Regardless of what drove you to embrace the art of picture-taking in the first place, it never hurts to dabble in a genre you may not be so familiar with. Branching out and diversifying your portfolio never hurt anybody, and you can have a lot of fun and learn a lot on the way! With that said, let’s introduce the focal point of today’s article: architectural photography.
While some, like myself, view architecture as one of the fundamental genres of photography, others take less of an essential view of photographing architecture and may not be as experienced in it as in portraiture or landscape photography.
No matter where you may be coming from as a photographer, your photographic skills would greatly benefit from at least an exercise in architecture, if not a deep study of the art. And whom better to learn from and get inspired by than some of the all-time masters of the craft?
That is exactly what we will be focusing on today – exhibiting some of the best that architecture photography has to offer, through the lens of the work of some of the most talented architecture photographers around.
What is Architectural Photography?
First, a small primer for the uninitiated. Architecture photography, also sometimes called cityscape photography, is a very diverse art that both contrasts and compares it to traditional landscape photography. But of course, what unites all sub-genres of architecture photography is its heavy focus on buildings, facades, and urban environments.
There are about as many different approaches to architecture photography as there are to architecture itself. The techniques that a photographer can use to represent a single building or an entire skyline are very diverse.
It’s for this reason that many like myself consider architectural photography to be one of the most interesting genres to work in. Note, though, that there is a certain line between the genre of architecture photography and that of street photography.
Whilst both heavily feature the urban, built environment as a central subject and motif, street photography tends to concern itself much more with action, narrative techniques, and a certain human element, often blending architecture with portraiture.
Key Elements of Architecture Photography
To get a better understanding of what makes a great architectural shot, let’s examine some of the key elements, the ingredients of great architectural photography if you will.
Composition
Just like in any other genre, truly great, elegant architectural photography relies on a proper understanding of composition. It should go without saying that exterior architecture photographers will employ an entirely different approach to those working for an interior design magazine.
However, even beyond differences between subjects, composition can totally alter the audience’s perception of any single photograph. Framing can help induce a particular sense of scale, and structural elements such as windows, balconies, and tiles can serve as leading lines.
Lighting
Light and shadow are crucial in further shaping the sense of scale and impact in any architectural shot. Particularly indoors, balancing light levels throughout your scene can help guide the viewer’s eye and give proportion to the frame.
Perspective
There are many jokes within the community about architecture photographers and their love for Dutch angles, but as always, there’s a kernel of truth here that beckons an exploration.
From conscious and obvious choices like positioning the camera relative to the subject in three-dimensional space to less obvious factors, such as the inherent barrel distortion in each lens and the effects of the focal plane distorting straight lines, perspective affects every aspect of your image.
A skilled architectural photographer knows how to manipulate perspective on every level to get the picture they’re chasing.
Architectural Photographers of the Past
Now, let’s begin our grand overview of the most influential architectural photographers with some of the biggest names from days gone by.
Studying the masters of the past is just as important as gaining knowledge of the cutting-edge techniques and personalities of the present. In fact, some of the people below inspire contemporary photographers, not to mention contemporary architects!
1. Julius Shulman
One of the most accomplished and successful architecture photographers of his time, Julius Shulman photographed the iconic structures of mid century modern architecture, in particular around the West Coast of the United States.
In doing so, he helped popularize and define this architectural style for the general public, not in the least with his immortal photograph, “Case Study House #22, Los Angeles, 1960”.
The house in question, designed by architect Pierre Koenig, is now considered not just the quintessential modernist residential architecture design but also one of the most famous modern art pieces of its time.
2. Ezra Stoller
Born in Chicago in 1915, Ezra Stoller became one of the most acclaimed photographers of his generation through his work covering some of the most avant-garde buildings of his day. This includes now-famous structures by modern architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto, and many other great names of the era.
Like his contemporary Julius Shulman, Stoller immortalized many buildings which have since been demolished, left in disrepair, or repurposed. One famous example would be the former Bell Labs complex at Holmdel, designed by Eero Saarinen.
