The Process of Photographing Architecture, with Jim Stephenson of clickclickjim – how to better photograph Architecture and Interiors.

Saturday, 03rd March, 2012 10:30am ’till 5:30pm (ish). £88 for the day (tea and biscuits included…). For booking, please email me at jim@clickclickjim.com

A full day workshop on the how’s and why’s of photographing buildings, inside and out.

After some introductions, the day will start with a brief look at some of the most important architectural photographers throughout history and specifically how they approached their work and what techniques they used to make their images so special.

After this, we’ll go through some basic techniques as well as some handy hints, tips and tricks focusing both on exteriors and interiors. Bringing along your camera will be essential, whether it be a setup worth more than your house, or a simple point-and-shoot, we’ll go through how to get the best out of it as we head out to a location in town and try out some of what we’ve covered so far. If you have a favourite building in Brighton, let me know and I’ll choose one from the list to photograph. Again, we’ll do some interiors and exteriors practical work.

Somewhere around there, we’ll grab some lunch, and once we’ve done photographing it’s back to the venue (which will be in central Brighton) where we’ll go through some post-production trickery that will add the extra edge to your images and finish them off nicely. I’ll show you my typical workflow, and we’ll try and cover a range of common techniques in photoshop. There’ll be a chance now to look through everyone’s images and do some (friendly) critique, highlighting things to think about next time.

Finally, we’ll finish up with some question and answer time, followed by a round of backpatting and congratulating each other on the amazing photos we’ve all taken.

The day will will start at 10:30am and finish around 5:30pm. Please bring along a camera and a tripod (if you have one – if you don’t, let me know and I’ll try and organise a spare for you). A wide-angle lens will prove useful, but is by no means essential. We’ll be indoors for much of the day, but we will be heading out for a bit, so bring some warm and waterproof clothes, just in case. To allow me to help everyone as much as possible, class sizes will be limited to 10 people – I will add an extra date, if needed. If you have any questions at all, drop me a line on jim@clickclickjim.com and I’ll try and answer them. You can check out more of my architectural photography on my website, clickclickjim.

Please note; this course will not be covering the business side of being an architectural photographer (winning clients, running a business, etc etc), unless you ask some pretty specific questions in the Q&A. Jim Stephenson / clickclickjim can accept no responsibility for lost, damaged or stolen equipment before, during, or after the workshop.

Here’s what some previous attendees have said about the workshop…

“I just wanted to say what a fantastic time I had on your architectural photography workshop, it was just the right mix of classroom theory and practical application. I came away with an even greater appreciation for this area of photography and feel really inspired to shoot in a much more informed way in the future. Your workshop is as far as I know unique in the UK, so keep up the good work” Ian Rudgewick Brown

“I would like to thank Jim Stephenson for a well presented architectural photography workshop. The course has given me some useful techniques and new ideas I hope to utilise not only for future architecture shoots in my photography, but also in general going forwards. Thank you.” Ashley Burt

“It was a great day… and I certainly feel inspired to get out and shoot more buildings!” Steve Mileham

“Thanks for a great workshop – learnt loads and a good base from which to stretch my photographer legs!” David Callin

The Process of Photographing Architecture, with Jim Stephenson of clickclickjim – how to better photograph Architecture and Interiors.

Saturday, 03rd March, 2012 10:30am ’till 5:30pm (ish). £88 for the day (tea and biscuits included…). For booking, please email me at jim@clickclickjim.com

A full day workshop on the how’s and why’s of photographing buildings, inside and out.

After some introductions, the day will start with a brief look at some of the most important architectural photographers throughout history and specifically how they approached their work and what techniques they used to make their images so special.

After this, we’ll go through some basic techniques as well as some handy hints, tips and tricks focusing both on exteriors and interiors. Bringing along your camera will be essential, whether it be a setup worth more than your house, or a simple point-and-shoot, we’ll go through how to get the best out of it as we head out to a location in town and try out some of what we’ve covered so far. If you have a favourite building in Brighton, let me know and I’ll choose one from the list to photograph. Again, we’ll do some interiors and exteriors practical work.

