Where Art Meets Architecture is a tutorial series for those interested in architecture, interior, and real estate photography. The tutorials are produced by Fstoppers.com and Mike Kelley, who used to be a real estate photographer but now an architecture photographer.
Where Art Meets Architecture is a tutorial series for those interested in architecture, interior, and real estate photography. The tutorials are produced by Fstoppers.com and Mike Kelley, who used to be a real estate photographer but now an architecture photographer. Where Art Meets Architecture has three series, and as the serial number increases, the level of knowledge required to understand workshops increases. In other words, Where Art Meets Architecture 1 is proper for the intermediate level, Where Art Meets Architecture 3 is more useful for a person who is already working in the sector. Fstoppers.com has a YouTube channel where they share behind the scenes and sneak peeks of the series, and I reviewed the series according to videos on their YouTube channel.
Where Art Meets Architecture 1| Fstoppers
The introduction of the Where Art Meets Architecture 1 as the series’ beginning creates a perception like it consists of simple videos such as the introduction of Photoshop and the camera; however, the photography tricks and Photoshop tutorials that it contains seem like they are for intermediate level; therefore, it is helpful for architects who knows photoshop and the camera. As stated by one of Fstoppers’s team members, Lee Morris, many sources help to contribute photography knowledge, but there is no product like the Where Art Meets Architecture series on architectural photography. Moreover, instructor Mike Kelley is a valuable photographer who has quickly become prominent in the industry and has unique techniques, and he is willing to share these in the tutorials.
Where Art Meets Architecture 2
Where Art Meets Architecture 2 is more advanced than the first, and it does not include real estate photography. It also focuses more on the architectural photography industry’s specific areas, and the shots subject to tutorials take place in luxury homes. The behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube start with the second of the series, and apart from the knowledge gained from tutorials, the backstage provides content that shows not well-known details of the profession and helpful for the ones who wonder how a photographer’s business life is. For instance, in the second episode of How To Photograph Luxury Real Estate Behind The Scenes, Lee Morris said that they paid approximately 3000 dollars to make a photoshoot of the property; however, he added that usually, owners are fine with a photoshoot as long as they get the pictures. This example shows that sometimes expenses have to be made to create a profitable portfolio. This information is not easy to reach for someone who does not have connections in the industry.
Where Art Meets Architecture 3 | Fstoppers
Where Art Meets Architecture 3, the last product of the series, is prepared for photographers who are already working in the sector or who have watched and learned from videos of the previous series. As the required knowledge increases, the scope of the locations where the shootings were made for tutorials also increases. The shots in this series occur in hotels, resorts, and commercial spaces where the demand is high, and the customer is willing to pay more money. The third series also promises to prepare the course purchasers for the sector with useful content such as preparing a portfolio for those who will start the profession and how to make an impressive portfolio for the customer.
Photographer’s Gamble
Throughout the series, Mike Kelley highlights the difference between architecture and real estate photography. While architectural photographs appear in printed media and exhibitions, real estate photography is based on selling the property faster, so post-production stages are less critical. As I mentioned in the previous paragraphs, like most photographers, Mike has gone into architectural photography from real estate and is now taking commercial photos.
He stated in Where Art Meets Architecture behind-the-scenes videos that personal photos significantly impacted his career. Mike went to shoot the architecture in Iceland without getting paid. He aimed to have a portfolio that will help him to find customers who will pay him to take photographs that he wants. However, it is a pretty big gamble; Mike spent half of his net worth during that period. If he could not impress the customers with his photographs, he could have been in financial trouble for a long time. However, Mike got his courage paid off.
Personal Opinion | Fstoppers
As someone who is not interested in architectural photography and does not intend to do it as a profession in the future, Where Art Meets Architecture series and the behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube attracted my attention. Learning that the photographs taken are also used in architectural portfolios made me think that it was not favorable that I did not know anything about architectural photography. However, the behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube try to make an entertaining team impression on audiences most of the time besides sharing experience, and this impression did not pass on to me, and I was quite bored in these parts. Because of that, I had to fast forward some videos. For those interested in architectural photography, experiences from someone in the profession will be beneficial because they can realize the difficulties they may face and take precautions for the future. Therefore, I recommend watching the series for those who are thinking of being an architectural photographer.
You can check out Fstoppers’s Youtube channel and Where Art Meets Architecture behind the scenes from www.youtube.com/channel/UCnvgtzmvlb6d58d9BbOKuMA, and you can buy the Where Art Meets Architecture tutorials from www.fstoppers.com/product/mike-kelleys-where-art-meets-architecture-1