January 08, 2020 – Max Sall Photography
For me, the most rewarding part of this job is opportunity to transform exceptionally thoughtful residential architecture into a two-dimensional medium, while maintaining the feeling and mood conveyed by exploring the architecture in person. I’ve been lucky to work with Trout Design Studio on a few projects, a firm whose work exemplifies the interesting moments and meticulous attention to detail that make me love photographing architecture.
This project, a beautiful farmhouse, showcased an elegant modern design, based on a cinderblock framing structure in keeping with the vernacular architecture of the region.
I find photographing architecture similar to watching movies on repeated viewings, or closely examining pieces of fine woodworking (which happen to be two of my hobbies; I recently watched The Big Short two times in close succession and was able to pick up on many brilliant details I missed at first). I love searching for all of the little details and hidden themes that the director chose to put in the film, and looking closely at the joinery that allows a piece of handcrafted furniture to flawlessly come together. In architecture, like in movies and woodworking, the smallest details are often intentional, and I try to work with the architect to capture the spirit of the project as best as possible.
Through the process of staging, composing, and modifying light, I try to capture the mood and detail of the project, so viewing the photograph can be a nuanced, interesting experience, just like experiencing the architecture in person.
We wrapped up the first day of the shoot with a twilight interior of the living room area, which frames a beautiful view of the rolling hills and pond outside. There were a few horses roaming around the fields, but sadly none ended up in the right place at the right time to be featured in the photograph.
As the sun rises, the front elevation of the house gets illuminated with beautiful golden light, so we took the opportunity to capture some exteriors, and got lucky to have brilliant morning clouds in the background. These were taken with the tripod in the rear bed, or on the roof of a robust Kubota four-wheeler that was expertly piloted through the hills by the architect.
We wrapped up the shoot with a tighter shot of the living room and porch areas, and some detail interior shots. Shooting this project was a blast, and I’m very happy that I had the chance to photograph such a beautiful home.
