Building an architecture portfolio

[LDJ]

Dear all

Currently, my work focuses on lifestyle interiors and still-life photography. I would like to diversify into architectural photography and was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on the best way to build a portfolio of architectural work, more specifically, how did you find suitable spaces to photograph? Did you find architectural firms that allowed you to photograph some of their projects for your portfolio? Did you find suitable public spaces and photograph those? Or, did you jump right in and offer your photographic services to architectural firms based on other types of work? Perhaps there is a way that I haven't thought of.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Liam

[idillic]

I am an architect & a photographer, with my day job being an architect.  My suggestion is you seek out well known public, or high quality commercial buildings, research them and their architects and look at ways of photographing their buildings that show some understanding of the ideas or intend as expressed by the architect.  The best architectural photography is not dusk shots illustrating warm interiors, or curtain wall facades reflecting dramatic skies, but an series of images that reveal those ideas, and are excellent images in their own right.

Some of today's great architects use well known artists to photograph their work.  You could look at Herzog and de Meuron and their works photographed by Thomas Ruff for example.

Good luck with your efforts.

[LDJ]

Thank you for your considered reply. My growing appreciation of architecture is one of the main reasons for my interest in building an architectural portfolio and I take on board your points about the best type of architectural photography. I have always been more drawn to architectural images where natural light has been used to good effect, rather than those images where artificial lighting has been used to such an extent that the original vision of the architect in terms of shadow and light within a space has not been represented at all and will endeavour to take a natural light approach with my work.

I am well aware that building a decent architectural portfolio will take time, hard work and dedication, but I'm looking forward to the challenge of a different photographic discipline.

Thanks again

[NancyP]

Thank you for your suggestions, idyllic. Time just spent looking and thinking is time well spent. I, a layperson (or "user") know that I like certain buildings and dislike other buildings/ structures, but would have a hard time articulating the reasons. I suppose that what I might be wanting to photograph are the building features that evoke a response from me.  I have no technical expertise.

To-do list: photograph our new "Stan Span" (Stan Musial Bridge) in St. Louis. It is quite pretty at night, and makes a "matched set" with the Clark suspension bridge just north in Alton IL/ West Alton MO.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/new-mississippi-river-bridge-opens-to-traffic/article_110b6c60-6dd4-5760-ad31-3ba2f22107d5.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Bridge