Architectural photography is serious business and I will be the first to tell you that I am not an architectural photographer … unless the only requirement is that you take pictures of architecture. Taking construction progress photos is part of the process I go through on all of my projects, and since I’ve started writing posts on Life of an Architect where I publish pictures for 5,000 people (give or take) a day to look at, I have become even more aware and self-conscious of the photos I take. It doesn’t take long before you realize that a picture you stick on the internet is going to show up in a bunch of different places pretty quick … you just hope that it’s not on www. “sucky-architectural-photos” .com
.
I have a really nice camera and some pretty serious lenses that I get to use and play around with. I’ve been lucky, on a few occasions, to take a picture that looks like someone who knew what they were doing actually took it. However, none of the images in today’s post fit that description. In fact, all the pictures on today’s post were taken with my iPhone, which is rapidly becoming one of the more important tools in my Jack Spade messenger bag. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at these picture and discuss how I got them to look the way they do … maybe even why I took them.
.
This is the corner of the large modern infill project I have been working on for the last 2 years. Evey couple of months I take a picture of this same corner – the idea being that if I wanted to, I could eventually put together a montage of the entire evolution of this corner. I know, sounds boring to me too, it may never see the light of day.
.
This is a detail shot of the exterior corner of that stainless steel curtain screen. I am constantly amazed at how good a job my camera phone does and since I already have it on me at all times, I don’t have to carry around another piece of equipment to document what I see/ find on my field visits.
.
You might notice that a lot of these pictures are square – that’s because I have shared them on Instagram – an online photo sharing social media platform. It’s a way for me to let people (who are interested) know what I am doing and share some of the things I see when I am out on job sites. Instagram let’s me take my photos, edit, crop, rotate, tilt shift, etc. and then publish them to Twitter or the Life of an Architect Facebook page. It is a fun tool to play while sharing information with people at the same time.
.
Here is another look at the same corner stainless steel curtain screen from above as seen on my Instagram site. People who follow me can comment, ask questions, tweet it, share it – all sorts of things. They can even let me know that they like the picture … positive reinforcement is always nice.
.
Here is a screen capture of my Instagram page showing the last 15 photos I shared in a glimpse. If you have an Instagram acount, you are able to view this desktop interface by going to www.ink361.com. From here, you can look at your photos, follow other people sharing photos, comment, etc. from your desktop.
.
Camera+ is another iPhone application that I’ve just started using … and so far I really like it. For $0.99, I am able to edit my photos in a fairly significant manner – as well as share them directly from the application. One thing that is particularly useful are the preset filters that you can apply to the image. I don’t really want this to turn into a product review for this phone application so I’ll just say if you take photos on your iPhone, this is a great application to have and use.
.
This is a detail shot of the steel stair in the modern house. Eventually there will be a precast concrete tread that will sit down on top of the tray. I took this photo as part of the on-site documentation process, but I’d have to say that the picture turned out fairly evocative, certainly suitable for presentation of the concept on our website.
.
This is the same stairwell, (again). My intent at the time I took this photos was to simply document construction progress. With my iPhone and a few applications I am able to use the same picture on the website – allowing this picture to do more positive work. To get this image, I applied a “cyanotype” filter and blurred everything except the stair treads since that was what I want the focus on.
.
This is the landing at the top of those stairs – a gallery type of space on the top floor elevator lobby. I took this picture as a test to see how good my iPhone could handle what is basically an all white space … could I get any clarity and definition? Turned out great.
.
Now this photo … this is a super crappy photo I took when I went out to check on the progress of a job where there was some flashing being installed under a capstone. I showed up on site at a time of day where the sun was blasting me in the face when I was trying to document what was going on with the workers. (I wanted to record where they were working, protection materials being used, precautionary measures being taken, etc.) Pretty bad photo right? Yeah … but I turned it into this picture below-
Same photo, just zoomed in, cropped it, and discarded the color information. Still not sure it’s a great photo but at least it holds my interest beyond the factual data I was trying to capture and record. I even sent this picture of to the client when I left the site so that they knew I was there just like I promised.
