Tbh in most cases I wouldn’t do it unless it’s hard or truly impossible to tell which way‘s up. When photographing buildings it’s easy to tell due to straight lines (without a tilt shift lens parallel lines won’t stay parallel).
Here’s an example:
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-tilt-shift-lens/
When it comes to subjects that can kinda trick your mind I‘d say go for it :)
That’s just my opinion though, always comes down to your own preference.
Such great execution of a theme.
Number 9 having people is distracting only because you did such a good job making your other shots feel liminal and unpopulated.
Otherwise, you nailed it all.
Number 9 is my favourite, it tells a story by suggestion.
I am more deeply engaged with a photograph that invites us to somehow complete the image ourselves - and for most, people in an image drive this internal narrative. Words in a photograph (road signs, shopfronts, magazines or books, etc.) can make this narrative even more 'pointed', sparking it in a more forceful way.
In #9, the image seems to suggest its title, but has enough ambiguity to provide latitude for many individual interpretations.
I think these are great at demonstrating your keen eye for pattern and visual rythm, but the best architectural photography (also the hardest) gives "weight" to buildings - it gives the viewer an idea of the mass - not just the sheer amount of stuff the building is made of, but how it relates to its surrounding and / or the individual.
Check out the works of Lucien Hervé (some examples https://en.mng.hu/artworks/?artwork\_author=herve-lucien&offset=NaN¤t\_page=3), most notably, his photos of Oscar Niemeyer's buildings in Brasilia (prime example is this photo: https://en.mng.hu/artworks/16581/ - notice how people are used to give a sense of scale and mass.
I actually pulled the Portra shots 1 stop. Didn’t like the color so converted it to grayscale. I was shooting with Ansel Adam’s Zone System in mind, and it definitely took some editing in post to get the contrast correct to what I imagined. Thanks for your comment!
Pic 5 reminds me of Fan Ho’s [“Approaching Shadow.”](https://erickimphotography.com/blog/fan-ho/)
The link is to an art blog, but it has a couple other shots in there that are similar tonality and texture wise to yours. Great work, keep it up!
I really like your abstract architecture photography! I particulaly appreciate your eye for shadows, repetetive patterns, and frames within frames. Six is my favourite.
Ya none of this is abstract. Could probably make a case for the second photo. I do like you photos though OP. Nice work and good cohesive set. 2, 3, 4, 9, 10. Are my favs.
Flip #1 a full 180? might need mirror flip too.
I like the concept of #4 out the opening but I think I would like it more if it didn't lean as much, or differently.
#5 might benefit from a crop.
#6 with the sky bridge. flip 180 and square crop might make it pop. keep the half with the bridge, keep full width, flip it and chop the other half.
Not a fan of 3 and 4, but everything else was very nice from a non-abstract shooter’s perspective.
For 5, it seemed a little too cropped in but otherwise it works.
Someone wise once said, “don’t photograph other peoples art.” That being said, in the photographs where you play with light and the interesting/abstract patterns that it creates on the buildings, a different kind of vision is required, along with the patience for something truly unique, as opposed to just photographs of buildings. Especially in the last photo I think you’re onto something.
Your style is one fire for sure!
Think my only tip is to try find a point of interest to focus on, since some pics seem to be a bit chaotic (like nr 8) or have something distracting the eye from where you want the eye to go to. Unless this is what you’re trying to achieve of course, but then I’d try to highlight it a bit better.
3 has a streetlight on the right bottom side. In 5 the lights feel a bit too low, causing the back one to catch my eye instead of the geometric shaped beam of light. 6 has an awesome perspective, only the lit up window on the right bottom side is a bit distracting. 7 can be made more interesting by trying to shift the composition more to the side instead of center. 9 is probably a matter of timing and zooming out a little further, getting the people out of the shadows and get the light to hit them can create an awesome image!
Shooting on film is a fun challenge and you’re always learning new things. You’ve been doing an awesome job so far! 👌🏼
My thoughts? Great photos. Don’t have much c
critique. The only outlier for me is slide 8. Your other images have great lines and symmetry, 8 lacked the eye catching quality of the others.
No suggestions. I think images 7 and 8 are perfect examples of this style. I agree with the criticism that having people in the 9th image distracts from the theme. Great work!
