The finest modern architectural photographers have served to inspire and impact countless viewers while exhibiting the particular skill of architects. These artists have themselves been shaped by the original pioneers of high-end architectural photography and have helped to bring the genre into the 21st century. Each of our nine favourites (including one duo) has been selected due to their originality, interesting backgrounds and indelible mark on the industry.
Most sought out Architectural Photographers
Our list of the best current architecture photographers became famous through a range of different routes, some conventional, but mostly otherwise. The original career avenues pursued by these professionals include; architect, designer, marketer and artist. Read on to find out who they are and how they achieve such awe-inspiring shots…
Iwan Baan
The first person to receive the Julius Schulman Award for photography, Iwan Baan has since been sought out as a photographer by many famous architects. While having formally trained at The Hague’s Royal Academy of Art, Baan began with no architecture background. In fact, the Dutch photographer showed little interest in static structures at first. But by shooting architectural subjects as if through the eyes of an individual, he was able to bring a unique and exciting quality to this new avenue of his work.
Baan’s aim lies in capturing the intangible elements that surround the structure — namely why people are there and what the area is used for. He seeks to demonstrate that there is so much more to a building than simply the building itself.
An intriguing element to Baan’s professional life is the frequency with which he’s on the road as compared to the evolution of his shooting mode. He’s constantly travelling and requested by architects worldwide but yet hasn’t changed his style. In an interview with Dezeen, the famous building photographer said: “I think I shoot the same way I did 12 years ago”.
Iwan Baan’s imaginative high-end architectural photography is seriously in demand — and there’s no doubt why. Take as an example his most famous shoot; this took place during a power cut in New York, when Iwan decided to fly up in a helicopter, capturing the blackout across the cityscape. Baan’s determination to get the perfect shot, his spontaneity and quick thinking in coming up with a fresh perspective, is remarkable. Indeed, this is what so frequently sets him apart.
Andrés Gallardo
A self-taught photographer, Andres Gallardo fell in love with the art form after purchasing his very first camera. After training and a career in advertising and PR, Andreas began pursuing the profession in 2012 and over the intervening years, has evolved to be a well-known name in modern architectural photography.
Like Baan, Gallardo works with many famous architects, whose work shines through the prism of his lens. The Estonian based photographer has a very particular approach, ensuring the structure is taken from as many points as possible — including prior to being developed into the existing functional building. This not only creates a story of progression for the viewer, but it also allows the architect’s skills to come to the fore, showcasing the ways in which they created such a photogenic building. The respect Andres garnered from his work has resulted in solo exhibitions across from Madrid to Seoul and Nigni Tagil, in Russia.
Roland Halbe
Having formally studied the art form at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Cagliari, Italy, Roland Halbe became a successful freelance photographer back in the 1980s. Somewhat of a veteran in the industry, he is nevertheless still currently active and hugely relevant as a modern building photographer. Halbe works with numerous big architectural firms and has featured in many major industry magazines.
Producing work unlike any others, his photographs are taken far away from the architectural structure, finding the perfect angle to present – not only how the building fits within the entire scene – but how it stands out from everything else. The German-born photographer links the colours of the sky to set the mood of the picture as if this is the voice of the architectural structure. Fusing intelligence and creativity, he produces an image that even rivals anything the human eye could interpret.
Mike Kelley
Los Angles based photographer, Mike Kelley, is renowned for his take on striking modern architectural structures, wide-spaced rooms and large buildings. Creating a viewpoint that embodies the full potential of the building, his photos provide details the naked eye could never see, providing all the floors within a single frame.
Much like the iconic mid-century US photographer, Julius Shulman, Kelley utilises people (and dogs) within his images to provide the full extent of the structure, proving it to be larger than life. He’s also known for twilight shots that illuminate and bring life to a building in a very natural way. Kelley once commented that he uses the weather to almost exaggerate the mood of the photo, saying: “If it’s raining, we’ll add to that”.
Online tutorials are a speciality of Kelley’s, something that has contributed to his success in the profession. Not one to hide his talent and methods, he teaches aspiring photographers his winning techniques. Kelley is the founder of the Architectural Photography Almanac (Apalmanac) and plays a major role on Fstoppers too[1] , a website that was designed as a community for photographers, providing access to tutorials, information and details on how to enter contests. He’s also produced two books, one of which is dedicated to photos taken from a helicopter.
Bas Princen
Princen began his career an architect, turning to photography after realising its potential and impact. Having learned it could be used as an artistic way to reach out to others, Princen came to the conclusion that a photo could have more meaning than even the architecture itself. On this basis, he decided to photograph more and more, feeling he was making a larger contribution to society from this perspective, as opposed to from within the architectural profession.
