Mike Kelley | Architectural Photography Almanac

Announcing Perspective: APAlmanac’s Architecture and Design Festival

by Mike Kelley September 26, 2023October 3, 2023 2

I am so thrilled to launch our first large event: Perspective, a festival focusing on architecture, design, photography, and videography. Held June 21-22, 2024, in the architecture mecca that is Columbus, Indiana, Perspective will bring together architects, artists, photographers, designers, videographers, and more to learn from each other and experience the incredible city of Columbus.

Join Mike Kelley and Doublespace Photo for a one-of-a-kind Workshop in Tuscany

by Mike Kelley September 6, 2023September 8, 2023 2

From April 13th – 16th 2024, myself, Amanda Large, and Younes Bounhar of doublespace photography will host an exclusive workshop for eight students at Podere Rombolino in southern Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia region. Join us as we practice architectural photography, enjoy discussions on theory, business, and craft, and of course culinary delights such as wine, cheese, and amazing views of the Italian countryside.

The 2022 Project of the Year Award Winners

by Mike Kelley April 14, 2023April 1, 2023 2

At last, we’ve reached our final category of winners to announce – the 2022 Project of the Year award. Project of the Year is our most highly rewarded category, with a cash prize of $2500 USD going to the winner along with our Project of the Year Award Winner trophy, while the runner-up receives $500 USD and our slightly smaller (but still awesome) 2nd place trophy.

The 2022 Photo of the Year Award Winners

by Mike Kelley April 12, 2023April 1, 2023 0

It’s time to announce the winners of the 2022 Photo of the Year Award! The Photo of the Year Award is one of the most simple and straightforward categories in our Architectural Photography Awards. We asked photographers to submit their defining photographs of 2022.

The 2022 Early Career and Emerging Talent Architectural Photography Award Winners

by Mike Kelley April 10, 2023April 10, 2023 0

It’s time to announce the official winners of the 2022 Early Career and Emerging Talent Award! The Early Career and Emerging Talent category is the APA Award’s most entered and most competitive category. Just like last year, we are blown away by the talent and hard work of all the new architectural photographers out there.

Inside The House from Succession: Season Four

by Mike Kelley March 27, 2023March 27, 2023 3

Living in Los Angeles and working as an architectural photographer provides some pretty spectacular opportunities. One in particular was getting commissioned to photograph the home (you know the one) from Succession’s fourth season – here’s a look inside and some thoughts on the process.

2022 Architectural Photography Awards ‘Editor’s Choice Award’ & Contest Update

by Mike Kelley March 1, 2023March 1, 2023 6

While we wait for the judges to put their finishing touches on their selections of winners for the 2022 Architectural Photography Awards, we thought it would be fun to comb through the submissions ourselves! There are so many stunning photographs that have been submitted this year, and we are eager to show off the sheer amount of talent here, so we’ve decided to introduce a new bonus category in the meantime: The Editor’s Choice Award We’ve gone through all of the entries separately from the judges and selected our 10 favorite photographs from each category, which we’ve listed here in alphabetical order.

Announcing The Second Annual APAlmanac Architectural Photography Competition

by Mike Kelley November 14, 2022February 15, 2023 9

Back for a second year, we are so excited to launch our annual photography competition again! The first year was a resounding success and we have improved and tweaked for an even better experience for our entrants this time around. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the best photography competition on the internet for the second year in a row.

Join Mike Kelley and Simon Devitt in Finland For a One-Of-a-Kind Workshop

by Mike Kelley November 3, 2022November 3, 2022 2

In August 2023, Mike Kelley and Simon Devitt will host an exclusive workshop deep in Finland’s Archipelago National Park at the world-renowned and self-built Project Archipelago. Designed and built by Aleksi Hautamaki, founder of Bond Creative, it is located in some of the world’s most pristine wilderness surrounded by the placid blue waters of the Baltic Sea.

