Today’s modern world is substantially controlled by social media. Great buildings and great projects are incomplete without reaching out to the zealous audience ready to analyze and critique them. A slowly growing niche of architecture and interiors, architectural photography is clinching popularity as the technology and media take a surge. Some architectural photographers are doing an amazing job and I would like to share with you all. Here’s a list of those creative heads to inspire you more in this field.
1. Iwan Baan
His love to capture and narrate stories through documentary photography started when he got his first camera on his 12th birthday from his grandmother. He has no formal training in architecture yet creates a sense of place and narrative through his images, questioning how people and communities interact with their built environment. Not only has he collaborated with great contemporary architects like Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Toyo Ito, but he has also collaborated with several book projects.
2. Purnesh Dev Nikhanj
“I first comprehend the design intent of the architect and then apply my vision to make it permeate into the photographs.” Being an architect himself, he has a clear vision of the design intents of the architects and how the perfect picture can be captured by playing with the light. Purnesh is an international and national award-winning photographer and was also the youngest Indian to win the silver spot at the PX3 awards, Paris at the age of 22.
3. Hufton and Crow
One of the best decisions this pair made was over a few drinks at a pub when they decided to work together in 2003. Allan had just finished university when he tried a few shots with Nick and instantly loved it. Both have a background in analog and use large format cameras. In contrast to still images captured by simple cameras, they stitch different shots to create stories the building narrates without having to visit them.
4. Tekla Evelina Severin
Using social media to express her vexation with the contemporary neutral color palette, Severin started her journey for the resurgence of colors in interiors. To remind the audience about the joys of a colorful life and architecture, she started her journey to find colors, lines, and shapes in every object and surroundings. She is a freelancer in Stockholm as an interior architect, art director, photographer, colorist, and set designer and was recently listed as one of the top ten architectural photographers in the world by Dezeen.
5. Jeanette Hagglund
Jeanette has been a creative soul ever since she got her first camera at the age of 8. She has a background in photography and experience of many exhibitions before stepping into the field by herself. While working, she emphasizes how to utilize the right kind of light to get the perfect picture. Seeing new angles and perspectives, she creates mesmerizing images that can leave you awestruck.
6. Simone Bossi
A self-taught photographer, Simone Bossi is an alumnus of the Milan Polytechnic. Having worked in Europe for around 5 years, Bossi made the shift to architectural photography as a full-time profession. After a thorough contemplative process of comprehending the project, he creates idiosyncratic images revealing the feelings of a space.
7. Cristobal Palma
Palma dropped out of architecture in his fourth year, which was the greatest decision he ever made. He gained his experience while working as an assistant with Sue Barr. Later he moved on to practice photography on his own. His way of working is dynamic and zestful as he tries to convey the experience, the journey through his works.
8. Rory Gardiner
Rory Gardiner started his career as a snowboard photographer in Japan. While studying at RMIT, the architectural images he took grabbed his eye always. It was then he got a call for competition in London; although he didn’t win the competition but ended up staying there for 8 long years where he first started his photography business. His father was an architect, which kind of explains his inclination towards the design intentions of an architect. Juggling between two studios, one in London and the other in Melbourne, Rory creates exquisite images for his clients.
9. Andres Gallardo
A Spanish self-taught photographer, Andres finds his inspiration on social media. It all started when his mother gifted him his first DSLR camera at 31 as a birthday gift. It was like a new toy that got Andres hooked up on architectural photography. Practicing architectural photography as a hobby, he likes to keep the authenticity of the project as it were to be seen in real life.
10. Mike Kelley
Architectural photography was never the first choice for Mike. After graduating, he went ahead to become a professional snowboarder in California. A few years of snowboarding meant a lot of injuries. While recovering, he got an opportunity to photograph some houses; being perplexed by the outcome and the creative bent, he decided to pursue it further. Founder of the Architectural Photography Almanac, he has opened up a platform for budding photographers to use as a resource.
11. Sebastian Weiss
Originally Sebastian was from a civil background who worked at various advertising agencies as an art director. While studying, the creative frames of reference to any building attracted him more instead of the construction frames. While getting guidance to learn the art, he started analyzing Berlin through his lens at the time when the architectural paradigm was shifting to contemporary architecture.
12. Michael J. Lee
Lee transitioned from interior designing to architectural photography to show a broader spectrum of his capabilities to the world. After working at two great firms as an interior designer for 16 years, Lee started his photography career. His secret to being a successful photographer is that he knows how to balance the still and the dynamic facets of any picture.
13. Ishita Sitwala
It had just been 3 years after her graduation in architecture when Ishita started her career in the field of photography. While in Chicago for higher studies, she captured and documented lots of buildings. She got the opportunity to click for her fellow architects from where she began the path of success.
14. Andre J. Fanthome
Fanthome comes from a small village in Bhutan carrying his love and passion for architectural photography. With a background of Economics from St. Stephens, Delhi, he loves to teach and inspire young and keen individuals like him the art of capturing the essence of the moment and not only just a photograph. He is one of the three youngest photographers to have received the ‘National Academy Award for Visual Art’.
15. Sebastian Zachariah | Architectural Photographers
The creative head behind Photographix, Sebastian, or Sabby, as they call him, is a keen traveler. He specializes in interior and hospitality photography. What makes him a successful photographer is his eye for detail and the determination to keep up the standards he set.
