Kirk Gittings (Website) and friends commenting on the contemporary practice of architectural photography
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Changing Aesthetics in AP
See this article: Photographic Greenwashing. It closely follows some of my thinking lately in trying to understand what my clients, particularly magazines, are having a difficult time articulating.
The website "Unhappy Hipsters" takes "Dwell"and Dwell-like photos and turns them into smart-alec commentaries on both the "Dwell" style and the general style of design the magazine promotes. Personally, I think the photos selected for this purpose are the less successful ones for the purpose they were originally intended for, and thus are excellent fodder for this kind of treatment.
In any case, I am not quite certain where you or the author of the article you cite want to go with this changing aesthetic you are talking about. Perhaps some photos would be more useful than any number of words.
Are you suggesting a looser style? I have been thinking that the high quality and high ISO capability of modern dslrs might be used to expand the style of architectural photography, perhaps even leading to more (gasp) hand-held shooting to capture more spontaneous situations that involve movement, i.e. not just the " Dwell" style of a fairly formal architectural composition with perhaps a motion-blurred figure included. This might go so far as to merge into the genre of editorial photography, where more types of photographic distortions might be acceptable, or might still retain some of the formal elements of architectural photography while letting others go a bit. What about some kind of architectural street photography? A nighttime streetscape with a hand-held shift lens at ISO 3200 anyone?
University of Nevada Reno, School of Medicine by Dekker Perich Sabatini Architetcs, Reno, NV.
My Recent Projects
Robertson's Violin Shop-recent additions. Designed by Mark DePree of Westwork Architects, Albuquerque.
My Recent Projects
Cover of the new Antoine Predock monograph by Rizzoli.
My Recent Projects
Nick Noyes Architect, San Francisco, a Taos NM rammed earth residence.
My Recent Projects
University of New Mexico Hospital Cancer Center, RMKM Architects
My Recent Projects
Dekker Perich Sabatini, Las Vegas NV, UNLV Science and Engineering Bldg.
My Recent Projects
Antoine Predock and Jon Anderson Architects, The Aperture Center, Mesa del Sol, NM
My Recent projects
Renzo Piano, The "Modern Wing" at the Art Institute of Chicago, client-The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
About this blog and Moderator
I care deeply about the southwest landscape and the architecture that inhabits it. It has been my photographic passion and vocation for over 30 years.
In this blog I want to concentrate on the practice of modern architectural photography in its broadest sense, both as a commercial enterprise and as an artistic genre. This is an area poorly served on the web in general and the area in which I can contribute the most.
Because of my long years of both shooting architecture for leading design professionals and magazines or teaching architectural photography as well at universities and workshops, I have been inundated the last few years with emails and calls about technique, equipment, aesthetics and career possibilities. By moving this discussion to a blog where I can publicly respond and archive my thoughts, perhaps I can make a lasting contribution to a the genre that has been so good to me.
Constructive comments or questions on the blog or by email are welcome. If you email me, while respecting your anonymity, I may paraphrase your comment or question and utilize it in a post here for the benefit of all.
The Photography of Architecture and Design by Julius Shulman, a classic from the film days.
Richard Nickel's Chicago: Photographs of a Lost City, Nickel was one of the greats, a tireless advocate and documenter of historic architecture.
Building Images: Seventy Years of Photography at Hedrich Blessing by Tony Hiss. A venerable institution, The HB photographers in every decade define the best of the genre.
Gabriele Basilco by Francesco Bonami, Phaidon Press. Basilico is a master of urban documentaion.
Architecture Transformed by Cervin Robinson, a good history of the genre.
Photographing Buildings Inside and Out by Norman McGrath, an insightful text by one of the film masters.
Shelter from the Storm: The Photographs of Kirk Gittings by Gussie Fauntleroy, a retropective of my work published by New Mexico Magazine.
The website "Unhappy Hipsters" takes "Dwell"and Dwell-like photos and turns them into smart-alec commentaries on both the "Dwell" style and the general style of design the magazine promotes. Personally, I think the photos selected for this purpose are the less successful ones for the purpose they were originally intended for, and thus are excellent fodder for this kind of treatment.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I am not quite certain where you or the author of the article you cite want to go with this changing aesthetic you are talking about. Perhaps some photos would be more useful than any number of words.
Are you suggesting a looser style? I have been thinking that the high quality and high ISO capability of modern dslrs might be used to expand the style of architectural photography, perhaps even leading to more (gasp) hand-held shooting to capture more spontaneous situations that involve movement, i.e. not just the " Dwell" style of a fairly formal architectural composition with perhaps a motion-blurred figure included. This might go so far as to merge into the genre of editorial photography, where more types of photographic distortions might be acceptable, or might still retain some of the formal elements of architectural photography while letting others go a bit. What about some kind of architectural street photography? A nighttime streetscape with a hand-held shift lens at ISO 3200 anyone?
grt
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