I also see numerous clichés involving buildings in travel photos. Most of them are shot from a distance so as to embrace the entire structure, and are descriptive, rather than expressive, in nature. When I approach a building as a subject for a photograph, I look for details that make it unique, and then try to stress those details rather than describe the entire structure. San Diego’s bizarre Villa Montezuma was built in the 19th Century as the whimsically eccentric home of musician/artist Jesse Shephard. Now owned by the San Diego Historical Society, you can see an image of the entire house on its website at: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/mainpages/locate5.htm
Note the difference between the website’s overall view of the house and my own interpretation here. With the help of a short telephoto lens, I was able to build an image around a solitary gargoyle on one corner of the house, using the weather vane and turret as context. More than any other detail, that gargoyle captures the essence of the Victorian era. There are many other strikingly incongruous Victorian touches inside the house, but interior photography is not allowed, so this gargoyle will have to say it all.