Architectural Photography - Before / After Retouching

I often get questions about how post production works in architectural photography. In reality every shot is different but there is somewhat of a loose formula that all the images fall into. We do (almost 100 percent of the time) stack multiple different shots into one final image. There can be anywhere from 2 to 15 in total that make up the final shot. I would say on average there are 4 - 7 total per final image.

Architectural Photography Before and After at Fusion In Omaha, NE with RDG Planning and Design

In order to understand the post production process some explanation of the shooting process is necessary. We always try to start with a basic bracket of exposures. This is when we shoot 3 or 4 images starting with a bright exposure and work our way down to a dark or underexposed image. Then we spend some time flagging reflections and lighting the space as needed. Flagging is when we hang large 8x8 black fabric in specific places killing unwanted reflections in glass or glossy surfaces. You can se an example of flagging below.

Flagging in Architectural Photography - Allsteel Beyond Wall System

The last thing we do as add in the “models”. Models in our world is slang for architects, designers, marketing people, photographers, assistants, or staff the was unlucky enough to be in the area when we needed people in the shots ;).

Exposure specifically for models - Legat Architects - College of Lake County

Then we are finally off into post production. I send all the raw images to my retoucher Sean in the UK (Two Bears Studio ) with specific instructions for each image and setup. Sean has worked with me for the last 4 years and has a keen understanding of what I am looking for and expect. There he spends time layering all the files together, correcting all color balance issues, and retouching out all unwanted distractions. Sean sends the images back to me for final review and I contribute my finishing touches to each shot before delivering back to the happy client.

Architectural Photography Before / After - Urban Works - Esperanza Center - Chicago, IL

There you have it! A brief description of our shooting and post production process in architectural photography. Like I said before, every architectural shot is different but this formula generally runs it’s course throughout every shoot.

1001 South State - Chicago, IL

Selecting images to post on the blog can be difficult when there are too many great options. Our 1001 South State project in Chicago, IL highlights this dilemma. 1001 South State, the newest high-rise to grace the Chicago highline, is a 40-story residential tower designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and built by Walsh Construction.

This apartment building holds all the amenities: from swimming pools and work out facilities to a bike repair room and dog run. Expansive green spaces on the 5th floor make the outdoor experience accessible, while pool and grill areas make communal living convenient yet private. The glass-covered exterior curves and angles, providing countless views of the city from every possible position to apartment residents. It seemed like every space we photographed yielded an entirely fresh perspective of the Chicago Skyline or Lake Michigan.

Located in the South Loop, one of Chicago’s fastest growing neighborhoods, 1001 South State also includes 7,800 square footage of street-level retail space. Towering above its surroundings, this breathtaking building can be seen from virtually all angles throughout the South Loop, establishing it as a main view throughout the neighborhood. 

The image above is an example of a two-bedroom apartment facing southwest with fantastic views of Lake Michigan.

Above - The south-facing penthouse suite.

Above - 40th floor residence lounge with an unreal view of the Chicago skyline (never been seen before from that angle).

1001 South State is a new 40-story, 398-unit residential high-rise in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood. Levels one through four include parking. Level five ...

Hillshire Brands Corporate Offices

Due to a busy work schedule and a multitude of projects, blogging has taken a hiatus; however, I wanted to share a shoot from a few months ago. The project was based at the Hillshire Brands Corporate Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. I was surprised to find how huge the Hillshire Brands umbrella actually is, stretching from Jimmy Dean and Ballpark to Tyson Foods and Sara Lee.

This office is huge at 230,000 square feet, so choosing 3 images to show you on my blog was quite difficult.  The office won the award for best corporate office over 10,000 square feet in 2013 from the The American Society of Interior Designers.  It was a lithography and printing plant before Hillshrire Brands and Perkins + Will got their hands on it.  The project took 11 1/2 months to design and construct.

The busyness and productivity of a large corporate office never fails to create an exciting shoot with unique problems to solve. Coordinating people and setting up a space can be disruptive to the office environment, so I needed to be efficient and exact. To add to the challenges, I didn’t have an assistant to help due to overlapping shoots. However, over the years, I’ve found that challenging projects can yield really great results considering all the problem-solving behind them!

