Lawrence Halprin is one of the Bay Area's most influential Landscape Architects. His contributions to modernism are significant and his designs can be seen in outdoor spaces across the United States. So, it was a honor when I got a call from The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), asking me to photograph some of Halprin's garden designs. TCLF is organizing a traveling photographic exhibition about his legacy that will open in November at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. in honor of what would be Halprin's 100th birthday. Several of my photographs will be included in this exhibition.

I photographed two gardens, one in Berkeley and one in Marin County. Both gardens were built around swimming pools at private homes. I was given creative freedom on how to produce the images and I wanted to do something different than a typical architectural shoot. In order to illustrate the form and function of the pools, I asked friends to model in the landscapes. This was a great opportunity to try some creative ideas with architectural photography, showing how people interact with the design. The owner of the Marin home, who knew Halprin personally, loved the resulting images and said Lawrence would have approved.

There are upcoming tours in San Francisco and several other cities across the U.S. See if there is one in your area: http://tclf.org/category/event-type/halprin-tours

Learn more about Lawrence Halprin on TCLF website: http://tclf.org/pioneer/lawrence-halprin