A Guide to Current Architectural Photographers
We don’t care how great a project is, if it’s not photographed well then an architect’s work doesn’t stand much chance of being promoted. Good photos get people excited, good photos are a catalyst for more work and, in the digital information age, good photos proliferate. A high quality image that pops off the page, sent out to the blogging world can end up everywhere and anywhere… within hours.
We take our own photos at BUILD because we’re passionate about photography. This requires a constant learning curve and subsequently we look to a wide range of professional photographers out there for technique and inspiration. Architectural photos are a beast of their own in the photo world and it takes a design-savvy eye, technical knowledge and tons of patience. Good shots are very rarely luck or coincidence; rather they are the product of mastering a skill.
A Guide to Current Architectural Photographers pulls from many sources. Some are photographers we’ve established a solid connection with -personally or via social media, some were hunted down because we have mad respect for their images, others came highly recommended to us from our design tribe of like-minded thinkers and doers. But they all have one thing in common – these are the sharp-shooters of the architectural photography world. Each is skilled in capturing and empowering modern architecture and, paramount in the information age, they’re savvy at getting the word out through websites, blogs and social media. Many of their masterful images will likely outlast the buildings. In short, you should get these rock-stars on your radar. We’re highlighting 20 photographers today, organized by region, and we’d love to hear from you about your favorite architectural photographers.
Benjamin Benschneider, Seattle WA
Doug Scott , Seattle WA
Lara Swimmer, Seattle WA
Tim Griffith, San Francisco
Erhard Pfeiffer, Los Angeles, CA
Paul Body, San Diego, CA
Michael Brands, Denver CO
Charles David Smith, Dallas, Texas
Craig Blackmon, Dallas Texas
James F. Wilson, Dallas Texas
Peter J. Sieger, Minneapolis, MN
Mike Sinclair, Kansas City, Missouri
Steve Hall, Chicago Ill
Matthew Carbone, Columbus Ohio
Brad Feinknopf, Columbus Ohio
Trent Bell, Maine
Kenneth M. Wyner, Washington D.C.
Ty Cole, New York City NY
Alan Tansey, Brooklyn NY
Claudia Uribe-Touri, Miami FL
Special thanks goes out to a few design-ninjas for their contributions to GtCAP: Bob Borson, Carlyle Fraser, Adam Crain and Nicholas Williams. Martini’s all around gents.
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By Sean, September 29, 2010 @ 7:23 am
Nice list. I would certainly add Michael Moran as well as a couple of the photographers in the Esto Photographics group to fill out your New York list.
By Nicholas Willliams, September 29, 2010 @ 7:39 am
….and Hisao Suzuki! He photographs all of Sebastian Mariscal’s work.
By Matt, September 29, 2010 @ 7:43 am
Honor to be included on such a strong and talented list! Thanks Build!
I’ll add my one person whose work I admire greatly, Tim Hursley. He doesn’t really have a website but every major project seems to be photographed by him.
By mike eliason, September 29, 2010 @ 8:29 am
nic lehoux
Paul Warchol
thomas riehle http://www.tomas-riehle.de/index_en.php#
ulrich schwarz, http://www.architektur-fotografie.net/profile/
james dow
ed burtynsky http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/
hélène binet
cristobal palma
roland halbe
hannes henz
iwan baan
thomas jantscher
christian richters
By mike eliason, September 29, 2010 @ 8:55 am
and a few more US-based…
bill timmerman
christopher barrett
timothy hursley
peter vanderwarker
farshid assassi
By Build LLC, September 29, 2010 @ 12:17 pm
Great recommendations everyone – we’ll look into them.
@ Nicholas – We’re big fans of Suzuki’s work and we’ll be including him in an up and coming International List of Current Architectural Photographers. Stay tuned…
By Richter, September 29, 2010 @ 12:18 pm
Great list guys. Photographers that specialize in modern architectural work are difficult to find – I’ve found. This list is my new source.
By mike eliason, September 29, 2010 @ 2:17 pm
world-architects also has a great assemblage of int’l photographers as well (search by arch. photographer)
http://www.world-architects.com/profiles/index_updated_new
By Will Alan, September 29, 2010 @ 5:25 pm
You forgot me!
http://william-alan-photo.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Architecture/G0000c9vtc92Gdcw/I00001KWesm_ybOs
By Build LLC, September 29, 2010 @ 5:37 pm
@ Will – thanks for the intro, we look forward to checking out your work.