Overall, I really enjoyed the energy behind this project and the opportunity to shoot for a brand as large as Hillshire.

Brookstone - O'Hare Airport - Chicago, IL

Early this summer, I was contacted to photograph three Brookstone stores located in the Chicago O’Hare Airport. Over the years I’ve photographed my share of retail shoots, but never stores located in one of the busiest airports in the States; needless to say, I was intimidated. Questions looped through my brain: Will TSA have to search my gear? Will all the people walking by ruin shots? Will people know to stay clear of my lighting equipment?

Thankfully, all my equipment passed through TSA without being flagged and most people were too busy trying to make connecting flights to bother with the random photographer taking pictures at Brookstone. After only fifteen minutes at the first store, I felt confident and at ease. My concern about the amount of people ended up being the most interesting part of the shoot; I had an unlimited resource of people to choose from and include in my shots!

These three images reveal the Brookstone pop-up store in Terminal 1.

Hamilton Elementary School - Moline, IL

A few weeks ago, I photographed the brand new Hamilton Elementary School in Moline, Illinois. This shoot was unlike any I have done before and I was slightly intimidated. Shooting a space as large and creative as an elementary school takes concentration and problem-solving to produce the exact composition and lighting I want.

During the pre-planning stages of the project, I knew that the story behind this project needed to be told by the students. Legat Architects and I decided that due to the size of the school, we needed more than just a few students scattered in the empty halls; we needed a crowd.

Once we reached that decision, we coordinated and planned with parents to have approximately twenty students the day of the shoot. Because the children were so excited for their modeling debut, their energy and cooperation made the shoot fun for everyone involved. Their excitement helped capture the spirit of Hamilton Elementary and the images turned out great!

Legat Architects, Russell Construction, The Moline School District, and I want to thank all the students, parents, and teachers that not only made this shoot possible but also successful.

Urban Park - Chicago, IL

Witnessing and documenting the renewal of cities and spaces has quickly grown to be one of my favorite parts of my job. I have the privilege of witnessing nothing becoming something or watching an old place transform into something new. The Urban Park project I shot a couple months ago perfectly encapsulates the joy it is to be an architecture photographer.

Aptly named Urban Park, this little park exists in a regular alley on West Monroe between Franklin and Wells in downtown Chicago. Shive Hattery was tasked with transforming this normal and somewhat grimy alley into a community gathering place: the kind of place where people can not only rest and smoke, but also gather together in the outdoors to relax, be inspired, unwind, and rejuvenate. Shive Hattery needed to create the type of place people talk about and don’t stop talking about.

To highlight the incredible transformation of Urban Park, I snagged some before views of the alley from Google Maps.

The intensive and detailed work that architects and designers execute truly does make the world a better, more beautiful place; Urban Park is proof.

Moody Bible Institute - Chicago, IL - AJ Brown Imaging

Recently, we had the opportunity to shoot at the Moody Bible Institute downtown Chicago. After completing the remodel of Culbertson Hall, they asked us to come photograph their newly-renovated space.

Moody Bible Institute

In today’s architectural photography world, most professionals generally agree that shooting a space without people is less than satisfactory. Because spaces are designed specifically for people, documenting without them turns the images bare and lifeless. Adding people into photographs also helps the viewer’s understanding of scale and helps them imagine the functionality of the space. 

However, adding people to architectural photographs turns the project into a completely different process. Instead of only focusing on lighting the space, we have to light the people within the space in a complimentary way, which creates a whole set of challenges with positioning and power of lighting.

Because we were scheduled to shoot the week before students arrived, finding people to include in the shots proved difficult. Luckily, we ended up using a couple random students who were on campus early, a few young-looking staff members, and my own assistant, Peyton who “still looks 19” (his words, not mine) in several shots

Desperate times call for desperate measures and the image above reveals the rare occasion where I’m in front of the camera instead of behind it!