A Brief History of Architectural Photography and How it Has Shaped the World of Today
Throughout the course of history, architectural photography has become well-renowned for dictating our perspective of the world. Since the introduction of the daguerreotype process of photography back in 1839, architecture has evolved into what it is today as a direct result of this particular niche.
But how did it all start? Well, it may come as no surprise to you that buildings and landmarks were some of the original subjects of capture - architectural photography and photography in and of itself have exhibited a mutual momentum when moving forward. In fact, one could argue that architectural photography has revolutionized the way in which we approach all genres of the art in general.
Different approaches first started being theorized and practiced around the same time J.L.M. Daguerre perfected the invention of the daguerreotype process of photography, with the elevation approach and the perspective approach being some of the more notable ones. For more than 50 years, architectural photography was embraced on an independent basis, with techniques being more experimental and subjective without being truly refined.
The Innovation of Frederick Evans
The genre began to branch out from its primal source during the later years of the 19th century and the early 1900s when Frederick Evans, a well-renowned pioneer of photography, took the initiative to emphasize the unique qualities of the world around him. He realized that it was becoming a trend to capture architecture at face value - buildings and other structures were depicted for their simplicity rather than what they could be.
Thus, the artist decided to begin focusing on the composition of depth, texture, shadows and individual perspective. This new adaptation set the tone for not only the history of architectural photography, but also the future of modern architecture as a craft. Direct comparisons of Evan's work to other pictures taken during the respective time period depict notable variances of quality and contrast. By exposing certain elements and being particular about conditions, pieces of architecture could be seen for their absolute potential.
The Civil War and the Evolution of a Business
The Civil War also played a major role in the history of architectural photography - pictures of remnants and destruction were taken in order to capture the emotions and hardships that people had gone through as a result of the conflict. Such artistic apprehension allowed people to reexamine their efforts and actions, which inevitably contributed to the evolution of modern society.
During the 1920s, architecture started to flourish as a business medium. People began to adopt a better appreciation for buildings after seeing pictures of the war and what was left behind, which consequently changed the way architecture was built. This is when the evolution of architecture and photography became truly intertwined.
Throughout the rest of the 20th century, magazines and propaganda blasted out of the starting gate to generate new perspectives and techniques - it didn't take long for architectural photography to become accepted as both a consumer and a commercial practice. Evan's philosophy of emphasizing the extensive aptitude of architecture was expanded on as orchestration and staging methods were used to convey a broader perspective of buildings and landmarks.
Businesses attempted to capitalize on people's hopes and dreams by using architectural photography to emulate a better lifestyle - pictures of families and friends occupying a space amplified what a certain building could be, thus selling it as an idealized product. Photographers often consulted witnesses in order to familiarize themselves with the artistic potential of their subjects. Ezra Stoller and Ken Hedrich are some of the highly renowned photographers who were known to take advantage of this particular approach.
Progression into the 21st Century
It wasn't until the 1950s when commercial magazines began homogenizing black and white photographs with color images. This transformation further bolstered the capacity of architectural photography as a business and near the approach of the 1970s, the concept of the genre as a self-taught art began to diminish. Originally embraced as a hobby, formal training was soon incorporated and the craft eventually revolutionized as a refined profession.
Today, we have adopted the history of architectural photography as a way to see parts of the world that are unreachable - both in the past and present. Perhaps you've never seen the White House or the Statue of Liberty in real life before, but thanks to the outstanding progression of this fascinating expertise, the developments of mankind are within hand's reach of a simple photo album or magazine.