.
.
I love this picture … other than cropping it I didn’t modify it one bit. This is actually a color photograph of the glass tiles being installed.
.
Sometimes I am just using my camera to record images I want to recall later. It might be texture, or color, form or massing – whatever. I’m not doing anything special other than using my phone camera to record what I am incapable to describing in words to full effect. I am also able to share this with a client later when trying to describe that yes … lavender and khaki twill green do (in fact) look good together.
.
This is an image I used when I was working out a design for my What to get an Architect for Christmas post … (you can go check out that post to see how it turned out). This is in my sketchbook and it was a simple matter to take my phone out and take a quick picture. I posted it to twitter and on my Life of an Architect Facebook page as a tease of the new post.
.
Another application that I use is Diptic – which allows you to create photo montages. I have included a few images to show you how I have used it.
.
This image is an overall picture of a decorative garden wall we designed and I included a close up picture on the bottom showing some detail. The time it took for me to assemble this montage was about 8 seconds.
.
Another example of a Diptic photo montage – this one showing the mind-blowing awesomeness of Medium Density Overlay – otherwise known as MDO. In one image, I am able to convey the product (on the left), a side view showing what the material looks like (bottom right-hand corner), and how it was used (as a ceiling material with recessed lighting)
.
It wasn’t that long ago that taking job site construction photos were simply photos that were a necessary part of the process. Once they were looked at, they were never looked at again. This is no longer the case – every picture has the potential for being a useful item with many possible uses. The camera on your phone is a powerful tool and with a slightest bit of efforts, you can get more with less – and look like you know what you’re doing in the process.
.
.
Let’s see …
400 square feet of glass mosaic tile, labor to install, elongated 1 piece toilet, large soaking bathtub, 20 hours plumber labor, 60 hours carpenter labor, tape, bed and texture … wait a minute, that’s my Christmas list!!
.
Ho Ho Ho!! Once again it’s that time of year to let that special architect you’ve been ignoring for the last 3 years know just how much you care … at least enough to buy them a present. If you are like most people, you know that shopping for an architect isn’t any fun because we are generally self-righteous about quality and routinely look down our noses at mass-produced items. My wife groans every time I keep her from getting an item we desperately need simply because I want to wait until we can buy something extremely particular and generally (always) above my pay grade.
Oh well, I say quality still counts for something and the nicer something is and the longer I have to wait to get it, the more unlikely it is that I will run out and “get the next cool version” of whatever it is that I have been saving and waiting to get for the last 17 3 years…
I came up with a list of what to get an architect last year – cleverly titled “What to get an Architect 2010 list” and since almost everything on that list is still good I momentarily thought about just changing the title and reposting it – but that’s not my style! So … let’s get to the all new, super fresh and current list of What to get an Architect 2011
(drumroll…………………….)
.
Architectural T-Shirts from Life of an Architect $20 – $30
Yes, it’s the Periodic Table of Design from everyone here are Life of an Architect World Headquarters. There are 17 unique designs in total and if I didn’t think you would like them, I wouldn’t have put them on the list. So far, these shirts have been shipped to Belgium, Poland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Malaysia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, France and right here in the United States. That is amazingly cool. I tell everyone I can (who buys one of these shirts) to send me a picture of them in it and I will place it with great honor on the Life of an Architect Facebook page. I’ve already received a few – one picture is from the Great Wall of China!
.
.
Sennelier Watercolor - Travel Box 8 Tubes $75
Architects like to watercolor and if they don’t, it’s because they can’t … and if they can’t, it’s because they don’t have a decent watercolor set. Even if they tell you they don’t want watercolors for Christmas they are lying and just need some encouragement to pursue the dream that they already have … that one day they will be able to sketch with 5 pen strokes, lay down some watercolor and people will stop and nod their head in approval.
pointing at 5 pen stroke and quick watercolor drawing and talking to small French child (but in English) “See that sketch right there … Magnificent!! They must be an architect! Here is €150 (handing money to architect) just because you are awesome”
.