By Brad Feinknopf, September 30, 2010 @ 1:24 am
Thank you so much for inclusion in your very fine list. I am quite honored. There are many photographers out there doing good work but, given an understanding of what goes into making a great photograph, one who continues to impress me and sets himself apart is Roland Halbe.
http://www.rolandhalbe.de/
If I am going through a magazine and I am wowed by an image enough to check out the photo credits, 9 out of 10 times it is Roland Halbe. He is a photographer’s photographer.
Also missing from you list (and not mentioned by anyone above) are the fine group of photographers at Hedrick Blessing in Chicago.
http://www.hedrichblessing.com/
I give a great deal of credit in the formulation of my image making to a workshop I took from Nick Merrick, Hedrick Blessing’s top photographer. He helped me refine my visual shooting style and helped me move my work to a new level. His insight into my work and how to make it better, I will forever be grateful.
By steve, September 30, 2010 @ 11:39 am
Great post, I love the shots.
The attention to detail of the Benjamin Benschneider image is amazing, having the door slightly ajar to extend the vanishing point lines on the left pulls you right in. And the floating swimmer, very cool.
By anonymous, October 1, 2010 @ 4:16 pm
Digging this list of architectural shooters. But where’s Richard Barnes?
By Build LLC, October 2, 2010 @ 4:11 pm
@ Anonymous – we checked into Richard Barnes but his website doesn’t include his architectural shots, does he have another site out there that we missed? http://www.richardbarnes.net
By brandon sargent, October 8, 2010 @ 8:20 am
just about everyone uses barry halkin in philadelphia.
http://www.barryhalkin.com/barryhalkin/index.php
By Pete Sieger, January 19, 2011 @ 3:30 pm
Thank you, BUILD, for including me in this list of current architectural photographers. I’m truly honored to be included in such distinguished company.
By Cary, January 23, 2011 @ 10:13 pm
Hi guys,
Great post and I have another for your list. You need to know about Will Austin, an accomplished and frequently published local architecture photographer in Seattle who does outstanding modern architectural photography. You’ve probably seen a lot of his work even if you don’t realize it, in magazines like Seattle Metropolitan, Seattle magazine and many others. Also, if you use Windows 7, a number of his images are included in the OS as desktop backgrounds. He works with a lot of architects, builders, magazines and publishers. Check out his website and blog and I think you’ll find a treat for your eyes and senses:
http://willaustin.com/
By Build LLC, January 24, 2011 @ 8:37 am
@Cary -thanks for the recommendation on Will Austin – really sharp work!
By Architectural Photographer, June 20, 2011 @ 5:14 pm
Absolutely correct, I am 100% agreed with the article’s subject, thanks for sharing.
By Niki G, July 21, 2011 @ 9:26 am
Hello there! I have been searching for an architectural photographer that I came across last year, but am having no luck, so I decided I would start asking/posting to see if anyone else knows.
This is a male photographer who shoots modern/contemporary residences. His work is in color. Most of the homes are in South America and Europe. He is known for getting into precarious positions to capture his shots.
One of the most memorable residences was an imaginative cabin in the woods. The cabin was created out of curved pieces of wood and looked somewhat like an empty bag. Most of the other residences were sleek and clean with stunning views.
I am hoping someone out there has some suggestions as to who this may be! I realize that this might describe more then one photographer. Thank you in advance for any help!
By Rick Brazil, January 22, 2012 @ 10:36 am
Howdy- I just came across your blog and was very impressed with this post, a great list of photographers. I was wondering since it’s a couple of years old if you were planning on updating the list? If you don’t mind I would like to add a resource that might aid in that:http://www.wallaceresearch.net/photographers.html
And while I’m at it I would like to “toot-my-horn”! http://www.rickbrazil.com
Keep up the good work, I look forward to perusing more of your site.
By Build LLC, January 22, 2012 @ 2:11 pm
@Rick -that’s a fantastic idea, it’s time for the 2012 update. Thanks for the resources, we’ll do our homework.