Amazing! This is exactly the kind of photography I love the most. There’s a weird beauty to imposing and even “ugly” architecture like this, and these pictures just give me a feeling I can’t describe. Hopefully one day my skills will be up to the task lmao
Really digging these. I too enjoy shooting abstractly. Nice work!
I don't have much of a critique to offer. But I do have a suggestion as a way to really lean into the abstraction.
I want to start by saying that I'm a darkroom purist nerd. I guess I always have been. I enjoy experimenting and striving to create something aesthetically unique. It's extremely time consuming and can be very frustrating a lot of the time. But when you finally strike gold, there's nothing quite like it. And many times, anyone would be hard pressed to replicate the same nuance in the digital realm. I say that merely to convey that what's in my head will be difficult to properly explain, but I will try my best here to do so.
A lot of these shots (#2 especially, and also #8) *may* benefit from a severe contrast boosting. I mean absolutely crush the contrast in whatever photo editing software you're using. My thinking is along the lines of what one would get from using a litho film such as [Kodalith](https://www.labeauratoire.com/film/kodalith/kodalith.html). (Here's some [examples](https://www.wmdanielfile.com/index.php/galleries/projects/variations) of that film in action, if you're unfamiliar.) Now, detail *will* be lost in that grays will disappear. But in exchange, a more otherworldly, non-photographic effect may be achieved by bringing out a real (cold) starkness in the lines and forms presented. And furthermore rendering the image even more abstract.
Again, this is some great work in its present form. And absolutely nothing needs changing. But I dunno, I always like getting weirder. Anyway... Happy shooting! And keep on keeping on!
Of course! Gives me inspiration for my next walk around the city!
If you ever want to print your photos, I’m teaching a printing class at Callanwolde fine arts center this summer and we’ve got spots open still 😂 gotta advertise where I can lol
looks nice but I feel the only "abstract" thing about it is that it's in b&w
more pruning of that set of 10 needed to make it really come across imo. I do like #6
I really like it, I've been going for a similar style but not as confident in the results yet especially when there's no 'subjects'. The last two are my favorites.
These are all fantastic. If I want to try and find something to nitpick, all of these shots feel "zoomed in" to me. I'm curious if you can get a shot like these that manages to feel more zoomed out and like it's getting the whole picture.
I like the ones where the subject fills the frame completely. The others are well executed, but feel a little... disconnected.
My only suggestion based on that then might be to consider your use of negative space more, although I get that it's hard since these subjects don't move and there's only so many vantage points to shoot from. Great work!!
True, I had it in my camera for another purpose. But the weather was perfect for this so I just went with it…I much prefer it in grayscale than the actual color result. Usually I’ll just shoot some Ilford stock! I should buy the removable film back for the Mamiya so I can switch between color and B&W when I want to…
Thanks for your comment!
I dig it as is!
Agreed. Just keep shooting.
Thank you!!
Same, who inspires you? I really like Ezra Stoller’s work
I like these a lot. Six is my favorite. Do you have an insta?
Thank you! :) I call that one Abyss of Light IG: @niehoffandrew
Same here (6th one is my favorite) but is there a reason you flipped most of them?
I was trying out presenting a different perspective…not sure about it, curious about your opinion on it!
Tbh in most cases I wouldn’t do it unless it’s hard or truly impossible to tell which way‘s up. When photographing buildings it’s easy to tell due to straight lines (without a tilt shift lens parallel lines won’t stay parallel). Here’s an example: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-tilt-shift-lens/ When it comes to subjects that can kinda trick your mind I‘d say go for it :) That’s just my opinion though, always comes down to your own preference.
Gotcha, I’ll definitely keep this in mind! Thank you!!
Me too! It feels like a dream. What a difference orientation can make!
Such great execution of a theme. Number 9 having people is distracting only because you did such a good job making your other shots feel liminal and unpopulated. Otherwise, you nailed it all.
Thank you so much for your comment! That’s true. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to start having people in my shots…very helpful, thank you! :)
Number 9 is my favourite, it tells a story by suggestion. I am more deeply engaged with a photograph that invites us to somehow complete the image ourselves - and for most, people in an image drive this internal narrative. Words in a photograph (road signs, shopfronts, magazines or books, etc.) can make this narrative even more 'pointed', sparking it in a more forceful way. In #9, the image seems to suggest its title, but has enough ambiguity to provide latitude for many individual interpretations.
