Sharjah 24: “My real hope for the profession of architectural photography is that the faithfulness of the architectural depiction will always match the precision of our design and the engineering of our subjects,” emphasised award-winning architectural photographer Steven Brooke at a seminar titled ‘The Depiction of Architecture: Historical Precedents and Contemporary Applications’ on the opening day of Xposure International Photography Festival at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Brooke, who takes classes at the University of Miami School of Architecture, examined the paradigms of the 600-year-old tradition of architectural documentation and their applications for contemporary architectural photography. He pointed out that during the period from 1517 CE to 1685 CE, for instance, people were incidental in an image; they were for scale and to direct the eye while axial compositions dominated that era when architecture itself was the focus and the subject.

The ace photographer endeavoured to structure the principles of architectural depiction and broke them down to five basic categories for the benefit of his listeners – horizontal and vertical alignment, proportion systems and rectangular armatures, border verticals, basic shapes for architectural photography, and processing for perfection.

Referencing the work of genre painters such as Jan Vermeer and Pieter deHooch of the 17th century, view painters such as Giovanni Piranesi and Canaletto of the 18th century, and modern masters such as Edward Hopper, Giorgio de Chirico, and Hugh Ferris, Brooke explored the rules for vertical and horizontal alignment; the use of border verticals for exteriors, interiors and streetscapes; proportional systems; standard shapes for architectural depiction; precise timing for exacting shadow control; and the attainable goal of compositional excellence.

Stressing on the desire for perfection in photographs today, Brooke noted: "Digital photography gives us an opportunity to emulate the masters who have set the standards for architectural depiction. With the incredible advances in camera and lens and AI-based post-production software, I think we are now entering the next golden age of architecture.”

Breaking the rules
In a session titled, ‘Photography Outside the Box’, Samy Al Olabi, an Egyptian-Syrian multi-award-winning photographer, urged photography enthusiasts to get outside of their comfort zone and break the trend by adding abstracts and conceptual thoughts to their images.

“Not uncommonly, photographers arrive at a point where they find their work becoming worryingly repetitive,” said Olabi, as he described the stages a photographer typically undergoes from the moment they pick up a camera to the heights of their career. As he went through each of the stages, Olabi referred to examples from his own career to describe what he did to get out of the box and recreate himself.

Olabi, who is one of the most recognised names in the field of astrophotography today, said: “Breaking the rules and thinking outside the box is something a photographer should always consider.”