Somewhere around there, we’ll grab some lunch, and once we’ve done photographing it’s back to the venue (which will be in central Brighton) where we’ll go through some post-production trickery that will add the extra edge to your images and finish them off nicely. I’ll show you my typical workflow, and we’ll try and cover a range of common techniques in photoshop. There’ll be a chance now to look through everyone’s images and do some (friendly) critique, highlighting things to think about next time.

Finally, we’ll finish up with some question and answer time, followed by a round of backpatting and congratulating each other on the amazing photos we’ve all taken.

The day will will start at 10:30am and finish around 5:30pm. Please bring along a camera and a tripod (if you have one – if you don’t, let me know and I’ll try and organise a spare for you). A wide-angle lens will prove useful, but is by no means essential. We’ll be indoors for much of the day, but we will be heading out for a bit, so bring some warm ad waterproof clothes, just in case. To allow me to help everyone as much as possible, class sizes will be limited to 10 people – I will add an extra date, if needed. If you have any questions at all, drop me a line on jim@clickclickjim.com and I’ll try and answer them. You can check out more of my architectural photography on my website, clickclickjim.

Please note; this course will not be covering the business side of being an architectural photographer (winning clients, running a business, etc etc), unless you ask some pretty specific questions in the Q&A. clickclickjim can accept no responsibility for lost, damaged or stolen equipment before, during, or after the workshop.

Here’s what some previous attendees have said about the workshop…

“I just wanted to say what a fantastic time I had on your architectural photography workshop, it was just the right mix of classroom theory and practical application. I came away with an even greater appreciation for this area of photography and feel really inspired to shoot in a much more informed way in the future. Your workshop is as far as I know unique in the UK, so keep up the good work” Ian Rudgewick Brown

“I would like to thank Jim Stephenson for a well presented architectural photography workshop. The course has given me some useful techniques and new ideas I hope to utilise not only for future architecture shoots in my photography, but also in general going forwards. Thank you.” Ashley Burt

“It was a great day… and I certainly feel inspired to get out and shoot more buildings!” Steve Mileham

“Thanks for a great workshop – learnt loads and a good base from which to stretch my photographer legs!” David Callin

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

For the upcoming Festival of Architecture, Norwich and Norfolk (FANNXI) I spent a few days in the countryside photographing the post-war and mid-century housing by architects Tayler & Green. Working almost exclusively in one area of Norfolk and Suffolk, the work of T&G is often criminally overlooked (largely because they didn’t do a great deal of work in London). The housing they built in the 50’s and 60’s is extremely regionally distinctive, in that nothing else in the area looks like it, and it bucked the popular European Modernism trend at the time. It was a pleasure to photograph the work and the short talk that architect Matt Wood gave for residents of one of the estates at Davy Place. As well as forming part of my ongoing personal project, documenting this era of housing all over the country (see posts on Span and Rowley Way), these images will be used throughout the festival and by Professor Alan Powers for a lecture he will be giving on the architects.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

Yesterday (Saturday, if you’re reading this on a Sunday), I went to the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate in Camden, London with Paula Knee, Simon Kennedy and Aleks Krotoski. The estate, frequently called the Rowley Way estate, is about as good as it gets for me. Loads of concrete, utopian ideals, trees and plants, a community-minded spirit and designed by borough architects (Neave Brown of Camden Council’s Architects Department). I appreciate I’m viewing this estate, and many others of the same era, with slightly rose-tinted glasses and without the knowledge gained from living there, so whilst photographing estates I always try to chat to some of the residents. Ron had been there for 25yrs and was kind enough to show me his home. Although he had some misgiving about the design and, in particular the way the services worked, he loves living there and praised the community spirit. He was proud of his home and to say he lived on the estate. It was a bloody lovely day, ended with a nice chat in a nearby cafe with my fellow photographers and a wander along the canal to Kings Cross in the sunshine, before joining a couple of mates for a few drinks back in Camden. Lovely stuff. Here’s some of my images from the day…