This transcendental aspect only adds to the reputation and great renown of the photographer, of course. To be captured by Stoller – or “Stollerized” – was a great honor to any architect. Some have even gone so far as to claim that Modernism in architecture would not have taken off quite as dramatically if it hadn’t been for Stoller’s work!
3. Lucien Hervé
Most famous for his longtime collaboration with Swiss architectural auteur Le Corbusier, Lucien Hervé was born as László Elkán in Hungary and experienced a tumultuous life full of drastic career changes and frequent moves across Europe.
Through what I can best describe as a series of shockingly lucky coincidences, Hervé ended up in Paris, where he became a naturalized French citizen and developed an interest in photography. Initially working as a photojournalist, his career was just as quickly upended as it began by the onset of World War II, during which Hervé became a prisoner of war.
He picked up many other artistic and professional enterprises in this time, including painting and a lifelong association with labor unionism, but what ultimately stuck was his now-famous creative collaboration with Le Corbusier starting in 1950.
Through his innovative, often stylistically radical work, Hervé helped popularize and define Le Corbusier’s equally daring expressions on the built environment. Hervé also worked with many other greats of the architecture industry of the time, including Marcel Breuer, Oscar Niemeyer, and others.
4. Hélène Binet
Among the most influential architecture photographers of the late 20th century, Hélène Binet has worked with and helped to promote the works of some of the most renowned architects in recent memory, including Zaha Hadid, David Chipperfield, and Daniel Libeskind, to name just three of her most famous clients.
Born in Switzerland, Hélène Binet originally documented the performances at the Grand Opera in Geneva before being introduced to the world of architecture instead. Since then, she has amassed a gigantic portfolio showcasing some of the most groundbreaking architectural masterpieces of her time.
For most of her work, Hélène Binet uses monochrome film and a large-format view camera, anachronistic choices during a period when commercial architecture was quickly abandoning analog photography. Regardless, her results speak for themselves.
5. Balthazar Korab
Another world-famous architecture photographer of Hungarian extraction, Balthazar Korab worked to document some of the greatest works by past architects from around the world.
Korab’s contributions to architectural photography were diverse and plentiful. Most notably, Korab intensely covered almost all buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, many of them both during and after construction. This includes a series of world-famous shots of Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Contemporary Architectural Photographers
Like I said previously, a deep study of the great architecture photographers of past years is something I recommend to everybody who wishes to improve their technique and understanding of the craft.
However, especially in this field and unlike in traditional landscape photography for instance, architecture is defined by time.
As talented as they were, photographers of the past never had a chance to shoot anything except the historical architecture that existed during their era.
Today’s cutting-edge architectural firms work in different styles and using different materials and approaches. Hence, to get a better idea of how to shoot architecture today, in the 21st century, we have to also take a good look at the portfolios of some contemporary photographers.
Let’s do just that in the following section!
6. Iwan Baan
Known for his use of visual storytelling and narrative techniques in architectural photography, Dutch photographer Iwan Baan is one of the most acclaimed artists in his field today. Iwan has worked with such prominent names as the Deconstructivist and fellow Dutchman Rem Koolhaas and Junya Ishigami.
In his work, Iwan often makes use of highly unusual angles and perspectives in order to immerse the viewer in the subject.
This makes him one among a growing number of trailblazing contemporary interior and exterior architectural photographers for whom a primary creative goal is allowing the viewer to feel what it’s like to inhabit a place, not just understand it aesthetically.
7. Ema Peter
Bulgarian-born, Vancouver-based photographer Ema Peter has documented international and Canadian architects’ masterpieces for over a decade. A recipient of many international photography awards, her work consistently demands attention from industry spectators.
Highly successful in the commercial field, Ema’s architectural photography has helped establish the work of countless architecture and interior design firms, as well as leading hospitality brands. She primarily collaborates with architects and designers, bringing their visions to life through compelling imagery.
8. Amanda Large and Younes Bounhar
Co-principal photographers at their Toronto-based studio doublespace photography, Amanda Large and Younes Bounhar are representative of the diverse backgrounds that drive some of the most impressive architectural photography today.
