Imagery of New York City architecture is everywhere in the media. Its skyline, buildings, and bridges are icons of the modern world and landmarks of innovation and engineering. The cityscape has been the backdrop of so many dramas and global events of our time. At times, it feels like the stage of the modern world where events become history. Our idea of what the city is has been shaped through the lenses of many architecture photographers in New York. They have documented life in the city throughout the last century and into the present day.
At Wonderful Machine, we define Architecture photography as imagery that emphasizes the built environment as such. It refers to photography that’s primarily concerned with the inside or outside of a structure, as well as the qualities that define the space (more so than the furnishings or decor in or around it). Architecture photography should demonstrate a high degree of technical proficiency including perspective control and the ability to handle mixed lighting.
New York architecture photographers represent a diverse range of styles, aesthetics, and methods. Each photographer in this article introduces their unique voice and vision to the discourse. Their images create a narrative that enriches our understanding of the city’s architectural landscape and the global design vernacular. Here we feature seven New York-based architecture photographers who have established themselves internationally within their field.
New York native Mike van Tassell has lived, studied, and worked in the city all his life. He has over 15 years of experience as a photographer, art director, and creative director working directly with architects and designers to achieve their visions. After studying Graphic Arts and Architecture at City University of New York, his artistic vision continues to influence his work. Mike’s Architecture photography represents a synthesis of technical rigor and artistic nuance. He works with natural light and the dynamics of built spaces, drawing out the qualities that make them unique. Mike works directly with clients to realize their creative projects. His work has been published in Interior Design Magazine, Elle Decor, and Luxe Interiors & Design, among others.
New York architecture photographer John Muggenborg has worked closely with architects and designers throughout his career. He creates imagery that describes space through visual storytelling. His background in both Architecture and Fine Arts Photography at Ball State University guides his approach to his work. John creates expansive imagery that opens built spaces and highlights their nuances. Since his early experiments building analog cameras, John has integrated digital technologies and methods to develop high-quality commercial imagery. He has captured landmark buildings in New York and beyond as well as residential and commercial spaces around the country. John works with high-profile architects and designers and has been published in renowned publications like Architecture Digest and The New York Times.
Colin Miller shoots diverse architecture projects across the world. He has had his work published in esteemed publications like Architectural Digest, Interior Design Magazine, and Elle Décor among others. Educated at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, he has worked with both fine arts and commercial photography throughout his career. Colin captures residential and commercial spaces with a clean and refined composition. His careful attention to light and dynamics of space produces imagery with depth and enlivened lighting. Whether working with natural or artificial light, Colin creates immersive imagery that amplifies spaces. He has published a photobook entitled “Hotel Chelsea: Living in the Last Bohemian Haven”. In it, he profiles residents of the legendary hotel through portraits and documenting their dwellings.
Attention to detail and clean composition are qualities that characterize Andy Ryan’s architecture photography. He works with diverse clients in the Northeast and around the world shooting commercial and residential buildings for architects and editorials alike. His images frame built spaces in refined compositions that accentuate their flow and structure. Andy works closely with designers, architects, and editors to create imagery that vitalizes their designs, realizes their ideas, and narrates their stories. After a decade in advertising on the West Coast, Andy has been freelancing in NYC. He has since been published in the New York Times, Architectural Digest, and Domino Magazine.
FRAME Studios is a collective of photographers and filmmakers working across diverse genres to create dynamic imagery for global brands. On both large and small-scale architecture projects alike, they bring a comprehensive skillset that produces high-quality architectural imagery. Whether shooting a single-family home in Palm Springs or the Hudson Yards in NYC, their clean aesthetic with an emphasis on composition and natural light is apparent in every image. FRAME Studios works closely with clients, be they architects or editorials, to create imagery that accentuates design. Their collective experience and talent continues to deliver quality imagery day in and day out.
Zoe Wetherall is originally from Melbourne, Australia but has made New York City her home. She focuses primarily on Architecture and Interiors Photography, with an emphasis on the beauty of simplicity developed in her study of fine-arts photography. With over 15 years of experience, Zoe focuses on the details and subtleties of built spaces while maintaining and building relationships with clients, architects, and designers. Throughout her work, she draws out the minimalist beauty of built spaces with composed visually striking images. Her work has been recognized through numerous international awards around the world.
Evan Joseph’s photographs have graced the cover of The New York Times Homes Magazine over 20 times. His stunning view photos of New York City have won him major advertising campaigns for the One World Observatory at One World Trade Center, Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, The Woolworth Building, among other high-profile clients. He shoots commercial spaces, offices, and residential spaces, as well as architectural masterpieces. The world’s leading developers and hoteliers regularly entrust him to create brand-defining images. Evan’s photographs have been featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, US Weekly, Stern, New York Magazine, and HOME Magazine.
Architecture photographers in New York work in one of the most competitive marketplaces in the world. They work with world-renowned clients and architects to document the iconic structures of the modern world and the designs that characterize the contemporary vernacular. The New York Architecture Photographers collected here have all built careers on their distinctive styles and abilities to capture and narrate the dynamics of the built world.
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