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

Brighton Festival is England’s largest multi-art form festival. Previously, it’s been guest curated by Anish Kapoor and Brian Eno. This year Aung San Suu Kyi has curated it (from afar, of course). It completely dominates the  city for the month of May and it’s bloody great. It’s at this time of year that I tend to get my most interesting commissions. Last year I spent a couple of months with promenade theatre company, dreamthinkspeak photographing their hugely successful Chekov adaptation, Before I Sleep (you can see some of the images here). This year, I ended up knee-deep in a pool of stagnant water in pitch black whilst drunk tramps fought behind me. Here’s a couple of photos of some of the work I’ve photographed…

First up, Kutlug Ataman’s video installation in the Old Municipal Market. This was the premiere of his new work, “Mayhem”, a multi-screen installation commissioned by the festival.

The festival has a history of re-appropriating some of the few disused spaces in the city and the old market worked really well with this piece. Having that much space around the screens ended up being integral to how the piece was viewed. It never would have worked in a smaller space. It’s almost worth leaving the market empty for this kind of thing.

Just time for a quick shot that I believe has gone to press today of Coco Sato’s beautiful origami lotus flowers we floated on a pool at St Ann’s Wells Gardens. Coco was commissioned to lead the creation of over 2,000 lotus flowers, one to represent each of the political prisoners in Burma (including Aung San Suu Kyi, who is sill under house arrest). These flowers are to be taken to Queens Park on Sunday, 29th May for the Freedom Picnic, so head down if you’re in the area!

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

After spending a few days in Norfolk, photographing 1960’s housing for the Festival of Architecture, Norwich & Norfolk (FANNXI) I dropped by Clerkenwell Design Week on my way through London, back to Brighton. I only had a couple of hours, but I had my kit on me so I thought I’d take a few snaps whilst there.

After checking out the House of Detention (a former Victorian prison being used as an exhibition space for designers and artists), I headed to London Fieldwork’s Spontaneous City. “A poetic and eccentric experiment for birds in urban green spaces”…

After that, I wandered round to Clerkenwell Road to stop by the Step Inside Bar by Chetwoods Architects for the World Festival of Interiors. Chetwoods converted a former petrol station into a pop-up bar…

Finally, I stopped by the Farmiloe Building, a Victorian former commerical building, to say hello to a couple of clients and friends exhibiting there.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

Stephen Cotterell is a great supporter of other people’s photography. His enthusiasm for other’s work, and the fact he’s an all round good egg, lead to him recording and publishing the Photography 121 podcast. Last week, on May 9th, Stephen came to my house for a bit of a chat over a cup of tea. You can listen to the interview / conversation on the iTunes store by searching for “Photography 121″. Click on my one (Jim Stephenson) and it’ll either download or play in the store. Or you can click here for a link. The others are, of course, worth checking out to.

Generally I sort of know roughly what I’m talking about but I have to admit I’m not the most articulate fella all the time, so here’s a few minor corrections before the pedants email me!

1) Factory Records and Peter Saville put out some lovely stuff after 1984!

2) There is a debate over whether or not Stalin (and Russia’s rule at the time) was fascist, social fascist, totalitarian, socialist, or any number of other things. I don’t think fascist is what I should have used in that context though. “Fascist Architecture” was perhaps the wrong term entirely. “Totalitarian Architecture” would have worked better. The point I was expressing was that certain types of architecture, in those countries, in that era, were designed under totalitarian or fascist leaders as very strong and stern statements of power to both their own people and the wider world. They were not always the most aesthetically democratic buildings, basically. Also, Fascist architecture, cathedrals and financial institutes were not necessarily built to intimidate people. Again, wrong terminology. They all had very different purposes (from wonder and awe to intimidation and power).

3) Ezra Stoller, not Erza Stoller. Shulman worked on the West coast, not the East (I correct that in conversation).