While Amanda studied architecture at an academic level before venturing behind the camera, Younes came to the field from a totally unrelated pursuit, being a trained biologist himself.
Thanks to significant commissions over the years, the couple have gone on to become two of the most desired commercial architectural photographers around. Within Canada and beyond, their work continues to garner attention throughout the industry.
9. Edmund Sumner
London-based Edmund Sumner has made a name for himself through his immersive architectural photography which tries to convey a realistic account of the lives lived inside the walls of his subjects.
In particular, Edmund employs interior shots towards this end. His work has appeared in globally-respected interior design magazine features, in addition to seeing success both commercially and at art galleries worldwide.
10. Fernando Alda
Describing one of his primary creative impulses as “the empathy to the architect”, Fernando Alda is well-regarded by critics for his emotional and thoughtful photography that plays with not just the environmental and aesthetic, but also with the human element of architectural photography.
Thus, taking inspiration from multiple genres, Fernando crafts compelling images that aren’t just attractive from a commercial perspective, but offer great narrative value to the viewer, too.
11. Duccio Malagamba
Trained as an architect, Italian-born Duccio Malagamba has made his fame and fortune as an architectural photographer largely based in Spain. However, his work has received acclaim throughout Europe and beyond, making him a significant artistic voice in our time.
Publishing houses worldwide have reprinted and shared Duccio’s work, which exhibits pieces by such renowned architects as Alvaro Siza, Coop Himmelb(l)au, and Rafael Moneo.
In addition, Duccio has also published a photo book of his own recently, focusing on his relationship with Alvaro Siza’s designs (BeforeAfter, Phaidon Press). The Financial Times selected it as one of the four best books of 2024 in the art/design/fashion area.
12. Matthieu Venot
Last but certainly not least, Matthieu Venot is one of the most distinctive and impressive architectural photographers to come out of France in a long time. And that’s saying something, coming from the nation that birthed the photographic medium itself!
Matthieu’s unique artistic style relies on isolated details, often geometric in nature, contrasted by unusual choices of color and composition. All of his work is surely a feast for the eye, so I can only recommend a look at his portfolio!
13. Mike van Tassell
Particularly concentrated around the wider New York City area, Mike van Tassell is a perfect example of an architectural photographer who is aware of his natural strengths to a T.
His eponymous studio collaborates with leading voices in the world of contemporary architecture to craft scenes that blend elements of narrative photography and classical architectural composition with a commercial flourish.
Though Mike specializes in interiors above all, his studio art continues to prove highly diverse. I for one can’t wait for what he will come up with next!
14. Andrew Prokos
New York City-based Andrew Prokos is a major tour de force not just in architectural photography but in contemporary fine arts in general.
Utilizing extreme long exposures using large-format film cameras, Andrew’s approach is unorthodox in the contemporary sphere, but makes for startlingly detailed and unique images.
Not one to shy away from bolder endeavors, Andrew also frequently experiments with color, composition, and textures in his work. Some of his more avant-garde pieces have found their home in art museums around the world.
15. Richard Bryant
Skillfully blending established conventions with a sensibility for the daring and artistic, Richard Bryant is a strong voice in the contemporary architectural photography scene, especially in his native UK.
Richard studied architecture and worked in the field “behind the desk”, as he puts it, before pivoting to photography instead. Today, his images command significant attention from international audiences.
His interior shots in particular, inspired by fine arts and paintings of the old Dutch masters, wield significant influence in the commercial and in the artistic space.
16. Roland Halbe
Longtime freelance architectural photographer Roland Halbe is a prominent voice in the European scene, having been active since the 1980s. His work has been featured in prominent art museums worldwide, including the MoMA in New York.
Roland is probably most known for his work documenting contemporary Spanish architecture. His long travels throughout Spain have resulted in a close relationship between Roland and leading renowned Spanish architectural firms, helping to establish him as an aesthetic voice within the wider region.
17. Michael Wolf
Posted as a photojournalist in Hong Kong during the 2000s, at a time when print media were rapidly downsizing, Michael Wolf grew disillusioned with the field. On a whim, he began marketing his own fine arts prints as an independent artist instead.
