Andrew Lee Architecure Wins AIA Award for Design

Recently, one of my favorite clients, Andrew Lee Architecture submitted my photos of his design to the AIA east bay for an Exceptional Residential: Bay Area Regional Design Award. His project was awarded the Citation Award. The design was for the kitchen remodel of a historic home originally built by the firm of Joseph Esherick and Peter Dodge. The elegant redesign maintains the original playful aesthetic and warm intentions of the home, while adding contemporary functionality. The story of the project and the photos I produced are featured on the AIA website and in Diablo Magazine.

5 Great Reasons to Hire a Professional Architectural Photographer

Images will increase sales of products and services. When a consumer looks through an architecture magazine or a home furnishing catalog, they see a picture of a home or a room which they like say: “I want that.” When a potential customer sees a high quality image of your work, it is likely to produce the same result. Photographs are the most important marketing tool you have; it is worth the investment.

First impressions are the most important. For many potential customers the first impression of a designer’s work is going to be from photographs on your website or in your office. A professionally produced photo is going to show that design in its best light, from its best angle and really convey the beauty and elegance of all your hard work. Websites with better photos generate more leads.

Good photography supports your brand with images that reflect your firm’s style and methods. A good photographer will work with you not just to make your designs look amazing, but also to convey the mood of the space, the quality of the materials, the utility of the design and the unique details that make it special. Good photography makes your brand and your designs stand out amid the competition.

Photos trigger emotions. A professional architecture photographer will make your designs look spectacular and capture the attention of viewers. He has the expertise to translate the space you have built into a photo that will express the sense of comfort, safety, classiness and utility. With an artist’s eye for composition, the skill to sculpt the space with lighting and the technical ability to accurately reproduce colors, values and shapes, a talented photographer will create an image that leads a willing and eager viewer into the space.

Photographs are one of the most useful tools your business can invest in. They can be used on the website, allowing nearly anyone in the world to experience your talent, vision and professionalism. Photos can be used in other marketing collateral; fliers, books, framed prints in the office, postcards, booths at trade shows and countless other forms of printed media. Photos are necessary for you to submit your designs to competitions. The images can be used for trade or consumer advertising. And they can be added to the archive of projects, maintaining a legacy of all your hard work, often outlasting the buildings themselves.

Using Lighting to Make a Dimly Lit Kitchen Look Spacious and Bright

This newly remodeled Piedmont kitchen is spacious, it has a functional floor plan that is easy to work in, the colors and accents make it fun. But the lighting didn't do it justice in photography. The less often used end near the back door was brightly lit by a single broad window while the main working area near the stove and countertops was dim by comparison. LED spotlights are effective for working, but appear yellow and saturated in the photos. The window is much too bright in comparison and the daylight is blue; producing a rainbow of different colors on what should be white walls. I solved these problems of "natural lighting" by using photo strobes. The intention is to utilize some natural light from the back window, while filling the interior space with bright, even, white light, which appears to be natural light coming from a daylight source off-camera to the right.