.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter DVD $20
If you are looking for a gift for the Mid Century Modernist in your life this is it. ( I know for a fact that they will not have this… it just came out in select theaters and was only released yesterday (Dec 7th).
Narrated by James Franco, (I promise he won’t cut his arm off in this one) the film goes in depth into the world of the Eames studio and chronicles the amazing husband and wife creative career which defined mid century modern. I’d write more about how awesome I think this movie is going to be but then I’d just be wasting time trying to re-write the description on the films website. For 35% off your order go here.
.
Sennheiser CX 300B MK II Stereo Headphones $24
Using my own office as an example, everyone except those with offices have headphones that they routinely wear. Not only will your architect wear these headphones to the funky beat of their own mix, it will keep them from killing the people they are sitting next to because they don’t have to hear that person’s mix of funky beats. Buying these headphones will actually save someone’s life – or at the very least, save them from getting a computer mouse shaped laceration on the back of their head. Don’t worry about the fact that your architect probably already has a pair of headphones, they will get destroyed sooner rather than later. (Architects go through headphones like Interior Designers go through box wine.)
.
.
Magazine subscription(s) $14 to $180
One of my favorite gifts for many reasons….
As a giver…
- It’s an easy last minute gift that you can pick up at the check-out stand in the grocery store
- There are an infinite amount of subjects to choose from to suit the fancy of your recipient
- Big bang for your buck (especially if you don’t actually send in the subscription card, come on, you’ve done that before)
As a recipient “It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year ‘round”, but unlike the Jelly of the Month Club, magazines will add to your library of reference material that you will feel an overwhelming need to hoard for the rest of your life (and probably end up spending thousands of dollars on bookshelves or storage unit rental fees to house them).
Magazine suggestions for the designer/architect…
Dwell GOOD Interior Design Abitare Wallpaper Juxtapoz Make
.
.
Ray and Charles Eames - Hang it all $169
Some things stand the test of time and having them is akin to a secret handshake between members of a secret society. Anything by Ray and Charles Eames is cool and the Hang-It-All has been granting passage into secret hipster clubs since 1953.
“Hey Teddy, how’s it hanging?”
“Well, Fritz, it been (winking and air quote fingers) Hanging-It-All since 1953.”
“Nice. Welcome brother, cocktails are on the buffet located around the corner next to Tiffani.”
See what I mean?
.
.
Christmas Ale $9-$12
Beer is the universal language for “kick back, relax and have a good time” or “get belligerent and go on a rampage”. Since 1975 Anchor Brewing Co has been making their Christmas Ale…each year they slightly modify the recipe and change the tree on the label. This beer features a very festive and well designed label and an even better crafted taste. Hopefully giving this fine brew will result in a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
.
.
Kerry Woollen Mills – Blanket $83 (€62.55)
I know what you’re thinking – that has waaaaaay too much color in it for an architect but hear me out … I’m never wrong about these things. It’s mostly brown in tone with muted shades of color. It has no texture (other than “woolly” and has an indeterminable pattern. Plus, it’s 100% wool from 100% Irish sheep and made in Ireland where they know a thing or two everything about sheep and wool. Besides, I am speaking from first hand knowledge because this my 100″ x 90″ blanket that I bought in Ireland 8 years ago and I still love it as much today as the day I made my wife get this one instead of the one she wanted.
.
.
iPhone Camera Lenses $20-$25
So you’re looking for the perfect gift for your iPhone / photography addicted Architecty friend…well, look no further. Insert the Telephoto, Macro and Fisheye lens attachments. I use my iPhone camera more than I use my point and click or my DSLR so why not maximize the iPhones full potential with one (or all) of the lens attachments. I don’t know if these really work but they look awesome.
