Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of Sweden ruled against Wikimedia Sverige in a landmark case over “Freedom of Panorama,” a ruling which The Wikimedia Foundation has “respectfully disagreed with” in a blog post. The Swedish Supreme Court’s ruling, in short, states that Wikimedia Sverige is not entitled to host photographs of copyrighted works of art on its website Offentligkonst.se, which provides maps, descriptions and images of artworks placed in public spaces in Sweden.
The concept of freedom of panorama describes a provision in copyright law which extends the right to take and to disseminate photographs of copyrighted works provided those photographs were taken in public spaces. Most people who own a camera (in other words, most people) have probably given very little thought to their freedom of panorama, or any restrictions that may have been placed upon it. But the reality of this little-known copyright-related oddity is something that many people, and architects especially, should find very concerning indeed.
Studio Esinam, in collaboration with London-based photographer Rory Gardiner, has released Utopia, a photo series that captures and pays tribute to London’s Brutalist architecture. The series aims to “highlight the subtle beauties hidden beneath the hard surface of some of London’s brutalist buildings.”
Photographed during the early spring of 2016, the project captures some of the city’s best examples of Brutalism: the Barbican Estate, Royal National Theatre, Hayward Gallery, Trellick Tower, and the Robin Hood Gardens.
This course is a thorough introduction to architectural photography through theory and practice, by professional architectural photographers. It will give you the essential conceptual and technical tools that will enable you to develop your practice, whether for a hobby or for business.
Photographs increasingly influence the way in which buildings are perceived around the world. It is said that today the photograph of a building –as opposed to the building itself- is its most widely consumed image. As architects understand the power of architectural photography, they become more and more interested in working closely with photographers. Simultaneously, an ever-growing number of photographers chooses architecture as an area within which to develop a personal artistic language as well as a business.
In this three-day in-depth workshop, internationally acclaimed architectural photographer Jeffrey Jacobs will share extensive details of how he lights and captures the architectural images that have garnered recognition worldwide. This workshop will be a mix of hands-on and classroom instruction. Learn the gear. Learn the software. Then join the Jacobs crew to participate in a full-on production shoot after the sun sets.
While drawing or even writing about architecture can be a great way to be expressive in the field, today architectural photography is by far the most direct and widely-used methods for communicating the true form of the built environment. Capturing the perfect architectural photograph, however, can be far more difficult than one might anticipate. In light of this, we have compiled a list of ten architectural photography tutorials to help you get the right shot every time.
Read on to see how to take architectural photos at twilight, for Instagram, using long exposure, and more.
In his project Abbey Time Shiftarchitectural photographer Andy Marshall sought to capture the elusive nature of time by documenting the subtle shifts of light across the hand-laid masonry of Hexham Abbey in Hexham, Northumberland, in the northeast of England. Using the camera's ability to isolate changes in light that might be imperceptible to the human eye, Marshall set up "the gentlest of traps" to create videos and still-image collages of particular views and vantages of the Abbey as the sun emphasized the relics and architectural details within. Spending several days in the Abbey in 2013, Marshall watched light gather and fade in real time, but he has repackaged his own experience into a short video and collages for all to enjoy. In a project that counterpoints the speed and precision that characterizes most of our lives, Abbey Time Shift asks us to to slow down and admire the delicacy and beauty of the nearly indiscernible.
From architecture to music, directing and production, Portuguese photographer Ricardo Oliveira Alves worked in several different creative industries before combining his two biggest passions and starting his own architectural photography studio, Ricardo Oliveira Alves Architectural Photography, in 2010.
Alves captures emblematic national architecture projects in addition to work by prominent architects worldwide, “fusing the vision of the architect” with that of the photographer. He is also known for his “Archilapse” videos, which feature timelapse montages of architectural works.
Read an interview with Alves and view a selection of his images after the break.
Peter Marlow’s photographs depicting all 42 of the cathedrals of the Church of England are to be exhibited inside The Chapel of Christ the Servant at Coventry Cathedral. This is the first time that the work has been displayed in one of the spaces featured in the series, and the first time the project has been exhibited outside of London. The display is a continuation of Coventry Cathedral’s tradition of, and commitment to, exhibiting work by contemporary British artists.
'Infinite Space' / James Silverman. Image Courtesy of Gestalten
In this extract from the introductory essay to Infinite Space, a new compilation of dream houses photographed by James Silverman over the course of his travels, Alan Rapp discusses the photographer's approach to architectural image-making in the 'age of the globalized residence'.
Whether of a remote mountain cabin in Norway, a sensuous desert oasis in Morocco, or a monolithic concrete home in Switzerland, Silverman’s photographs capture the seemingly uninterrupted flow between interior and exterior space. The architecture documented in this book is often defined by elements that absorb, reflect, or deliberately break with their surroundings. Together they show how 'infinite space has become a key precept of contemporary architecture across the world.
