Architectural photography in the City of London

Architectural photography in the City of London

Background

Although I specialise in interior design photography, I am always looking to increase my skills base. Part of this process is to challenge myself. This time I have focussed on architectural photography

I like to carry out creative shoots,  designed to stretch my capabilities. One such shoot was carried out recently in the City of London. My intention was to capture some atmospheric architectural images in black and white.

London is a fantastic location for architectural photography shoots. This is because it is filled with some of the most iconic buildings in the world. Examples include the Gherkin, the Walkie Talkie, Lloyds and Batman building.

A black and white architectural photography of a building with curved glass in London

Issues relating to London

A major problem with carrying out architectural photography in London is that, due to the current terrorist threat, you are viewed with suspicion. Most buildings are regarded as private property and some are even deemed to be copyrighted.

Photography can draw unwelcome attention, especially if you have a large camera and – worse still – a tripod. I have witnessed a Japanese tourist being harassed by security at the London Eye. He only had a small compact camera on top of the flimsiest tripods you could imagine. The security guard kept insisting that he was professional because of this.

So, I chose to carry out the shoot on a Sunday because it would be quiet. I would probably not get disturbed by prying security personnel. They are generally rather lazy when there are no suits in the buildings.

A modern building from an unusual viewpoint with the camera pointing towards the blue sky.

The shoot

The shoot was started close to City Hall, where I had noticed a particularly interesting shaped building. The building was mostly glass with sweeping curves included as part of the design.

I then crossed the river and meandered around the city itself. I just following my nose and taking photos when I found something interesting. I was tending towards buildings with interesting shapes. I was also picking out contrasts between the old and the new.

An overhead view of the concrete staircase in the Blavatnik Building in the Tate Modern. A young woman is halfway up the stairs

Once I had exhausted the City, I crossed the millennium bridge and visited the Tate Modern. I had a very good idea what I was going to photograph and the style in which it was to be presented. I headed straight to the new extension previously known as the Switch House. This is now named the Blavatnik Building after the Russian billionaire who funded the project. The building was designed by the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron.

A sepia toned image of the stairwell in the Blavatnik Building. Tate Modern

© Andrew Boschier Photography 2017

Garden photography for coastal garden

Garden photography for coastal garden

This was my third garden photography shoot for landscape designer Tracey Parker. Previously I covered her show garden at BBC Gardeners World Live and a project for a national hotel chain. This time it was a residential project in Broadstairs, Kent.

View out of the garden room over the redesigned garden.

Tracey’s client’s requirements were “to make the most of a small space for a semi-retired couple who wanted a decent amount of outdoor entertaining for family and friends. They also needed  a flexible play space for visiting grandchildren”.

The client also required “a lush, coastal feel to the planting, which was low maintenance”. Tracey’s designs were predominantly evergreen with palms, tropical looking plants with splashes of colour close to the terrace area. The project also made use of some composite decking specifically for its longevity and low maintenance.

A beautiful coastal inspired garden showing the marine ply decking.

This project was run alongside another to extend and refurbish the existing sunroom. Large bi-fold doors which extended to the width of the sunroom were added which opened up to really give the family the feeling that they were sitting in the garden.

This provided Tracey with the opportunity to enhance the terrace area with a porcelain paved patio. This gave a clean contemporary look that matched the new sunroom extension.

A view across a redesigned garden and garden room showing the varied planting.

Both projects complimented each other and the whole design felt as one.

It was a great opportunity for Tracey, as it was born out of a collaboration between Tracey and Dawn of Inara Interiors.

Dawn designed the rebuild of the sunroom. Dawn is also a client of mine, and I introduced them. This is a great example where collaboration has produced a really stunning result which the clients are delighted with.

A view across the decking towards a garden room featuring the matching outdoor furniture.

© Andrew Boschier Photography 2017

https://www.traceyparkerdesign.com/

https://inara-interiors.co.uk/