New York City Architectural Photography

New York City Architecture and Architectural Photography in New York City by Duygu Tüntaş

Photography is a highly used communication method in architecture that gives us remote access to the natural and constructed environments and the ideas that enable creating them. Photography’s coincidence with architecture needs no discussion as architecture is ‘ideally stable’1 and is becoming a frequent photography subject. However, there is still a gap that waits to be filled with exploratory ways in relating these two.

Architectural photography as a critical practice can mediate creating new ideas on space, time, and architecture. It becomes a means to study forms, materials, and life through the transcription of light. While making these qualities visible, photography can lead us to think differently about our environments by creating a rapture in how we recollect those spaces.

I had a visual-conceptual plan in creating this project. I selected famous architectural locations in Manhattan and brought those diverse atmospheres together with certain visual commonalities. I aspired to push the fixed qualities in architectural photography. Instead of clarity, soft light, and tranquility, I looked for ambiguities, high-contrast, and dynamism.

In the photographs, the sharpness of building geometries is softened and emphasized through the city’s dynamism. The black-and-white enhances the built form and highlights how people’s use and movement transform those spaces. Silhouettes, shadows, motion, and reflections create a common ground within all that differs, and, through them, multilayered instances emerge for further readings and recollections.

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London Interior and Architectural Photography by Pine London

London Interior and Architectural Photography

Zeynep Simsek Karakeben, the founder of Pine London, is a London-based photographer specializing in interior and architectural photography. Being a photography enthusiast, she studied at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York City. She focused on darkroom and alternative photography following her move back to Istanbul in 2015. Zeynep always enjoyed shooting architecture and interiors, but it became her profession after moving to London in 2017. Since then, she has been working with designers to capture the beautiful interiors of London. She is a first-time contributor to The New Yorker Life.

Interior photography is an invitation to art behind closed doors. It’s also the perfect way to learn about London since the way we live tells who we are.

Capturing good interior photographs start with understanding what the client wants from the photoshoot. It’s essential to listen to the designer and understand the project, which parts, materials, and objects are vital for them, and what kind of vibe they would like to reflect with their designs.

The second step is arranging the setting before styling. You don’t want uneven blinds, irregularly spaced chairs, or cables sticking out. Thirdly and most importantly, we prefer to have proper styling to show the space more engaging and dynamic and invoke the notion of living in the room. Usually, flowers, beautiful vases, a few cushions, blankets, and books are all you need to show the space more vibrant.

Editing is essential in interior photography, and it makes a huge difference. Yet, post-processing will not save the day if you can’t get clean shots on the photoshoot. Taking your time and finding your flow in the photoshoots is crucial.

Gloomy weather in London worries the clients, and questions about lighting are prevalent for interior photographers in this part of the world. I prefer to have my photoshoots using natural light whenever possible. Clouds act as a softbox and diffuse the light so that you don’t have to deal with tricky shadows. Natural light gives more realistic colors as well.

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