Page 3 - NyghtVision Magazine Volume 3 #2

welcome

from falcon

n this issue, our focus is on architectural and construction photography. While at first blush
they may appear to be the same genre, despite their significant overlap, they are very different
disciplines with divergent expectations and requirements. Some of the challenges they pose are
the same, but in the final analysis the emotional experience in itself—plus how we capture and

I convey this emotional experience—is quite different.
Architectural photography is about the experience of lines and curves and space. Here, we turn our at-
tention to the emotional and aesthetic experience of space. How we capture the experience of that space

is bound to the moment we encounter a particular building and not the process of building it.
In contrast, construction photography is about capturing the experience of the process, and so, our
focus shifts to the thoughtful and often painstaking attention to detail. In construction photography, we
convey the emotional experience by capturing essential elements such as people and steel and concrete.
Because these disciplines converge in the finished building, one of the most significant challenges

we face is how to maintain the delicate balance between the two when we photograph a finished space.
Learning how to walk this line took time and patience and practice, especially since both disciplines
proved to be far more complex and demanding than we had initially thought. We have honed our Nyght-

Vision Methodology and understanding of light in response to the technical problems we’ve faced while
shooting buildings. For instance, there are few photographic challenges that can rival photographing a
room with mirrored surfaces everywhere. It’s amazing how, under certain conditions, even a wall painted
in a satin finish can become a mirror.
The architectural and construction disciplines are both physically demanding. Photographing an

apartment complex or finished office building is quite taxing, and despite our regular workouts, we often
finish day-long shoots sore and exhausted. In winter 2010, we photographed a building under construc-
tion in nearly zero degree weather. The steel girders were icy and slick, which made every step a potential

hazard. As photographers, we have to react quickly when a great moment presents itself. Moving too
quickly, however, can be dangerous—and I have several scars to prove it.
Also in this issue: Fresh photo essays by both Andy Walcott and Lew Brown. Our product reviews re-
turn, Lighting the Un-lightable continues, The Vegas Chronicles begin, and The Paris Chronicles nearly
come to an end. Lastly, we debut a new series of essays. The theme of the series is "Poetically Man

Dwells," after the essay by Martin Heidegger, and the articles featured will shift focus to the philosophi-
cal side of who we are and what we do.

Falcon

editor-in-chief

SPRING 2013 | 3