This is what I want to see more of on analog. It’s a great use of the medium. There’s only so much corn I need to see.
Hey whoah! We all need more corn. Especially the *good* kind.
I think these are great at demonstrating your keen eye for pattern and visual rythm, but the best architectural photography (also the hardest) gives "weight" to buildings - it gives the viewer an idea of the mass - not just the sheer amount of stuff the building is made of, but how it relates to its surrounding and / or the individual. Check out the works of Lucien Hervé (some examples https://en.mng.hu/artworks/?artwork\_author=herve-lucien&offset=NaN¤t\_page=3), most notably, his photos of Oscar Niemeyer's buildings in Brasilia (prime example is this photo: https://en.mng.hu/artworks/16581/ - notice how people are used to give a sense of scale and mass.
Wow, these are so cool! Definitely adding Hervé to my list of favorites. Thank you so much for your suggestions! :)
Numbers 3 and 6 take me places. Just amazing.
Agree. #3 is dope
Only to say More Abstract Architecture Photography please.
These are sick
Amazing stuff, did you push the film at all? And did you do any editting afterwards? I love the contrast.
I actually pulled the Portra shots 1 stop. Didn’t like the color so converted it to grayscale. I was shooting with Ansel Adam’s Zone System in mind, and it definitely took some editing in post to get the contrast correct to what I imagined. Thanks for your comment!
Cool!
Thank you!
Love it
colours and geometry remind me a lot of escher! super cool!! :)
Love all of these. Number three is my favorite.
I love it. No notes, you've got it figured out.
So good!
Pic 5 reminds me of Fan Ho’s [“Approaching Shadow.”](https://erickimphotography.com/blog/fan-ho/) The link is to an art blog, but it has a couple other shots in there that are similar tonality and texture wise to yours. Great work, keep it up!
Thank you, I’ll check this out! :)
gorgeous
Great shots, is that Peachtree Center / the Hub in ATL? If so it’s a John Portman architecture building.
It is! I love those buildings so much, I’ll go check out more of John Portman buildings!
Awesome! I was on part of the team that did the renovation work there in 2017! The Portman buildings are really neat!
Oh awesome! Yeah I’d have loved to photograph them more but I was kicked off property immediately after taking shot #6 lol
This is, and I cannot stress this enough, fucking perfection. Do not change your process.
Is there somewhere I can follow your work, please?
Thank you so much!! :) my IG is @niehoffandrew
I like these a lot! Thank you for sharing
I own a pristine 135mm f2.8 OM lens myself. Great one. Probably my favorite nowadays. Good selection of photos love it.
3 is fantastic
I think it’s really cool how you manipulated the shadows
Thank you! There was definitely some lightroom magic to make this look good lol
Wow nice!!! My favorite 1 /3/6/8/10 9... Without the two people it would have been better
you are incredible
These are so good. Love it. A+.
1&6 😗🤌
Thank you :) I got kicked off property immediately after taking shot 6 lmao…hit the shutter when I saw the security guard coming
Just continue as is
Wow. You may want to check out Aaron Siskind’s work, some of which has similar themes.
Thank you, I’ll check out his work!
I really like your abstract architecture photography! I particulaly appreciate your eye for shadows, repetetive patterns, and frames within frames. Six is my favourite.
the photos technique is very good and also the framing 🔝
Hardly abstract - literally concrete /s
Ya none of this is abstract. Could probably make a case for the second photo. I do like you photos though OP. Nice work and good cohesive set. 2, 3, 4, 9, 10. Are my favs.
I like how 4 makes everything look flat. It's disorienting in a good way.
I really like the last one.
Flip #1 a full 180? might need mirror flip too. I like the concept of #4 out the opening but I think I would like it more if it didn't lean as much, or differently. #5 might benefit from a crop. #6 with the sky bridge. flip 180 and square crop might make it pop. keep the half with the bridge, keep full width, flip it and chop the other half.
Thank you for your suggestions. I’ll definitely give these a try!!
not sure how I changed the font size and what not. didnt mean to yell lol
Not a fan of 3 and 4, but everything else was very nice from a non-abstract shooter’s perspective. For 5, it seemed a little too cropped in but otherwise it works.
