Four Awesome Ideas From Around the Architectural Photography Community

Four Awesome Ideas From Around the Architectural Photography Community

I love seeing the brilliant ideas photographers put into place on their websites, Instagrams, or mention in forums. I’ve noticed that the ones I’m particularly drawn to have less to do with how to make great photos, and more to do with how to run a great business.

How to Turn Your Imposter Syndrome Into A Motivating Force for Good

As I sit here about to enter the fourth week of mandatory stay-at-home lockdown in Shanghai, I have had a lot of time to think about where I am in my career as a photographer and inevitably, scroll through social media to compare where my perceived competitors are as well.  

A Design Icon: The Cesca Chair

Dubbed one of the most important chairs of the 20th century, the Cesca chair quickly became a design icon, showcased in museum collections and movie sets across the globe.  Born out of the German art school, the Bauhaus, Marcel Breuer conceived of the chair (then called the B-32) in the late 1920s. 

Communicating a Desired “Look” With Your Clients

My career began some 20 years ago as a staff photographer for an advertising agency. I was a part of countless brand discoveries where we started from scratch and developed a company’s brand strategy. The style of photography was selected to match the brand that had been devised based on market research, customer analytics, demographics, unique selling propositions and what would resonate on an emotional level to inspire a consumer to buy.

10 Things I Miss About Being an Architect

Last year I wrote an article entitled, Architecture Versus Photography as a Profession: 5 Takeaways a Year After the Transition that summarized some of my initial observations between working as an architect and then a photographer.  Since then, several of my architect friends and former colleagues have told me that they felt the article leaned a bit towards photography as my preferred profession. 

Lights On or Off? The Dilemma Continues

Hatfields VS McCoys. Jets VS Sharks. Scorpion VS Sub-Zero. Lights on VS Light off in your architectural photos. Will these differences ever be resolved?! In this video, I do a quick breakdown of how different lighting setups affect the editing process and the final image.

The Road to Success With Photographer Joel Grimes

While he isn’t specifically in the architectural or interiors niche, Joel Grimes is an impressive photographer. His portraits, landscapes, and composite images are of the highest quality. You could think of him as a performer in the Champions League of Photographers (sorry, I am European, so translated for my American friends: the Superbowl).

Back Up! One of the Simplest Techniques for Improving Your Work

Like all of you, I am constantly trying to push myself to improve as a photographer.  Honing our craft is paramount to our continued success and part of the fun of our profession.  With that in mind, this year I am looking forward to sharing ideas and techniques that have aided me in my ongoing pursuit of perfection. 

The Story of an Image – Foxconn Shanghai Headquarters by KRIS YAO | ARTECH

This latest edition of Story of an Image brings us back to Shanghai as we take a look at an image from a commissioned shoot of Foxconn’s Headquarters building designed by KRIS YAO | ARTECH.  The spotlighted image ended up being the final piece of a puzzle to placing the building in its context for the viewer. 

The Inextricable Bond Between the Olympics and its Architecture

It’s (finally) Olympics time again, and you know what that means – it’s time to talk Olympics venue architecture – a topic fraught with divergent opinions on whether or not it makes sense to hold the games (and thus house said games) in a different city every couple of years. 

Just Let The Photographer Do Their Job

When I was a baby architecture writer, a thousand years ago, I remember spending what felt like the majority of my work time asking my editors who’d commissioned stories, or publicists who were pitching me projects, or architects who’d decided to see if I might want to write about something, to send me pictures.

The CASE Act Passed, and I’m Not Happy

As a photographer who consistently enforces my copyrights and encourages others to do the same, colleagues are often surprised to learn that I do not support the CASE Act in its current form. At first glance, it sounds amazing: a low-cost, fast, informal way to resolve infringement claims, presumably without even the need for an attorney. A more thorough review of the Act’s provisions, however, reveals numerous caveats that, in my opinion, will be very easy for a resourceful infringer to exploit.

Extenders in Architectural Photography: Are “Budget” Tilt-Shift Lenses Worth a Try?

Tilt-shift lenses are great. However, getting two or three of them at the same time comes at a high price.This post summarizes my experience with Canon extenders and tilt-shift lenses, their performance (a 2x on a 24mm tilt-shift, you say?) and why using them has been crucial in developing my personal vision and deciding which lens to acquire next.

Hey New Photographers, Please Avoid Asking These Questions

When you’re first starting out in the industry, you have a million and two questions racing through your mind. This is great because it shows that you’re interested and looking to learn more! Most teachers will probably tell you that there are no stupid questions.

Three Things I Hate About Tripods

In my view, the most tedious and frustrating bit of equipment that I need to take with me to any meaningful shoot is a tripod. Most tripods are cumbersome, heavy and, unwieldy. They’re a pain to carry around and I absolutely hate them. Don’t get me wrong, I love the results I’m able to produce with a tripod, I just hate everything else about them.

Here’s Why the Highly Underrated Canon EOS RP Is a Brilliant Option for Architectural Photographers

Most of my reviews and articles tend to be about the “best” cameras and gear; I’m all about high-resolution and super sharp lenses. Honestly, for many of us including myself, the “best” doesn’t really matter that much anymore. In more recent times I’ve been more conscious about my expenses and as a result, the camera that keeps coming up on my radar is the Canon EOS RP.

A Simple Fix That Will Help You Switch From Lightroom to Capture One

For the first few years of my career as an architectural photographer, I swore by Adobe Lightroom. In my experience, Lightroom has been incredibly useful for going through a large batch of images, but it doesn’t quite keep up with Capture One’s refined controls, so I started looking at Capture One as an alternative.

Bidding and Estimating: How I Landed A Dream Assignment in Europe

Since the beginning of my photography career, I’ve had a list of projects that I dreamed of shooting. While most of the projects were out of my reach at the time, as my career has grown, buildings on my “dream assignment” list have become more accessible — while my goal list has grown!
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