As a relative newcomer to the industry, Chris Cook has a way of capturing the built form that is well beyond his years as a photographer. In our latest edition of In Conversation, he chats to us about his love of storytelling through art and the profound effect that capturing New York’s Ground Zero and the 911 memorial museum had on him.
You have a gift for capturing the ‘humanity’ of buildings. How did you end up specialising in architectural photography, was this always the plan?
Thank you. I tried many types of photography before working out what I loved most. I started out capturing landscapes and Sydney Landmarks but always preferred landscapes with a man-made structure, such as a house, shed or bridge. To me, that told more of a story which gives the viewer something to ponder.
I also had a love for capturing and researching old, abandoned buildings such as Asylums and Sanatoriums. The aim was twofold: show the beauty of these old buildings and lead the viewer on a journey through a place most never see. After a few years I started to specialise in urban landscape, showing off the beauty of a building within a street scene. I was never much of a street photographer; however, I loved to create scenes with a human element. Urban landscape along with pure architectural photography often go hand in hand; however, I find myself doing mostly architectural photography now. I like the technical nature and attention to detail required to produce a good image. Being a self-professed perfectionist, it tends to suit my nature.
Tell us some of the highlights of your career so far?
I’m a relative latecomer to architectural photography so I don’t have hundreds of highlights to choose from. If I were to pick a few, I’d say that my first large contract for 35 sites was one of them. Another highlight is each time a new client discovers me and sends a message along the lines of “hey we really like these images, can you do something like this for us”? Maybe this sounds cliche; however, I still get a buzz from it.
To top it off, I’d have to say my number one highlight was visiting New York and photographing many of Manhattan’s tallest and most iconic buildings. Whilst this wasn’t a project for a client, it was a test of all the skills I had acquired over the years. Trying to capture and do justice to buildings, many of which exceed 400m in height took a bit of planning, improvisation and walking.
Ever since my last visit to New York back in 2005, I had a dream of returning to capture Ground Zero; the 911 memorial and museum, and new World Trade Centre. In 2005 the site was still a giant hole in the ground. After arriving by subway, I made my way through the amazing oculus and onto the 911 museum. I wasn’t prepared for the emotion I felt being there. Seeing the remains of twisted metal columns, the old news reels playing; and photographs and notes was overwhelming. Many were in tears. After exiting the museum and visiting the memorial fountains (which are in the footprint of the fallen twin towers); I gazed up at the perfect blue sky and tried to imagine how horrifying it must have been. I then went on to photograph the memorial and world trade centre and created what I consider to be my most moving images to date.
What architectural features do you most like to capture, what makes them appealing to the eye?
I love photographing tall structures and presenting them as close as possible to how the human eye would view them, and how architects intended them to look. A tall building presented with straight vertical lines and minimal distortion is always the goal. Tall buildings are both elegant and imposing; people have always been fascinated by them.
I also love photographing the detail of a building’s facade. This is what people see; this is what gives a building personality, and like a human face, each is different. Whether it’s an 18th century Gothic revival style building; a brutalist concrete building or the more recent facades using metal, patterned brick and timber composites, it’s these features that make them uniquely beautiful.
How has the industry evolved since you first started and where do you see it going?
The biggest change I’ve seen is the use of AI technology. In fact, AI is the single biggest change for photographers since the move to digital cameras. A graphic designer can produce an almost perfect image of a building and sometimes, this creates unrealistic expectations of what a photographer can reproduce.
AI doesn’t have to deal with cars, people, weather and drone attacks by birds. Personally, I’ve embraced AI; however, I use it carefully to maintain authenticity. AI in Photoshop is amazing for retouching images. Distractions such as cars, poles and bins could often take an hour or more to remove; it now takes as little as a few minutes.
What factors need to be considered when photographing inanimate objects, how do you bring them to life?
The most important factor to me is light, or more specifically directional sunlight. Architects and developers don’t want photos of their buildings on a grey gloomy day, so I will generally reschedule if there are poor conditions. Knowing where the sunlight will hit a building throughout the day is critical in planning a shoot. Often, I will start early morning and work my way around a building/development capturing each facade in its best light. I always try to have the sun at an angle of 30-60 degrees. This isn’t always possible; however, I avoid photographing with the sun at 90 degrees to a façade. The most beautifully detailed façade can look flat and uninteresting with the sun at 90 degrees. Having angled sunlight gives areas of light and shade showing off detail and giving depth to an image.
Another factor is composition. I always try to capture an axial (front on) view and one at 45 degrees for each façade. Axial views often look more orderly as it’s easy to achieve strong vertical and horizontal lines and minimal distortion. Off axis views can be more challenging, especially for tall buildings. When viewing a tall building at an angle from ground level, the top corner closest to camera appears to rise sharply. Using a wide-angle lens exacerbates the issue due to distortion and whilst not always avoidable, isn’t a great look. For most developments in built up areas, getting back far enough to capture the building with a standard-length lens isn’t possible; nor is shooting from a neighbouring building. Distortion can be reduced in post processing; however, it’s better to start with a distortion free image if possible. Often a drone is the best solution. Position the drone at half the height of the building and any distortion is minimised and spread out evenly.
Finally, I personally like a human element where possible. It can provide scale to a building and can give an image dynamism; especially if there is some motion blur.