London is known worldwide for its architecture. Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and St. Paul’s Cathedral are only a few of the famous landmarks in a city that draws millions of tourists every year. Yet any Londoner can tell you that great architecture exists everywhere in the city, from the colorful townhouses of Notting Hill, to the historical buildings of Greenwich, to the stately residences of Kensington. In fact, the capital of the United Kingdom has entire eras of architectural style visible in some of its buildings, going as far back as the Baroque. Yet it also has survived fires, wars, riots, plagues, and even floods, making for many periods of loss and rebuilding. The result is a place where movements and styles throughout its long history exist closely together, making architectural photography in London as exciting as the city itself.
At Wonderful Machine, we define architectural photography as being primarily concerned with the inside or outside of a structure, more so than the furnishings or decor in or around it. It should demonstrate a high degree of technical proficiency including perspective control and the ability to handle mixed lighting. Here are the seven best London architectural photographers.
Adept in photographing seemingly any kind of structure, Nick Guttridge is about as perfect as could be for this list. Between his focusing on the finer details of a building as well as his utilizing of different perspectives to get its most striking angles, Nick is very attuned to communicating the intentions of architects and designers.
My main role is to help both large and small architectural practices raise their profiles.
With experience in working both with large crews and solo, Nick tailors his shoots to capture exactly what makes a structure special. In a city so populated, architectural photography in London is hard to imagine without the presence of people, and Nick uses this to his full advantage to further accentuate the impact of the designs he is shooting. But instead of directing the people featured in his work, he allows them to react naturally to what they encounter, getting something very genuine in the process.
Born in South Africa, Robert Greshoff moved to London in 2004 and has made a career photographing projects for the architectural, engineering, and construction sectors. Robert has a true strength in using the rich and vibrant colors already inherent to the buildings and interiors he shoots in order to create an exciting image. He also makes brilliant use of the time of day and how it affects the places he photographs, giving a high-spirited flair to his daytime shots as well as a quiet beauty to those in the evening. For a London architectural photographer with such talent in documenting the human achievement in the diverse buildings he has shot, Robert also is a very accomplished landscape photographer and painter who has just as much an affinity for the natural world.
Rory Gardiner has worked all over the world to bring us his fascinating vision of space and structure. Shooting museums, business centers, and residences alike, Rory finds a thread between them all in his use of naturalistic lighting combined with the striking geometry of the structures in front of him. With a focus on modern architecture, it’s easy to feel as though you are peering into the world of the future when looking at his work. Often finding pale colors adorning the sprawling structures and rooms he captures, Rory has a visual identity in everything that he does, bringing a unique artistry to architectural photography in London that few can compare to.
Marcus Peel knew early on that photography was his calling. First discovering it in secondary school, he grew interested in its ties to geometry, form, symmetry, and abstraction.
Architecture serves as my inspiration. It’s compatible with the way that I view the world and how I respond to it through the camera. I’m a perfectionist at heart which is fundamental to my photography; both in the observation of light and form, as well as composition.
After assisting two architectural photographers right out of school, Marcus turned his passion into an official career in 2000. Using his own physical position in relation to the building or room he is shooting, he brings a masterful perspective to his images and highlights the skills and aims of the designers. As a London architectural photographer who works with numerous clients and publications, Marcus Peel stands out as someone who seeks what is authentic about a design and captures it as accurately as possible. Recent awards include Winner of the 2022 Fotofestival Lenzburg Open Call re:sources 2.0 and Honour Award Winner of the AIALA Architectural Photography Awards.
Originally from Hamburg, Germany, Heiko Prigge discovered his love of photography during a road trip across the United States. He learned his craft in assisting established photographers, including Terry O’Neill and Mark Abrahams, and now works all over the world. Heiko’s work is often an exciting blend of a modern style building and its interaction with the nature around it, which gives the viewer a closer sense of what it might be like to happen upon these interesting structures in real life. Passionate about the storytelling potential in photography, Heiko also incorporates people into his work, which effectively shows the typically vast scale of the locations he is shooting while also bringing us deeper into the reality of being there.
Clients include: Adidas, Architectural Digest, BMW, Channel 4, Davidoff, dezeen, Die Zeit, Frieze Art Fair, Grundig, Harrods, HEM (Sweden), Jaguar Lexus, New York Times Magazine, Neue Zürcher Zeitung Magazine, Nike, Vogue VW, Wimbledon Woolrich
Born in Wales and growing up in Pakistan, Zishan Kahn developed a fascination with architectural photography by living near the Karakoram mountain range, learning early on that architecture often imitates nature.
I work to emphasize each project’s distinct characteristics – how the structure catches light, the flow of its facade, the way it relates to its surrounding environment and community.
Operating with the same level of finesse and perfection as the architects who designed the structures he is capturing, Zishan is extremely skillful in framing his photographs to highlight the striking traits of each. Focusing on the shapes and symmetry within the design, Zishan also makes strong use of a building’s colors in relation to the world around it, especially the sky, to set a powerful mood. He is also a heavily experienced London architectural photographer in documenting an entire construction or renovation of a building, working closely with his clients to document their values and present the process of their work at its finest.
Clients Include: Mother London, British Land plc, Ballymore Group, Altis Hotel Group, Great Portland Estates, Fletcher Priest Architects, Wing Tai Properties Ltd, Ormond Hotel Group, Whitepaperco Ltd, Evershot Studios, Sutton Young, Stepladder, Uber
If there is one thing that defines Sean Pollock’s work, it is diversity. He clearly appreciates the challenge of working within new settings, yet brings the same amount of warmth to every place he captures. This is shown through the bright colors he often incorporates as well as the people he documents interacting with the space. Yet Sean’s work often also focuses on the details that make a structure exciting to behold, allowing the curves and the angles to tell the story as to what makes certain buildings so inspiring.
Clients Include: The Sunday Times Magazine, BBC Television, Halfords, UCL, Canary Wharf Group, NHS, GKN, ITV, Hodder and Stoughton, Jones and Palmer Design, Barr Gazetas, Little Brown Publishing, Hackney Council, City of London, First Base, SEUK, Studio Eleven.
Considering all of the work that goes into the design and building of a structure, it’s appropriate to have that same level of dedication reflected in the photographer shooting it. With its rich history of building and rebuilding, architectural photography in London presents opportunities like few other cities can, and these seven photographers exemplify the level of passion and commitment that its legacy deserves.
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