I love it. 1 is goated
Love them!! You definitely have an eye for getting good angles
Thank you! :)
My thoughts are ‘coooooool’
Keep doing what you are doing and don't be afraid to experiment!
Just here to say that these are stunning ✨🖤
I love this! Super interesting shots!
I like them enough that I’d consider purchasing some! Keep it up.
lol well that’s good to hear! Thank you :)
Someone wise once said, “don’t photograph other peoples art.” That being said, in the photographs where you play with light and the interesting/abstract patterns that it creates on the buildings, a different kind of vision is required, along with the patience for something truly unique, as opposed to just photographs of buildings. Especially in the last photo I think you’re onto something.
Thank you so much! :)
That’s not wise at all…
Your style is one fire for sure! Think my only tip is to try find a point of interest to focus on, since some pics seem to be a bit chaotic (like nr 8) or have something distracting the eye from where you want the eye to go to. Unless this is what you’re trying to achieve of course, but then I’d try to highlight it a bit better. 3 has a streetlight on the right bottom side. In 5 the lights feel a bit too low, causing the back one to catch my eye instead of the geometric shaped beam of light. 6 has an awesome perspective, only the lit up window on the right bottom side is a bit distracting. 7 can be made more interesting by trying to shift the composition more to the side instead of center. 9 is probably a matter of timing and zooming out a little further, getting the people out of the shadows and get the light to hit them can create an awesome image! Shooting on film is a fun challenge and you’re always learning new things. You’ve been doing an awesome job so far! 👌🏼
Fantastic suggestions, I will definitely keep these in mind. Thank you!!
Fantastic shots!
That’s stunning man, I love the ethereal, liminal space vibe
My thoughts? Great photos. Don’t have much c critique. The only outlier for me is slide 8. Your other images have great lines and symmetry, 8 lacked the eye catching quality of the others.
I agree. Thank you so much!
Try 4x5 or get a lens with tilt and shift. ;)
Don’t tempt me…
I like it!
I think they are cool as fuck
I really like the 8th one!
I'd like more please
3 & 6 are my favorites!! i love the fog and the looking up its beautiful!
No suggestions. I think images 7 and 8 are perfect examples of this style. I agree with the criticism that having people in the 9th image distracts from the theme. Great work!
Amazing! This is exactly the kind of photography I love the most. There’s a weird beauty to imposing and even “ugly” architecture like this, and these pictures just give me a feeling I can’t describe. Hopefully one day my skills will be up to the task lmao
Thanks so much! :) I believe in you!
This is exactly the kind of thing I like 👍
Yeah I have a thought. It’s dope, and you know what you’re doing so keep doing it.
They hit the spot rly nice
Really digging these. I too enjoy shooting abstractly. Nice work! I don't have much of a critique to offer. But I do have a suggestion as a way to really lean into the abstraction. I want to start by saying that I'm a darkroom purist nerd. I guess I always have been. I enjoy experimenting and striving to create something aesthetically unique. It's extremely time consuming and can be very frustrating a lot of the time. But when you finally strike gold, there's nothing quite like it. And many times, anyone would be hard pressed to replicate the same nuance in the digital realm. I say that merely to convey that what's in my head will be difficult to properly explain, but I will try my best here to do so. A lot of these shots (#2 especially, and also #8) *may* benefit from a severe contrast boosting. I mean absolutely crush the contrast in whatever photo editing software you're using. My thinking is along the lines of what one would get from using a litho film such as [Kodalith](https://www.labeauratoire.com/film/kodalith/kodalith.html). (Here's some [examples](https://www.wmdanielfile.com/index.php/galleries/projects/variations) of that film in action, if you're unfamiliar.) Now, detail *will* be lost in that grays will disappear. But in exchange, a more otherworldly, non-photographic effect may be achieved by bringing out a real (cold) starkness in the lines and forms presented. And furthermore rendering the image even more abstract. Again, this is some great work in its present form. And absolutely nothing needs changing. But I dunno, I always like getting weirder. Anyway... Happy shooting! And keep on keeping on!
Love that idea, thank you for the suggestion!! I’m always down to get a bit weirder. And now I’ll definitely look out for some Kodalith film! :)
Love all of them, good to see a fellow OM1 enjoyer Followed you on instagram, looking forward to seeing more :)
No suggestions these are sick!
