Clean Lines Open spaces is a remarkable documentary on the mid-century modern architecture. Apart from narrating the details of Modern architecture the most striking feature of the movie was the showcasing of buildings with such remarkable precision and perfection. Of course, if you are shooting a documentary, having a focus on details would be the first criteria in mind so as to connect with the viewers. But the way they have shot it, is appreciable, as they have managed to connect wonderfully. The documentary is such, that I would like to write a whole new post to describe it and thus, I am leaving it here as it is.
But, the documentary reminded me of Helene Binet. In 2013, in 361 Degree Conference (happens every year organized by IA&B) as the speaker list was too long in the three-day event, I was clueless of what she does and what she was supposed to speak on. An Architectural photographer, I eventually discovered about her as she spoke. Her portfolio majorly concentrated on Zaha Hadid and thus she spoke about the beauty of Zaha's building structures.
As a student, it was an amazing experience to witness how different people have different perceptions towards the architectural structure. For Helene, it was the beauty of those building curves that mattered the most, leaving aside the function of the same. (That reminds me of an article of critical appreciation in architecture - it dealt with the perceptions you could keep in mind while studying a building. But will discuss it some other time.)
As an enthusiast photographer myself, I always felt that an image/photo must convey the story of the subject it focuses on. I always try to, somehow, capture the 'spatial' qualities of a building in a 2D photograph, which is as impossible as it sounds. But in order to do that, I always struggled with the dilemma of including or excluding people while shooting architecture. With this confusion in mind, while listening to her lecture, I was wondering if she could give her insights on such an issue. Somewhat, she did. She mentioned that the purpose of capturing a particular frame actually defines a photograph. She mentioned about different themes on which here images are based, Light & Shade, Space, Materiality, Texture, Function, etc. it could be anything that you want to capture in a photograph. This, to some extent, was the answer to my quest. If you want to showcase the function of a particular building, take your shots including people. On the other hand, if you want to showcase the beauty and play of architecture, exclude everything.
This lecture, Composing Space, has the same Title as of the one I attended. This particular one held at Harvard GSD and would provide you with the in depth details of her works and elements of architectural photography as well. As an Architect, I have always felt that the 'scope' of this field is boundless and thus, for those who have a knack for capturing building edges, clean spaces, amazing structures, this might be an interesting catch!
As an enthusiast photographer myself, I always felt that an image/photo must convey the story of the subject it focuses on. I always try to, somehow, capture the 'spatial' qualities of a building in a 2D photograph, which is as impossible as it sounds. But in order to do that, I always struggled with the dilemma of including or excluding people while shooting architecture. With this confusion in mind, while listening to her lecture, I was wondering if she could give her insights on such an issue. Somewhat, she did. She mentioned that the purpose of capturing a particular frame actually defines a photograph. She mentioned about different themes on which here images are based, Light & Shade, Space, Materiality, Texture, Function, etc. it could be anything that you want to capture in a photograph. This, to some extent, was the answer to my quest. If you want to showcase the function of a particular building, take your shots including people. On the other hand, if you want to showcase the beauty and play of architecture, exclude everything.
This lecture, Composing Space, has the same Title as of the one I attended. This particular one held at Harvard GSD and would provide you with the in depth details of her works and elements of architectural photography as well. As an Architect, I have always felt that the 'scope' of this field is boundless and thus, for those who have a knack for capturing building edges, clean spaces, amazing structures, this might be an interesting catch!
