Stairs And Step Photography Tips

Stairs may sound a little boring but if you start thinking about the materials they're made from and the shapes and styles that exist, you'll soon realise there's plenty of steps to keep you and your camera occupied.

Gear Suggestions:

A wide angle lens will exaggerate the twists and turns of a spiral staircase while a telephoto lens is good for bringing staircases on the outside of buildings to you. Pack a polariser for stairs against glass or reflective surfaces and a tripod would be handy to help you get the stairs perfectly straight.

Technique:

Guide The Eye

As stairs take you somewhere they're naturally a great way to lead you into and through an image. They can be used to guide the eye to a particular feature or you could hide the last part of the staircase to leave the viewer wondering where the stairs may go to. Lines are a great way to lead the eye into the image and you don't get a better line than a long banister so use them to your advantage.

Spirals

Stand at the top or bottom of a spiral staircase with your wide angle lens and you can get a great but rather overdone shot of the spiral shape twisting up. Try getting someone to stand or lay at the bottom or carefully peek over the banister at the top and use the spiralling stairs as a frame.

Movement And Size

For your more normal staircases use your wide angle lens to exaggerate the grandeur of a particularly wide, long set of stairs or use a slow shutter speed if you're in a city and blur the movement of city goers as they pass through your shot.

Reflections

Some staircases go up the outside of buildings so use your telephoto lens to bring them to you. This lens is also great if your stairs are reflected to give you symmetry in your shot. Try standing so you're in the centre of the stairs and reflection to enhance the pattern.

Be Different

For something different try shooting through the spindles to the other side of the staircase or if you're outdoors, use them to frame a single building or a shot of showing part of the city.

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