicago. In a lot of observatories (the Top of the Rock and the Empire State Buildings are notable exceptions), you have to shoot the view through glass. Other situations you might encounter glass are shooting from a car, a train or an airplane. If you've ever been in a situation with glass, you know how hard it is to shoot … [Read more...] about Shooting through glass

Apps to help plan your architectural photoshoot

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Preparing an architectural photoshoot is a lot of work. While scouting the location in person is always a good idea, sometimes it's not possible and there's more you need to know. There are many factors that come into play when shooting architecture: The direction of light at different times of the day, sunrise/sunset times, weather and more. Fortunately, we have many websites and apps to help with this. I honestly can't imagine the work required to plan photoshoots 20, 30, 40 years ago. Technology has made everything so much … [Read more...] about Apps to help plan your architectural photoshoot

How I shot the Northern Lights from a plane

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Earlier this year, I was flying back to Toronto from Vancouver, and I got to witness something pretty incredible: The Northern Lights. I was on a red-eye flight, and I can never sleep on airplanes. I got lucky and had the whole row to myself (I'm more of an aisle seat person usually). Being bored, I moved to the window seat and looked outside, only to realize there was something unusual: I could see the Northern Lights. Now, it's easy to miss, as they mostly looked gray to the human eye. But since I had photographed them once before, I took … [Read more...] about How I shot the Northern Lights from a plane

Five tips to shoot from a helicopter

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In recent years, aerial photography has taken off with the advent of drones. Living in Canada, the rules to fly drones are pretty drastic and flying legally is very complicated. So I turned to helicopters, which are much easier, albeit more expensive. Shooting from a helicopter offers a different perspective than a drone, as you are much higher. For example, in downtown Toronto, we have to fly at 1,500 feet. So, it's usually better for tall buildings or larger complexes. That being said, clients are interested, both for finished buildings … [Read more...] about Five tips to shoot from a helicopter