The History of Architectural Photography

Architectural photography has an intriguing history, ever-evolving alongside technology. The roots of architectural photography stem from the humble pencil and paper. The first architects used drawings and sketches to share their designs, as a way of communicating their ideas to their clients. As photography evolved in the 20th century and became increasingly popular, so did the field of architectural photography. Architectural photography was often used to document buildings and cities as they evolved through time. Artists would employ creative techniques to bring a simple building to life by capturing them amongst an immersive environment.

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Portrait Architectural Photography

Architectural portraiture was one of the earliest styles of photography. This style of photography is used as a way to provide documentary about what a proposed building would look like for future clients. It captures the entire building and is focused on being accurate and informative photography rather than creative.

The ancient Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to record their architectural designs using this style. The drawings were primarily done on papyrus using a reed pen and ink. These architectural plans provided construction instructions for massive structures like pyramids and temples, and they were then used by builders to create the structures. The drawings included everything from floor plans to elevations and even the materials used in construction. The Egyptian civilization was so advanced that they even built their own libraries to store architectural drawings and documents.

This style of architectural imagery has evolved with technology throughout history- from pen and paper to photons and pixels. These days, it is popular style among real estate photographers. In real estate, it’s important that the photography gallery will accurately depict the property to ensure the buyers can understand the features of the property.

Functional Architectural Photography

Functional Architectural Photography focuses on capturing the function of buildings rather than their form. It was developed in the early 20th century and focuses on people using the building rather than the aesthetics of it.

Berenice Abbott was one of the earlier photographers to capture functional architectural photos of New York. Her photos have widely become famous for documenting New York’s past. She was inspired by this project after a trip away when she returned to New York in 1929 to find the city was fast evolving. So, she devoted herself to capturing it. Many of her photographic works have since become famous as they have become a time capsule of New York’s past.

David Moore was an Australian architectural photographer, with a key focus on capturing the construction of Australia’s most iconic Architectural works- the Sydney Opera house. Moore had a pivotal influence on architectural photography that we know today- often using light and shadow to create art out of the structure of the Opera House. He would cleverly, yet candidly capture the construction workers against the immersive backdrop of the Opera House. He had a unique eye for capturing abstract architectural art and was a key influence in modern abstract architecture photography. He was also one of the first photographers of the time to use long exposure techniques to deliberately blur his subjects- a popular photography style of today, but quite controversial back then.

This technique first occurred during a commission for The Observer magazine to photograph the Derby at Epsom, where Moore decided to react against the typical sports photograph of capturing the moment of peak action and used a very slow shutter speed, an eighth of a second, to produce an impressionistic work. This technique became revolutionary in Urban and Architectural photography, enabling a photo to really come to life.

Functional architectural photography is still one of the most popular forms and is also used in both street and urban photography. I personally love to use it when capturing ancient architecture during my travels in Italy. Having a subject- whether it be a person on a bike or a suited man- really helps bring a photo to life.

Experimental Architectural Photography

Experimental architectural photography is focused on aesthetics rather than function or accuracy. This style of photography became popular in the early 20th century as artists became to use photography in a more abstract and creative manner.

In the early 20th century, the rise of Surrealism and Cubism paintings paved the way for abstract photography. Due to the emergence of artists such as Pablo Picasso, abstract photography became widely recognised as an art form.

One of the Pioneers of experimental photography was Paul Strand– a New York photographer born in 1890. He was one of the first people to use abstract photography techniques to create art out of every day scenes. Paul was able to see something in a scene that nobody else could- using light, shadow and leading lines to carefully craft a masterpiece that was truly unique for its time.

Experimental photography is one more the most popular styles of Architecture photography today. With the rise in contemporary architecture that employ more creative designs than ever, capturing the sleek form and style of these buildings are essential. To find a two dimensional composition out of a three dimensional building is a unique skill that few architectural photographers have.

How Architectural Photography has Evolved Over Time

Architectural photography has come a long way since its humble beginnings. In the past, architectural photography was used as a way to document important moments in a building’s construction and history.

Today, it is an important tool for architects, engineers, and even interior designers. In the age of the internet where we are bombarded with photos every day- professional photography serves as an important tool for architects to capture and promote their work to the wider community.