Philadelphia City Hall is full of history, but photographing it in the right lighting brings out an air of mystery.

For an architecture nerd, photographing historical buildings offers an exciting challenge: How do you fit centuries of history into a handful of images? Philadelphia City Hall, one of my favorite buildings in the city, has many stories to tell—some mysterious, some metaphorical, but all historical.

I’m quite fond of the visual intrigue that twilight adds to building photography, but bright daylight can certainly hold its own in the right context. Here, it both highlights the white stone exterior and creates some dramatic shadows.

The Second Empire style is known for combining many historical architectural styles—appropriate for a building with some 250 sculptures representing every era of Philadelphia’s development. Given the sheer size of City Hall, trying to capture several within each photo required some strategic angles and my telephoto lens.

Light, angle, and the right tech are vital to capturing every last detail of the historic Philadelphia City Hall.

The fun doesn’t end at the doors—in fact, my favorite photo from this session came from just inside the east entrance. A bit of cleverness on my part makes this photo feel timeless and even a bit mysterious. In black and white, without any people around, it’s hard to tell if this photograph is a few months or a few centuries old.

Lastly, to keep things in perspective, a drone’s-eye view shows the newer buildings surrounding City Hall—an ever-evolving mix of history and modernity.