The job of an architectural photographer is to basically interpret another person's art.

A big part of it is light. Professional photographers may spend several days checking the building; appearance, atmosphere, building at different times, angles etc. They will also check what it looks like in evening with and without the lights on.
The time of day, and weather makes a lot of difference to the photo. A dull cloudy, rainy day can make the building look very boring, even flat. But have it one sunny, bright morning, and it will make all the difference, making the building appear more lively, gleaming, and beautiful.

The professional architectural photographer will try to shoot the building, bringing out its own "personality". A bright sunny day, may not work with certain buildings, and vice versa.
Certain filters can be used to bring out the personality of the building.

When photographing buildings, all sorts of accessories can be used.
A compass is standard among professional architectural photographers. This can be used to calculate where the sun will be, during the day, so you can figure out when to take that perfect shot.
A wide range of filters can be used, from polarizing filters, to red filters for black and white.
All sorts of lenses are used for different shots; telephoto lens can be used to compress high-rise buildings, giving it the look of a city. Perspective control lens are common practice.
Another main lens used is the shift and tilt. Most keen architectural photographers will use these. They are used to look up or down or sideways, while keeping the film plane vertical, or at least parallel to the object being photographed.

This has just been a brief summary.

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