Since time immemorial, and more recently, humans have wondered what the world looks like from above. This fascination has historically manifested in the plan drawing and aerial photography. In this vein, and using a motorized paraglider, National Geographic photographer George Steinmetz has captured a stunning bird’s-eye view of the ancient city of Ghadames, in Libya.
For the past quarter century, China’s rapidly expanding economy provided architects with an almost endless supply of building opportunities. Easy lending allowed for an exponential rise in infrastructure projects – China used more concrete in three years than the United States used in the entire twentieth century. But in a country where the number of cities with over a million inhabitants jumped from 16 in 1970 to 106 in 2015, the speed of development enabled high profile, but flawed, experiments alongside the many necessary building projects. There is perhaps no better example of this phenomenon than the city of Ordos. The Inner Mongolian metropolis – home to 100,000 – which sprang from the northern desert in the mid-2000s was designed for over a million inhabitants. The reality of the city came to public attention in 2009 when Al Jazeera wrote about an early uncertainty in the Chinese real estate market.
After living in China for a number of years, photographer Raphael Olivier finally gave in to the nagging urge to see Ordos for himself. Visiting last year, he found a well-maintained city that is still largely uninhabited. I interviewed Olivier about the project, his views on Ordos, Chinese prosperity, and what it means to photograph architecture.
Symmetry has always been a source of obsession in architecture. In Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and later during the Renaissance, symmetry was used as a way to find true beauty, while in the early Modern movement its eradication was an essential part of breaking with history.
Without a doubt there is something beautiful in symmetry, and popular Instagram accounts like @symmetricalmonsters collect photos that best capture symmetry in the architecture of everyday life.
The stunning images in this collection by Argentinian photographer Guillermo Srodek-Hart tell captivating stories of the country’s rural commercial establishments. Located in the rural areas outside of bustling Buenos Aires, the commercial establishments—butcheries, bakeries, bars, repair shops, garages, dry cleaners—depicted in this collection by photographer Guillermo Srodek-Hart appear steeped in history, and are packed with details dripping with color. Throughout the collection hangs an air of abandonment, of time passing, or perhaps stopping. Whether or not that is true, Srodek-Hart has memorialized a culture worlds apart from the city that lies a short distance away. TThe exhibit at Architekturgalerie Munich, supported by Prestel Verlag and Kuckei + Kuckei Galerie Berlin, shows a selction of his works recently published in his book “Stories”, Prestel Verlag, with a foreword by Anne Tucker.
Learn how to create your own eye-catching photographs of the city’s built environment in this hands-on workshop with architectural photographer Matthew Carbone. An introductory discussion about techniques, relevant mobile phone apps and considerations of lighting and composition particular to on-site architectural photography will be followed by an outdoor shooting session in the iconic South Street Seaport neighborhood. Class size limited to allow for individual feedback and instruction.
Open to all levels of experience. Digital SLR cameras or current iPhones / Android phones with high-quality cameras recommended.
This fall, the Julius Shulman Institute at Woodbury University presents Matter, Light, and Form: Architectural Photographs of Wayne Thom, 1968-2003 at the Woodbury University Hollywood Gallery (WUHO).
Wayne Thom, an architectural photographer who built a practice under the tutelage of A. Quincy Jones, was a success from the start, quickly establishing a position as one of the leading figures in the ‘visual communication’ of architectural projects and ideas, working for developers and architects throughout the North American west and Asia, and often photographing a project from its first promotional models to finished buildings.
To most people, tarmac markings are hieroglyphics writ large: an obscure language that greets us as we glide down toward the earth. It is a code both intimately familiar and radically alien. On the Tarmac reconceives this code. Designer Dennis Pieprz Assoc. AIA and his photos, by freeing the tarmac from utility, allow new meanings to emerge, exploring poetry of line work and the ballet of human activity. This collection is about slowing pace and paying attention, but most important about seeking sublime moments in the everyday. The exhibition, presented by BSA Space in partnership with Sasaki Associates, features more
Don't miss the opening reception for White on White. This special event is the first opportunity to explore the exhibition while enjoying complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
This exhibition, by photographer Steve Rosenthaland in partnership with Historic New England, showcases rural New England churches of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. From the early meetinghouses through the changing patterns of Greek and Gothic revivals, Rosenthal's black and white images capture what remains of the architectural gems around the region.
To most people, tarmac markings are hieroglyphics writ large: an obscure language that greets us as we glide down toward the earth. It is a code both intimately familiar and radically alien.
On the Tarmac reconceives this code. By freeing the tarmac from utility, designer Dennis Pieprz Assoc. AIA and his photos allow new meanings to emerge, exploring poetry of line work and the ballet of human activity. This collection is about slowing pace and paying attention, but most important about seeking sublime moments in the everyday.