.
.
Book – Dieter Rams: Design as Little as Possible $170
If for no other reason, you should get this book for the following quote:
‘Indifference towards people and the reality in which they live is actually the one and only cardinal sin in design’ – Dieter Rams.
I do feel a little guilty about putting a book on here that costs $170 but this is more than a coffee table book and your architect will keep it forever. This is not the sort of book you ever find at the used book store … maybe an estate sale … and it won’t be marked down.
.
.
Book – Case Study Houses The Complete CSH Program 1945 – 1966 $140
At least this one is only $140 … but is possibly even more awesome. I actually have this book and look at it with great frequency. It’s a massive book full of pictures, drawings, stories … it’s everything that an architectural book should be (and its owner will brag about that fact to the people they don’t even know). This is an over-sized book, 440 pages and checking in at 4 lbs!! Worth every cent, all 14,000 of them.
.
.
Architects spend a lot of time at their desks on a daily basis… pumping cad, sketching or surfing the internet pretending to pump cad. Listening to music can help break up the monotony of L, spacebar, mouse click, 3’-4”, mouse click, ESC, ESC, TR, spacebar, spacebar, mouse click, Etc. Cranking up some good music can definitely help slip you into the creative zen state you need to be in while checking shop drawings.
Ok, you don’t have to spend $500 on handmade ceramic speakers but make sure that the speakers you are purchasing have an input for a computer or MP3 player/iPhone and that it has an earphone jack so you can plug in your headphones and drown out your coworkers.
.
.
The Mushroom Kit $19.95
I bet you think I am going to make a psychedelic drug joke here….well I’m not (cause I’m better than that).
There are a lot of architects out there that love to cook….and the ones that I know are obsessive about cooking. It’s an art form to some, like an extension of the architecture profession (If anyone can find a source for a black turtleneck apron I’d love to see it).
What a conversation piece this Home Startup Mushroom Kit would be at a dinner party…
“Hey Bob, smells good in here…Wa!? What the hell is that?” Bob’s dinner guest stops mid sentence as he notices a box with mold growing out of it on the counter.
“That’s my home mushroom growing kit…do you want to eat some shrooms and go on a magical psychedelic trip?” Bob whispers with raised eyebrows.
“Um. No.”
Bob’s dinner guest slowly puts his drink down and briskly walks out the front door. What a shame … Bob had made some delicious oyster mushroom risotto and now it’s gone to waste.
.
.
Taa-DAH!! That’s this year’s list and I have to say I’m pretty proud of it – a little something for everyone (who is an architect). Please stay tuned for a special message to start in 3 …2…1…
________________________________________________________________________________
.
This is Scott Taylor … some guy in the next cubicle a good friend of mine.
Scott will be joining me here at Life of an Architect from time to time to add some diversity, style, and flavor because I feel like things have become somewhat stagnant and fetid over the last few months. It has taken me a long time to find and cultivate the right person for this “Life of an Architect: Field Correspondent / Gator Wrassl’r” position. I have been working with him night and mostly days on his run-on sentences and social awkwardness and I think Scott is ready to finally start contributing to society. In fact, Scott prepared half of today’s post and for the most part, I think you would be hard pressed to know which items I selected and which items I told Scott to select.
.
In his own words, Scott’s description of Scott …
I endeavor to learn how to make anything and everything….from welding to woodcarving.
I have recently grown a winter beard, not necessarily in solidarity for “Movember” but in an attempt at the not-too-well-celebrated “Creeptober” “®”.
I secretly wish I was a hipster but I am too much of a wuss to get a tattoo or give up my Brooks Brothers slim fit non-iron dress shirts.
.
.
Please welcome Scott into the fold and make him feel as welcome as you have made me feel.
Well, not quite as welcome but a close second.
.
.