Photography, according to Princen’s philosophy, can be adapted to an individual spin, thus creating a sense of the structure that you couldn’t visualise by simply looking at it. He is known for photographing urban landscapes, developing an ambiguous sense of the scene and a perception that wouldn’t be visible if the structure was present in front of you. He once said:
“I go out to find photographs in which the artificial and the natural take each other’s forms”.
Princen switches worlds between man-made and natural surroundings, thereby interrogating the ways in which they blend into one another.
Huffton and Crow
As duo photographers ourselves, we really relate to the works of Hufton and Crow; how they shoot architectural photography around the world, both contemporary exteriors and interiors. The pair put in a great deal of thought when shooting, having moved to digital photography as soon as it first came about. The digital medium brought work abroad, making it is easier to reach others and their projects caught the attention of Zaha Hadid’s firm, which lead to a great opportunity for the photographers.
Hufton and Crow’s work within the field of architecture composes scenes of human activity, the structure becoming a backdrop to behaviour. This explains the style they create – almost cinematic and frozen in time. The duo is certainly not shy to experiment with something new. They’ve become known for using drone photography and believe it’ll play a larger role in their work of the future.
Shooting as a pair, they both appreciate the huge benefits that come with a photography partnership; sharing knowledge and ideas, learning to push each other and gaining the best from one another. This is certainly something we’ve found to be true from our own experience of working with two perspectives side by side.
This fascinating article from Apalmanac, details how Hufton and Crow shot the world’s largest airport in Bejing.
Michael J Lee
As duo photographers ourselves, we really relate to the works of Hufton and Crow; how they shoot architectural photography around the world, both contemporary exteriors and interiors. The pair put in a great deal of thought when shooting, having moved to digital photography as soon as it first came about. The digital medium brought work abroad, making it is easier to reach others and their projects caught the attention of Zaha Hadid’s firm, which lead to a great opportunity for the photographers.
Hufton and Crow’s work within the field of architecture composes scenes of human activity, the structure becoming a backdrop to behaviour. This explains the style they create – almost cinematic and frozen in time. The duo is certainly not shy to experiment with something new. They’ve become known for using drone photography and believe it’ll play a larger role in their work of the future.
Shooting as a pair, they both appreciate the huge benefits that come with a photography partnership; sharing knowledge and ideas, learning to push each other and gaining the best from one another. This is certainly something we’ve found to be true from our own experience of working with two perspectives side by side.
This fascinating article from Apalmanac, details how Hufton and Crow shot the world’s largest airport in Bejing.
Unique Architectural Photographers
Jeanette Hägglund
2021 Deezen award-winner, Jeanette Hägglund has a nack of seeing new angles and possibilities. This has won her contracts with brands including Apple, Handelsbanken and Henning Larsen Architects, shooting buildings, towers and other architecture for both commercial and artistic purposes.
Hägglund originally studied philosophy, aesthetics, art, media, film and photography at universities both in native in Sweden and abroad, the artist is especially interested in communication, gender and architecture. With frequent solo exhibitions, her minimalist work is widely applauded, not least by her 142k Instagram followers.
Based in Stockholm, Hägglund’s bold, surreal, colourful and geometric interpretations of the urban landscapes she shoots, play with perspective. This creates an almost otherworldly, abstract effect that often entrances the viewer.
Teklan Evelina Severin
Tekla Evelina Severin has a markedly bright and artistic approach to her use of colour. Her combinations contrast hues such as pink and red to achieve a striking appearance, as Severin believes that the bold colours of her work truly clarify the surroundings. The effect is almost cartoon-like when paired with minimalism, as primary colours are contrasted, making the image seem unreal. Her effective and very unique spin on this art form can be described as abstract architectural photography. But, it’s also extremely commercial in the 21st century; Severin’s work for the megabrand Ikea is especially recognisable.
However, it wasn’t always this way for Severin, whose original imagery was quite different. It was while finding it hard to please clients, with the work slow and limiting, that she was provoked to implement her own innovative approach. This course change encouraged her unique view on the world, enabling her to flourish into the extravagant, out of the ordinary photographer she is today.
Through this varied list of practitioners, we see such a variety of methodologies, all of which can be adapted. We hope that learning about the most interesting modern architectural photographers has provided some inspiration for you, whether you’re an aspiring photographer, an interior designer, an architect, or an artist.
Overall, through the mention of all these photographers, there is such a variety of styles and techniques that can be adapted. We hope their work has provided some inspiration for aspiring photographers and likeminded individuals.