Travel the world with royalty-free building and landmark images

Visuals of buildings and landmarks prominently feature man-made structures. These structures can be made from a variety of materials, from the granite of Mount Rushmore to the reinforced steel of Burj Khalifa. There is a wide variety to be found in such photographs, from jungle huts to city skyscrapers, ancient temples to modern church buildings, and everything in between. Well-known, easily recognizable world landmarks, from USA landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial to Asia landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, fall under this category. Beyond photographs, one can also expect to see vectors of computer-generated 3D buildings and architectural sketches of building designs. These visuals can work well on business websites, as computer backgrounds, as social media images, and much more.

Images with buildings tend to align with photography composition guidelines. A well-composed image is one in which the viewer’s eye is guided through the photograph with importance given to the photo’s subject. The direction, flow, and visual balance created by adhering to composition guidelines helps the viewer engage effortlessly with the image. Leading lines are one such component of composition. These diagonal lines guide the viewer through the image. When framed by a skilled photographer, the lines will draw the viewer’s gaze to the focal point, also known as the subject of the image. In order to maintain structural integrity, buildings have to be designed with strong lines in mind. These lines can thus work in the photographer’s favor to help engage the viewer. A shot taken from the ground with the camera pointed up at several skyscrapers that all converge toward the center of the image is a prime example of strong leading lines.

Shutterstock’s non-editorial images of buildings are all cleared for commercial use. With our powerful search engine and filter options, finding the perfect picture of buildings for your next project has never been easier. Simply type “buildings” into the search bar and explore the millions of resulting photos, vectors, and illustrations. Narrow your search by adding other keywords such as “Europe landmarks” or “building background.” To further narrow your search, apply Shutterstock’s various filter options. Looking for a building icon that will fit right in with the color palette on your website? Select your chosen hue from the “Color” filter option. Want a building construction image that exemplifies teamwork? Select the “With people” option from the “People” filter and you will find a number of images with people in hard hats working together to turn a blueprint into a building.

The most popular images of buildings and landmarks tend to feature the structures that are most well-known the world over. People enjoy seeing photos and artistic depictions of famous world landmarks from major cities. There are a number of popular tourist destinations and attractions that people long to visit in person, but while taking the time to travel may be difficult, taking a look at images of such sites takes no time at all. Popular searches include ancient wonders such as the impressive and mysterious lost city of Machu Picchu, built 7,000 feet above sea level over 500 years ago, as well as more modern architectural feats, such as the dazzling Sydney Opera House in Australia, built to house the world’s greatest artists and performances. Other popular searches focus on the distinctive buildings and landmarks in the major cities of the world, from New York City to London, Seoul to Tokyo.

If you have come across a building image that you love but you need to be sure it is royalty-free for your usage, Shutterstock’s search engine is here to help. Simply drag and drop your image directly onto the Shutterstock image search page. The Shutterstock page will change to say, “Drop anywhere to find similar.” Upon dropping your image, you will be presented with your Search by image results, all of which will bear some resemblance to the image you have just dropped. Drop a photo of the Eiffel Tower at sunrise, for example, and your resulting images will all feature the Eiffel Tower with a dramatic and colorful sky behind it. Please note that the Search by image function only supports JPG and PNG images under 5MB.