Also, I namecheck a lot of people and organisations, so I thought it might be helpful to give you a mega list of links to their sites or places where you can find more information (in a rough order of appearance, click the name to be redirected)…

Factory Records, Dennis Gilbert, Edmund Sumner, Peter Cook, Luke Hayes, Andy Matthews, Alistair Nichols, Julius Shulman, Ezra Stoller, Iwan Baan, Miniclick Photography Talks, Garage Studios, Kevin Meredith, Helen Cadwallader, Emma Critchley, Richard Rowland, Photoworks, Arts Forum, Simon Roberts, Simon Norfolk, Lisa Barnard, Laura Pannack, Thurston Hopkins, Louie Banks, Hannah Laycock, Matt Martin, Ruby-May Allcock, Vimeo, Allan Grainger, Edgar Martins, Alex Bamford & James Withey

Hope that helps a bit!

Many, many thanks to Stephen for asking me to be a part of this series. You can view his website, including more info on his podcasts, here.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

Earlier this week, fellow photographer Ian Rudgewick-Brown and I decided to take a day off and have a peek around the 2012 London Olympic Park, just to make sure everything is coming along nicely before they potentially take several hundred quid out of my account for all the tickets I applied for.

I’ve been to a lot of building sites in my time and I have to say this one is looking pretty good, still with a year to go. Hopkin’s Veledrome is done, Wilkinson Eyre’s Basketball Arena is looking good, the Village is coming along, Populous’ Stadium looks ace with the black seating and white steel and Zaha Hadid’s Aquatics Centre will be great as soon as they take out the cheeseblocks. For the first time, I was genuinely excited about Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit Sculpture as well. Like the Shard, Londoners should try getting used to the skyline now as it is going to be huge.

On the way back we swung by Stanton William’s Hackney Marshes Centre as well, which is one of my favourite London projects from the last few years.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

I sit on the Brighton steering committee for the South Coast Design Forum. Since joining the committee over a year ago we’ve stepped up the activity in Brighton and organised a series of excellent art & design talks in the city on subjects such as photography, architecture and typography. We also have an interior design event in planning and a showcase event for later in the year. This year celebrates the organisations fifth birthday and as part of the festivities the SCDF ran a competition for it’s members to interpret the number 5, wit the intention of publishing a book later in the year of the entries. For me, facilitating collaboration is one of the most exciting things about the Forum and it was in this spirit that I worked with Mark Ferguson of Very Own Studio to complete our entry, built and shot in the Rodhus Gallery, Brighton.

It took us about 6hours to build and shoot this 7ft high number 5, which is freestanding and (fairly) structurally sound. The plan is now to complete the remaining numerals (0-9) in different styles, including tattooing one of them onto a willing volunteer!

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.

I’ve not seen this yet; I’ve just ordered the DVD from the website. I’ll post a review once it’s arrived, but I just wanted to do a quick post about it now as I’m pretty excited. From the press release (images are from the press pack and are not mine)…

“Utopia London (dir. Tom Cordell) is a brand new feature length documentary that explores London’s recent architectural history. The film observes the method and practise of the Modernist architects who rebuilt London after World War Two. It shows how they revolutionised life in the city in the wake of destruction from war and the poor living conditions inherited from the Industrial Revolution. This film is their story. Utopia London travels through the recent history of the city where the film maker grew up. He finds the architects who designed it and reunites them with the buildings they created. These young idealists were once united around a vision of using science and art to create a city of equal citizens. Their architecture fused William Morris with urban high-rise; ancient parkland with concrete. Utopia London examines the, social and political agendas of the time in which the city was rebuilt. The story goes on to explore how the meaning of these transformative buildings has been radically manipulated over subsequent decades. Inspired by the optimism of the past it poses the question; where do we go from here and now?”.

You can read more about the film, and watch the trailer, on the website and blog.

This is the photography blog of clickclickjim, Jim Stephenson Architectural Photographer. Please head to my website at www.clickclickjim.com if you’d like to see my work.