As an architectural photographer I have the opportunity to photograph some really amazing spaces. Typically I am hired by the architect, or the builder, to produce images for portfolios and websites, or for publication in magazines and books. Because those images are all about the architecture, they typically don't focus on the ways in which the occupants of that space have made it their own. The small details that turn the designed shell into a home.
When I walk into a room that I've been hired to photograph, I immediately take note of the space as a whole. I think in terms of my wide-angle lens, determining where to stand the tripod in order to capture the maximum amount of space in a single frame. I look for the existing lines that will make for interesting compositions, the way a chair or couch needs to move in order to reveal a completed edge beyond. Clutter is removed, lamps are swapped out, vases and bowls and sometimes even furniture are brought in and specifically placed. As I look through the lens, an assistant moves a bowl of apples 1-inch to the left, removes and replaces a pillow on the couch, turns a lamp on and then off. The images are styled, and in that process the lives of those who live there is largely removed. While I enjoy that kind of architectural photography very much, I've wanted to challenge myself to capture living space rather than just space itself. To see beyond the big picture to the finer details of the lives lived within it.
This is a personal project and one I am excited to share with all of you. The first subject of this series titled living space is the home of two Charlottesville designers, an architect and a landscape architect. You're already familiar with Fred's work at Wolf Ackerman (which I've featured here and here and here) and you can see some of Mary's here.
If you have or know of a living space that would photograph well for this series, please contact me here.
This beautiful home is currently on the market. See the listing here!