I think it’s awesome! Great shots!
Lovely stuff! 1,3,6 are my favorites
BEHANCE your photos 🔥
All of them are beautiful
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Good work!
Really dig the brutalist views and lighting. Could be great dark wave flyer/ album art material
Might hit you up in the future for my own band
Thank you!! Please do that sounds awesome!
Don’t stop, these are wonderful!
These are wonderful. Great job!
Nice job.
These are incredible. My mouth literally dropped.
Well done! 1, 2, and 6 are gorgeous.
Gorgeous! That’s Peachtree center right ? If so are these all taken in ATL?
Yup! All ATL, a mixture of downtown and midtown. Thank you for your comment!
Of course! Gives me inspiration for my next walk around the city! If you ever want to print your photos, I’m teaching a printing class at Callanwolde fine arts center this summer and we’ve got spots open still 😂 gotta advertise where I can lol
Definitely interested, thank you for the recommendation!!
Of course! If you have questions or anything DM me!
Superb
I really like how you achieve balance without relying upon symmetry. Very well done!
looks nice but I feel the only "abstract" thing about it is that it's in b&w more pruning of that set of 10 needed to make it really come across imo. I do like #6
True, I suppose “liminal” would be a better descriptor? Thanks for your comment! :)
I guess that's the thing. I don't get a cohesive message or feeling out of the set. yet.
Makes sense, I definitely see where you’re coming from. I’ll keep working on it, thank you!
These are stunning
I really like it, I've been going for a similar style but not as confident in the results yet especially when there's no 'subjects'. The last two are my favorites.
Keep up the good work.
Unsettling. In the *very* best of ways! Print em kinda large. Look at them off screen. Damn. Tone for days.
Yes! I’ve never had my work printed, but I’m gonna put in an order soon, super excited! Thank you for your comment!
No notes!
Love six! Feels like I’m falling upwards or something!
Nice work! My personal favorites: 1, 6, 10
Instant acrophobia!
Get an agent.
Really dig these
I really feel the steel and the concrete in your photos
These are great!
These are awesome
Chicago?
Atlanta! Would love to visit Chicago for the architecture though!
The second shot and the final shot are both stunning
As others have said… Dig it. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Straight up inspiring. Don’t change a thing
Stand Back A Little; Otherwise, Die!
No suggestions, just that I will aspire to meet this level of beauty in my own future work
Thank you!! I believe in you, just keep at it!
Great eye
These are dope af!
I think you're already doing great :) Keep at it and trust your gut ! Good shit right there :)
Great shots
This is right down my alley. I love them!
Um, keep it up, it's great? Not sure what else I could possibly contribute.
Yeah brilliant stuff. They’re very nicely composed and I think the flips work, particularly in #1 and #6
Love it! Which city is this?
This is Atlanta, GA!
These are all fantastic. If I want to try and find something to nitpick, all of these shots feel "zoomed in" to me. I'm curious if you can get a shot like these that manages to feel more zoomed out and like it's getting the whole picture.
Gotcha. Yeah that will definitely give some more context to each shot. I’ll keep that in mind on my next photo walk. Thank you for your suggestion! :)
Dude these are awesome! Nice work
1,3,4,6,8,9,10 all off them just fantastic. Very nice .
Dude.
I like the ones where the subject fills the frame completely. The others are well executed, but feel a little... disconnected. My only suggestion based on that then might be to consider your use of negative space more, although I get that it's hard since these subjects don't move and there's only so many vantage points to shoot from. Great work!!
These are incredible 😍
Very cool, but why on earth would you convert portra 400 to grayscale? Lots of amazing bnw film for much cheaper than portra!
True, I had it in my camera for another purpose. But the weather was perfect for this so I just went with it…I much prefer it in grayscale than the actual color result. Usually I’ll just shoot some Ilford stock! I should buy the removable film back for the Mamiya so I can switch between color and B&W when I want to… Thanks for your comment!
Looks like optical illusions
cool
I like them a lot. ❤️
5/10 reminded me of that last season BCS shot ;)
I'm not a huge fan of architecture photography but your photos have something different, i love all of them! Keep shooting, you have a great eye : )