Quickly gaining renown and controversy in equal measure for his fascinating photo series on street life in East Asia, Michael’s portfolio won acclaim both as architectural photography and as a form of experimental documentary photography.
His photos focused both on how the built environment shapes human life and on the individuals inhabiting that environment themselves.
18. Adam Mørk
Particularly successful in his native Denmark, Adam Mørk specializes in finely composed architectural photography of public spaces and contemporary projects by Danish and Scandinavian architects at the forefront of the craft.
With a strength in crafting vivid shots of both his subjects and the environments they inhabit, Adam makes frequent use of wide-angle compositions.
19. Adam Letch
Unlike some in this list, Adam Letch became an architectural photographer in the most natural way – as a fresh photographic graduate with an interest in the built environment.
Developing this artistic inclination of his ended up being the first step in a widely successful career that continues to the present day. His colorful style and vivid use of both outdoor and indoor compositions has made his work especially influential in the hospitality segment.
20. John Muggenborg
With a portfolio that includes everything from fine arts prints to commissioned work for famous designers, architectural firms, and publishers, John Muggenborg is definitely one of today’s most prolific architectural photographers.
An artistic mind with a BFA in photography and architecture, John is a real expert at his craft. Much of his work is in large-format film, though he has worked with a variety of media, including digital camera systems.
21. Mike Kelley
California-based Mike Kelley, known for his picturesque photo series of avant-garde residential designs from around the world, is a major creative force in his genre today. His images often play with scale and depict architecture in isolation, generating strong emotions and making for a dramatic viewing experience.
Thanks to the success he has enjoyed both from commercial clients and the photographic press, Mike was able to have a major chunk of his past projects published as photo books. If you’re asking me, some of these belong on pretty much any modern architecture photographer’s shelf!
22. Fernando Guerra
A strongly influential force in the development of architecture photography in the digital era, Fernando Guerra is also the co-founder of the noted studio FG+SG.
An Architecture Photographer of the Year and recipient of countless industry awards, Fernando continues to wield considerable influence in the genre, especially in his native Portugal and Western Europe as a whole.
His images tend to feature glamorous, intricately staged scenes that balance movement and action with scenic vistas.
23. Joe Fletcher
London-born, California-based Joe Fletcher is a highly talented exponent of a particular style that sits somewhere in the middle between mainstream architecture photography and landscape photography.
Joe tends to photograph his subjects within and surrounded by the environment that they inhabit, fusing the fascination of the built environment with that of nature. Desert and mountain scenes are his clear favorite, but in terms of his subjects, Joe demonstrates a real flexibility that many of his peers lack.
24. Hufton + Crow (Nick Hufton & Allan Crow)
Another dream duo, Nick Hufton and Allan Crow have made waves in recent years in particular for their wide-angle aerial photography.
Using drones to capture huge cityscapes is their specialty, making skyscrapers and large non-residential designs their bread and butter. And with this much skill behind the camera, it’s no wonder that the dream team have managed to display their strengths working for some of the industry’s most high-profile clients.
25. Tekla Evelina Severin
Swedish photographer Tekla Evelina Severin is a bona fide artistic multi-talent, even next to some of her amazingly skilled peers.
With an education in interior architecture and furniture design, she tackles challenging architecture photography environments with the compositional eye of a masterful set designer.
Her work combines an idiosyncratic use of color with tightly composed interior shots, and more recently she has expanded her portfolio to include full-on life-size interior design exhibits. These have become a big hit at various art museums around the world.
Take Away
Architectural photography, as you have seen today, is an incredibly diverse field. No two photographers in this genre shoot quite the same kind of images, and even the subjects themselves are rich in variety, too. What this means for you is that there’s a real ocean of possibilities to refine your own skills, add to your portfolio, and dabble in something new.
Whether it’s interiors or exteriors, natural light or strobes, shooting exclusively facades or capturing entire homes together with their residents, the world of architectural photography is vast and deep. I hope that today’s look at the portfolios of some of the genre’s all-time greats helped you reflect on that!
Kind of random so many more good ones out there … but good to focus on architectural photography ….