architectural photography FAQ for students

I get many requests from students for information and possible coaching or work experience. Unfortunately I receive too many of these requests to answer them all directly. Many requests are simply for information so in an attempt to save time I am compiling an FAQ for students, based on some of the requests I have had.

If you are interested in work experience or assistant work, please check out the assistant page as well

architectural photography FAQ

what am I trying to do with my photography?

This question relates more to my art work than my commercial work. As my "about" states, I consider myself an architectural artist. What that means is that I use media as a means of making investigations of the philosophy and rhetoric of architectural representation. As an artist my interests go beyond architecture, but tend to gravitate around it or relate to it in some ways. Ultimately I am interested in people and how space is inhabited, architecture is part of the picture but a means to an end, not the end in itself. This is why some of my personal work could be considered a form of street photography, or portraiture, but its milieu and idea-world is one informed by and related to concepts of architecture and urbanisation.

is architectural photography a growing field?

There is much greater awareness among architects and other possible clients of photography of the role photography and the media play in promoting their work. There is also far greater public perception of the role played by architecture in their lives, because of the expanding presentation of the subject in the media. Another aspect of this is the way in which the art world has been increasingly interested in architectural representation since the 1990's. Artists such as Andreas Gursky have given a lot of attention to architecture, and many others have engaged with architectural themes.

However, architectural photography in the strict commercial sense is linked to the cyclical nature of the property business. We are currently at the end of one of the biggest booms in public and private building that has ever been seen. This has had many spin-offs, one of which is the creation of new magazines for home building and interior design. At the same time as there has been an expansion in the uses of architectural photography there has also been pressure to keep rates down, plus increasing competition in the field.

what does an architectural photographer earn?

This is hard to say. Those at the top of the profession may be able to charge £2000 per day. However at the lower end, bread and butter work such as estate agency and property photography may be as little as assistant rates of £80 per day. This can be contrasted with advertising photography or fashion where photographers may earn £3000-6000 thousand pounds a day.

what does an architectural photographers assistant do?

I recommend the book "The photographers assistant handbook" by Matt Proulx which covers the overall question of how to be an assistant. In architectural photography its essential that the assistant can drive, and move heavy loads around a site, as well as being knowledgeable about photography and lighting.

how do I get into architectural photography

Start doing it. Buy a view camera and the book by Steve Simmons called "Using the View Camera" and practice, practice, practice. Unless you are very lucky and have a trust fund or rich auntie you will need quite a bit of money to acquire the equipment and skills that you need. This initial outlay is becoming more expensive with the advent of digital photography. Many clients now require digital files, as well as 5x4 film. As a result, it is now necessary to have at least a view camera and a decent digital SLR camera kit. As with all photography a great deal of persistence is required. Most of the work is freelance, so you need to develop the skills to work on your own which includes many business skills as well as creative or technical ones.

You can learn a great deal by assisting other photographers, but don't discount the value of books, particularly Michael Harris's excellent books on Architectural and Interior Photography.

"Professional Architectural Photography" by Michael Harris is published by Focal Press. ISBN 0 240 51532 3