Interiors and Exteriors

Architectural photography requires specific skills and tools to achieve optimal results. Constructed spaces, residential or commercial are designed for distinct purposes. An affinity for style and history of architectural design is fundamental in understanding what an architect envisions to serve its purpose. An older home’s kitchen was planned for lifestyles much different from today. Business environments have also evolved. Accommodating new technology, a reordered workforce and changes in social interaction, have transformed business interiors from years past. New construction methods and building materials have contributed to the reshaping of the workplace.

To view a luxury home from 1950 and compare it to today’s high-end residence is to see the advancement of building materials, technology, energy conservation and improved construction methods for all the trades.

As an architectural photographer, the components a designer and builder incorporates into a residential or commercial building, need to be represented in photographic images with great detail and accuracy. With a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History and a lifelong appreciation of architectural spaces, I strive to capture the beauty and art of the builder.

Natural window light and installed interior lighting create the illumination for the room. The balance of light sources is what I prioritize when capturing a room view. Adding light to a space is an option I utilize while making sure to preserve the integrity of the lighting design inherent in the room.

With any architectural photo assignment, along with balancing the light, the selected angle of view into a room is critical. There is more than one angle to consider when looking through the viewfinder. My mission is to choose a perspective that best incorporates most of the room’s key features while preserving a pleasing overall image.

Commercial interiors challenge me in a different way. With larger spaces facilitated by supportive lighting, I determine overall color balance, camera angle and whether or not I will have to work around the employees doing their jobs.

A sturdy tripod, a good camera and a selection of architectural lenses make up my tool bag when I go on assignment.

My lenses include a 19mm and a 24mm tilt-shift perspective control lens, a wide angle 18-35 mm zoom lens, (used for exteriors) and a handheld tethered speed light flash unit for shooting against windows and filling in dark areas, mainly used on real estate shoots. Tungsten balanced lights are used when the need arises and time allows.

In the silence of a magnificent new manufacturing plant before opening or at the front door of a humble two bedroom starter home in an established neighborhood, the challenge of capturing the space at it’s best is what truly inspires me.