Project: Space and function

This section is not about architectural photography. Instead, it is about structures as an extension of human activity and as being 'usable'. For this course, the interest is in the purpose, with the presence of people in the images acceptable but not compulsory.

First I needed to understand what makes a formal architectural photograph. Most architectural photography is concerned with showing space, volume, constructional techniques, ans as clear an exposition as possible of the building as a piece of construction. There are some established and expected viewpoints and acceptable visual practices, therefore, architectural photographs, well-lit and carefully framed, show an absence of human occupation.

Non-architectural photography of buildings and man-made spaces, which is the focus of this course, is not considered a genre in most photographic writing, so I will need to search more broadly for examples.This image below of the Notre Dame, Reims, France, [Bridgeman Education - online] is an example of an architectural photography.





For this section though, I will be looking at the opposite, even though at times certain images might bear a passing resemblance to an 'architectural' shot. I will be looking at how buildings and other man made spaces are used and how people interact with them. This could be likened to reportage photography, even when the subject is ostensibly a room, for example. Absence of people from a shot does not mean that the space is empty and unused. This depends on what evidence the viewer can see of use and habitation, and also on the viewpoint and composition that I choose.