PIAS Ginza Building
The PIAS Ginza Building is a 12 story office tower designed by Kume Sekkei and it is one of the most photogenic pieces of architecture in the Ginza district. The exterior is wrapped in rows of horizontal aluminium louvers that follow the building's gently twisting form, creating a surface full of repeating lines, shadow, and depth. It looks good during the day, but it really comes alive at night when warm uplighting flows across the louvers and turns the whole building into an amazing pattern of light and shadows. Shooting from street level with a wide angle lens, looking straight up, gives you strong converging lines and that sweeping curve against a dark sky. The twist in the building's shape means the angle of the louvers shifts as you move around it, so it is worth circling the building to experiment with the composition. If the moon is out, you can frame it right against the top of the tower for an easy but effective shot. The building sits on a corner lot and is easy to access from all sides, with plenty of room to step back on the surrounding sidewalks. Ginza is packed with striking architecture, so this works well as one stop on a larger nighttime photo walk through the district. (Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo, Japan)
