Architectural Photography Almanac
A resource for working professional photographers and design industry professionals featuring news, commentary, equipment resources, and original articles
One of the most overlooked features of RAW processing software is the ability to create masks based on color values. Lightroom has recently introduced Range Masks, a feature that I constantly use on my edits. As a response, Capture One has come up with a new feature in the latest software update: the Magic Brush.
When it comes to Photoshop tutorials and luminosity masking software I have two clear favorites: Unmesh Dinda and Lumenzia. It was a no-brainer to share this PiXimperfect video featuring an extensive review of Lumenzia.
Unmesh’s teachings are extensive and clear. This allows you to easily transport the techniques learned into your architectural photography workflow.
What are the key factors that drive architectural photographers to shoot tethered? I have been shooting untethered for the last 3 years and the question has popped up more than once in my mind. Recently there was an opportunity here at APAlmanac to do a review of the CamRanger 2 (Thanks Dave!)
Being a newcomer to drone photography, I was quite upset to know that my Mavic 2 Pro was not able to snap vertical photographs right off the bat. Luckily the workaround for the situation is a rather simple one, and one already known by most photographers — creating a vertical panorama.
I know that many drones, including mine, have built-in functions for shooting vertical panoramas.
James Turrell is an American artist recognized for his work with light and space. This LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) produced documentary shares his personal background and experiments with light as a medium that creates spaces and alters perception. It also gives a short virtual tour of his works, from small rooms called Skyspaces to the ongoing project of a naked-eye observatory within an extinct volcano; Roden Crater.
Juan Benavides is a Mexican architect and filmmaker currently based in the Netherlands.
He describes himself as someone working in and around architecture. This acknowledgment allows him to shift across his various creative interests, engaging in projects that range from architectural design and academic research to videography, photography, and music.
Lately, I have been shooting corporate interiors. The projects are usually well lit common spaces or executive offices next to a window. The rest of the spaces are mostly lit with artificial light. Although I typically like shooting with natural light only, on these projects, I must turn on and feature the practical lighting as a design element.
One of my first posts featured my visit to one of the first projects ever built by Peter Zumthor: The Shelter for Roman Ruins in Chur, Switzerland. Recently, the Youtube algorithm redirected me to an ArcDog’s video featuring an architectural film of the same project. Although I have not yet created videos, I notice the appeal of them as a media that reinforces the narrative of a project.
Have you ever had a client ask you to take a photo that looks like a previously made render? I bet that most of us architectural photographers have been confronted with this (at times impossible) task. As a result of quarantine boredom, an interesting thought occurred to me: What if I were to invert this process, trying to replicate one of my actual photographs using a rendering program?
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a portfolio? Normally I would think of a digital portfolio or — if budget allows — a printed book. However, during the quarantine, I made some test prints that were accidentally about the size of a postcard. This made me think: How about making a postcard portfolio?
This is a shootout to the Nice Art Prints Youtube channel by Mitch Boyer. Unfortunately, I just discovered that the channel has not been updated since July 2020 due to business closure. However, it stands as one of the best resources out there for people interested in knowing more about printing.
Finally! A review of the latest Arca Swiss geared head — the Core 75 — a.k.a the mini-cube, or the cylinder. The Core 75 is a strong contender to join the ranks of the ultimate geared head among the D4 and the C1 Cube.
Even with the amount of marketing around the Core 75, it is still difficult to find accurate information or a review delving into its features and functionality.
When it comes to RAW photo editing software there are two major players: Lightroom and Capture One. I am always open to learning new software and I have tried to transport my whole editing process from Lr to C1 a couple of times before. C1s latest upgrade had a lot of marketing around it, so I decided to check the new features.
Previously I shared a video about six artists to study for architectural photography. Johannes Vermeer, the 17th-century Dutch master, was at the top of that list. More recently I watched “Tim’s Vermeer”, a documentary about one peculiar academic of Vermeer’s work.
The film is about Tim Jenison, his admiration for the photographic quality found in Vermeer’s work, and his (obsessive) quest to reproduce one of Vermeer’s masterpieces from scratch using optical aids.
Let’s be honest. Many of us spend more computer time than we would like to admit. Having an efficient workflow in the office allows us to free up more time for sessions — plus your eyes and back will thank you for it! In this post, I share three apps that are essential in my in-office workflow.
Meet Denisa Balaj, a Romanian architect based in Switzerland and the creator of Duoseries. We crossed paths in 2015 during my studies at the University of Liechtenstein, since then I have been following her project. Duoseries is a photographic project that builds new spaces through the combination of two or more photographs.
David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka are the founders of Zupagrafika, a creative studio based in Poland celebrating modernist architecture, design and photography in a unique and playful way. Since 2012 David and Martyna have been traveling, photographing and illustrating post-war modernist and brutalist architecture, especially in the former Eastern Bloc.
Knowing how to accurately represent space as seen by the human eye into a bidimensional media is relatively new. Early art depictions tend to focus on the spiritual and not on a literal representation of the world. Size and proportion of the subjects responded to hierarchy levels. It wasn’t until the Renaissance (circa 1415) that Brunelleschi’s proved a rational system to precisely represent depth and space, the linear perspective.
I must confess that I have never pressed the record button on my camera. Lately, the growing number of video platforms and the demand for architectural video has made me think twice about dabbling in video. Watching or re-watching films paying special attention to the role of architecture is a powerful tool and source of inspiration available to anyone interested in both architectural photography and video.
Imagine being on the frontline of the 20th-century transition in the artistic world of photography. From the pristine landscapes captured by Ansel Adams to man-altered landscapes through industry and construction, there was so much changing in the world. This was the reality that Hilla and Bernd Becher had to face.
Dane Alonso