Distinctly I recall the moment I decided I was going to pursue architecture photography as my speciality. The very next day I walked into a photo lab to pick up my 4x5 film and was informed of a photographer who specialized in photography and needed an assistant. Immediately I had to follow up with him. This led me to assisting many other architecture photographers. Yadda yadda yadda...

Ironically, during a photo class in Milwaukee I was required to photograph a building with a 4x5 monorail camera. I hated it! My brain has found satisfaction with the methodical process of the large format camera. Or maybe it was the fact that it was a cold winter in 1996.

So what led me to architecture photography? It was the simple fact that I wanted to work in one of the more difficult areas of photography. Creating a good architectural image with film was no easy task. As I mentioned to one of my early mentors, "I have no idea what to do with twenty lights, but I'm good at carrying things!"

Today, I love the challenge behind creating an architectural image. It's so much more than sandwiching a series of bracketed exposures. If you know what you are doing lighting a scene will show off all the textures and details of a design. I'm a strong believer in doing as much as possible with the camera. The more pristine the original capture is the better the final photograph will be.

The architectural photos here I created with a small 6 light set-up. My travel kit, if you may. This was the home I grew up in. My father built the home with the help of a few friends in the '70s. Truly an unique home inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and designed by Al Drover. The subdivision was filled with more unique residential homes whose designs were inspired by the landscape around them. I currently wonder if this played a subliminal role into pursuing architectural photography? The fine line where architecture and nature meet.