Chris Hopkinson is an ARB-certified architect and a London-based photographer and videographer. Given that he studied architecture, he has a distinctive photographic style that carefully uses light and colour and frequently depicts subjects in geometrical shapes. He looks for the shapes, forms, and views that appear and vanish while navigating architectural projects. Additionally, the presence of people frequently contributes significantly, providing scale and animation that are perfectly captured in time. Chris has worked with some extraordinary clients. He’s worked with Stanton Williams Studio, Egreg West, he’s worked with Peabody’s Coffee Martini Koran, as well as a host of other top-tier architects.
The Dream
His passion for photography only started because of architecture. In the first year of architecture school, they were told to have all these things, the drawing board, the technical pencils, and a camera, so that if they did site visits or made models, they could document those and use them at a later date.
After working for less than ten years in various architecture positions at both large and small practices in London, he decided to become an architectural photographer because he wanted to reduce his work week to four days to move closer to becoming a professional architectural photographer. On the day of my photo shoot, he mostly maintained “work time” during regular business hours. Still, it gave him a great deal of flexibility that has always felt very different from how practices operate.
Why Architectural Photographs?
The most talented architect, great craftsman, and ideal client could all work on a building, but if nobody sees it, is it worth it? People can only physically experience a building through still or moving images if they cannot visit and interact with it in person (as is the case with public buildings). These can be used alone, in conjunction with spoken or written words, occasionally with process photos that show how items are made, or even with the building being used to give it life.
Architecture photography is a way to demonstrate your years of experience, talent, aesthetic sense, and the months or years you spent designing, sketching, reviewing, submitting, explaining, revising, and detailing this specific project. Millions or billions of resources have been spent on it in total, depending on the scope of the project and the client. It makes sense that people need to see the effort and talent of a large team that went into making it happen.
Return on Investment
Rhein II by Andreas Gursky, which fetched more than $4,000,000 at a Christie’s auction in 2011, was the most expensive photograph ever purchased. This shows a scene with a sky, river, and land that has been digitally altered (distractions removed). The cost is determined by the fact that a well-known photographer took it and that only one print, out of a total of six, is available in this larger size.
Depending on one’s marketing, architectural photography pays in divines through various media such as Instagram and websites that project annually. Depending on the number of views, one is paid. An example of how much photography can pay is by projecting project duration per 10 views a day on Instagram and the website as follows;
Website views:
20 years x 365 days x 10 views per day = 73,000 views
Instagram views:
20 years x 2000 followers x sharing once per year = 40,000 views
This means that these images of your work will, at a minimum, be viewed more than 100,000 times (and possibly more if you’re a wiz at this sort of thing). That amounts to £1000 if you value each of those views of your photos at one penny.
It might be worthwhile investing more in the initial product, more photos or videos, or documenting its construction or how it’s been used five years after completion if you want to spend more time sharing these or if you want to see more people see them, or perhaps if you have a proper marketing/ advertising budget.
Phone for Photography
True to form, phone cameras in 2Image 22 will deliver breathtaking images. It’s also true that the camera you have with you is the best, but professional tools such as a camera are essential. Experience also comes in handy because only some can truly understand the complexities and costs of doing a job. Results are only better when one is more reliable, skilled, and experienced.
All in all, for one to be an architectural photographer, he or she has to do the following;
- Do your homework, review their portfolio, and remember that each project will be better than the last as they grow and learn.
- Be fair to clients and those working for and with them.
- Recognise that there is much more to photography and filmmaking than meets the eye.
- Utilise the pictures you get to the fullest extent possible. They form a part of your company’s presence.
References:
Chromophotography: Behind the Lens [online] Available at: https://www.chromaphotography.co.uk/photography [Accessed date: 28 November 2022].
Architect’s Journal: Spare a thought for architects seeking a job during the lockdown. [online] Available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/opinion/spare-a-thought-for-architects-seeking-a-job-during-the-lockdown?blocktitle=news&contentid=13628 [Accessed date: 25 November 2022].
Chromaphotography: Behind the Lens [online] Available at: https://www.chromaphotography.co.uk/about [Accessed date: 28 November 2022].
Chromaphotography: Behind the Lens [online] Available at: https://www.chromaphotography.co.uk/blog [Accessed date: 29 November 2022].