Introducing the Business of Architecture Photography Series: APAlmanac’s New Video Courses

by Mike Kelley August 10, 2022August 10, 2022 2

If you’ve been a photographer for any stretch of time, you probably know that it’s easy enough to take a good picture. But how do you get paid to take those pictures in the first place? By far the most common questions that we receive here at the Almanac are business-related.

2021 Project of the Year Award Longlist (Part Two)

by Mike Kelley March 14, 2022February 14, 2023 1

As we mentioned in Part One of Project of the Year’s longlist, there were so many phenomenal entries that we wanted to share with you. To keep the page speed flowing, we’ve broken this list up into two sections. Continuing our longlist for APALMANAC’s 2021 Project of the Year award, here are the second half of the favorite picks from the Project of Year submissions.

2021 Project of the Year Award Longlist (Part One)

by Mike Kelley March 14, 2022March 14, 2022 4

Project of the Year might just be one of our favorite categories. In this day and age where everyone is a photographer, it seems like anybody can take a good photograph. What separates the masters from the just-plain-lucky though, is the ability to create consistent beautiful images over and over again.

2021 Photo of the Year Award Longlist

by Mike Kelley March 9, 2022March 9, 2022 5

We knew the 2021 Photo of the Year category of the Architecture Photography Awards was going to have some incredible offerings, but wow! Our judges were looking for unforgettable photos that melded technical prowess with masterful storytelling and beautiful design.

2021 Early Career and Emerging Talent Awards Longlist

by Mike Kelley February 28, 2022February 28, 2022 17

We have been absolutely blown away by the submissions for the first-ever APALMANAC Awards – especially the Early Career and Emerging Talent category. For being relatively new to the field, so many of you out there are making incredible work that is up there with even the most seasoned pros.

Hall, Merrick, and McCaugherty on the Craft and Business of Architectural Photography

by Mike Kelley February 9, 2022February 8, 2022 1

Nick Merrick and Steve Hall have been photographing architecture longer than most readers of this blog have been alive (myself included). When you think of some of the most important architectural projects of the last 100 years, Merrick and Hall have probably been there, creating photographs to share the stories of these projects with the world.

Announcing The First APAlmanac Photography Awards

by Mike Kelley September 2, 2021December 3, 2021 17

As the internet’s hub for architectural photography discussion and news, we felt it was only right for APAlmanac to host its own architectural photography showcase contest. Given the unique criteria by which architectural photography must be created, it must be judged with a critical eye.

Should I Charge a Licensing Renewal Fee?

by Mike Kelley August 17, 2021 2

LG Asks: I am an architectural photographer just starting out my business. I have downloaded the APA contract template as well as read articles about licensing. I had a question in regards to renewing a license. For example, when I photograph for a client and all goes well and licenses photos to the client for 5 years.

How Much Are Architectural Photographers Charging and Earning? The First Results of the APA Census Are Here

by Mike Kelley June 30, 2021July 1, 2021 13

After leaving the APAlmanac Architectural Photography Census open for almost six months in 2020, we are here to report the results. An incredible 1,259 professional architectural photographers from all over the world completed and contributed to the survey, which has provided an amazing cross section of how and why we’re working, where we struggle, where we succeed, and so much more.

Introducing The APAlmanac Architecture Photography Contract Template

by Mike Kelley May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 12

I am so proud to introduce The APAlmanac Contract Template. In over a decade of photographing architecture, I have talked to thousands of working photographers, whether it’s for a lunch, on an online forum, here on Apalmanac, or at workshops or conferences.

I’m Being Asked For COVID Discounts – Help!

by Mike Kelley February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 5

M Asks: I’m getting quite a few requests for shoots starting late April / May. Everyone is pleading poverty, from £120m new openings (who I know had already budgeted marketing) to £10m refurbs. Every quote so far has asked for a reduction in fees. My own view is that I won’t lower my fee (mostly because my expenses & talent are same as pre-covid and I have a gut feeling that if I lower it, it will be impossible to raise later) but I am being super-flexible on pretty much all else.