An architectural photographer’s dream
While attending a week-long architectural photography workshop in Marfa, TX with some of the best photographers around the world, we were all surprised to arrive at the Douglas Friedman Ranch for an afternoon/evening of education from all four of the instructors, and the opportunity to photograph the property as we pleased. Mind you, there were 36 of us in total present on the property, so an additional challenge was to photograph around the others while still creating beautiful, captivating, and emotionally resonant images.
Douglas Friedman’s ranch outside Marfa feels like a modern desert pavilion designed to disappear into the horizon. The house sits low and quiet on the land with clean lines, glass, and a restrained grid that frames the Davis and Haystack Mountain views like oversized gallery prints. The clerestory band makes the roof read like it’s floating. Photographing it, I worked fast and slow at the same time. Fast because the light was changing by the minute, slow because every angle was intentional.
Photographing The ranch Interiors
We had limited time to photograph the interiors of this beautiful ranch, and some areas were specifically setup for the instructors to teach. As mentioned, 36 of us were coming and going, so there was rarely a frame not populated with other photographers and their tripods. We had to take our moments as they came, watching light and being quick to capture beautiful moments.
As an architectural photographer, this home is a dream to capture. The desert sits right up against the building, so every pane becomes a clean composition: pale sky, dry grass, a yucca standing like a sculpture just outside the window. The bedroom corner is both minimal and personal. Sheer curtains soften the hard West Texas sun into an even glow, and the room picks up warmth from the orange bedding and the bold, arcing rug. The furniture feels collected rather than staged, like the cowhide bench and the stone-like pedestal table that anchors the space without adding visual noise.
Time keeps on ticking
We stayed until twilight capturing the changing light. Endless compositions showed themselves across the property, bringing us together as photographers and often finding us stacked together in one spot to not unintentionally be in each other’s images. There were so many great conversations, laughs, and memories from that evening. I was happy to step in and direct our models (fellow photographers) on where to stand, walk, and position themselves while many of us created unique images through our own compositions.
A challenge to myself for this workshop was to free myself as often as possible from the constraints of my tripod, which is how I normally photograph architecture. Most, if not all of the frames you see here, besides the sunset and twilight shots, were handheld, single-image compositions. I used three primary lenses: a 24mm tilt/shift, 35mm tilt/shift (both of which are manual focus), and a 24-120mm autofocus zoom to get quicker shots and tighter vignettes. Hand-holding a tilt-shift lens is no simple feat. The whole point is to correct the perspective and give unique compositions while retaining vertical lines. Doing this handheld while keeping the camera level and manually focusing the lens is difficult. It was quite the experiment and offered me insights on how I can improve my process during a photoshoot to offer my clients more compelling images that tell the full story of their projects.
In the midst of photographing the home, I captured this silhouetted portrait of Elias Gkanias, a Greek photographer living in Frankfurt, Germany, who I became quick friends with over the course of this workshop. It was a treat to connect with so many talented folks and build a larger network of professionals all around the world.
Closing Thoughts
It’s hard to put into words what a fun and fulfilling experience this was. Being allowed to photograph such a beautiful and iconic home (of an architectural photographer who we all very much admire!) was a treat in itself. But doing so along side world-class photographers like Ema Peters, Simon Devitt, Stephen Karlisch, and Edmund Sumner in the west Texas desert was something very special. We are so alike in many ways that it felt like I was surrounded by my best friends. Getting to nerd out on gear, compositions, and lighting while sharing in each other’s work and offering creative thoughts and suggestions filled my soul. As professional architectural photographers, we often work alone, most days being spent behind a computer. The best days are when we get to be on production with a client doing what we do best, and the fact that architecture and photography can bring people so closely together is a gift I’m grateful for.
Thanks for reading… now get out there and create something awesome!
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