My Architectural Photo Portfolio: 40 Pictures I’m Proud Of


Architectural Photo portfolio

Do my architectural photos stand the test of time? Well yes I think they do and let me tell you and show you exactly why.

My Architectural Photo Portfolio: 40 Pictures I’m Proud Of. Here are 40 photos that made up my architectural photography portfolio in 2018 which are still looking good today. These are great examples of my architectural photography work covering a range of interior and exterior building settings.

Lets get straight into those images.

Portfolio Image Number 1 – A stunning private Library in Dorset

Image number one in my architectural photography portfolio is this lovely private library in Dorset photographed for the architect Andrew Stone.

A stunning, timeless classical space that was a joy to photograph.

Captured on my Canon 5D with Canon 17-40mm lens.

Portfolio Image 2 – Wine rack in Lucca – something different!

Wine Rack. Lucca. Italy.

Image number 2 in my architectural photography portfolio is this picture of a wine rack in a restaurant in Lucca, Italy.

I was walking past this restaurant and noticed this stunning wall of wine. I popped my head in, pointed at my camera and the wall to the waiter who kindly nodded, took three photos and off I went.

Portfolio Image Number 3 – this stylish Sandbanks kitchen with a sea view

 Stylish Sandbanks Kitchen by interior photographer Rick McEvoy Stylish Sandbanks Kitchen by interior photographer Rick McEvoy

Just a stunning kitchen in a stylish house in Sandbanks with a sea view and its own mooring.

There is a tale of woe about not getting one of the coolest photography jobs in Sandbanks, but I will console myself with the fact that I got this shot!

Portfolio Image Number 4 – Seating with a view at the University of Southampton

 Seating at the University of Southampton Seating at the University of Southampton

Seating with a view at the University of Southampton. This picture was photographed for the architect, Kendall Kingscott as part of the refurbishment of two floors of a building in the city centre of Southampton.

I like this picture. Of all the images I took this is my favourite, as it tells a story of the view from the seats looking out over the city of Southampton

Portfolio Image Number 5 – A bright sunny classroom in Poole

 Clasroom in Poole by Rick McEvoy ABIPP Architectural Photographer in Dorset Clasroom in Poole by Rick McEvoy ABIPP Architectural Photographer in Dorset

Bright, sunny space with lots of natural daylight and a sea view. Do school classrooms get any better than this?

My only regret with this photo is that I did not have time to set the chairs out but to be honest no one has ever said anything about this, so I guess it is just me being picky.

After all I have looked at this image far too many times now.

This picture was part of a commission for the architect, Kendall Kingscott. The school is in Poole, with the client being the Borough of Poole.

Portfolio Image Number 6 – a stunning new interior space created using glass

 New room by Rick McEvoy Interior Photographer New room by Rick McEvoy Interior Photographer

Now this is different. This picture was taken for Etchingham Morris Architecture Limited.

This is stunning room, created by adding a glass wall and ceiling to the former external space making this fantastic light, bright internal link between the two parts of the building.

This was possibly one of the brightest rooms I have ever been in – thankfully my planning meant I got some bright sunshine but also lots of white fluffy clouds giving the sky more interest.

This picture was taken with my Canon 6D, Canon 17-40mm lens and Manfrotto 190 Go tripod.

Portfolio Image Number 7 – a stunning country kitchen

So many features in this lovely country kitchen. For this shot I wanted the range, worktops and that lovely light coming in through the window and door.

Obviously with the lights on and daylight coming in through the window a white balance nightmare but thankfully I done this a few times before so all good!

Portfolio Image Number 8 – lovely light at the top of the stairs

I like the light in this scene. Thats all!

Natural light through the window to the left, and the warm light on the stairs to the right.

Another white balance nightmare sorted with my experience and a piece of grey card!

Photo taken with my Canon 6D and  Canon 17-40mm lens placed on my Manfrotto 190 Go tripod.

Portfolio Image Number 9 – a stunning private library

 Library by Rick McEvoy interior photographer Library by Rick McEvoy interior photographer

Portfolio image number 9 today, this is the view looking the other way from the photo posted yesterday, giving that mix of natural and artificial light.

Yes amother provate library – these rooms make such fantastic subjects to photograph.

Portfolio Image Number 10 – a lovely stylish sitting room

 Sitting room by interior photographer Rick McEvoy Sitting room by interior photographer Rick McEvoy

Lovely interior photographed for the architect Etchingham Morris Architecture Limited.

Taken with my Canon 6D, Canon 17-40mm lens, both on my Manfrotto 190 Go tripod.

This is a three shot bracketed image capture merged together in Lightroom to produce a natural looking HDR image. I do this to get the most out of a scene, which sometimes is not possible with one image capture.

Portfolio Image Number 11 – A farmhouse transformed by architectural flair

 Rick McEvoy ABIPP - Interior Photographer in Dorset Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Interior Photographer in Dorset

Where the rooflight is there used to be nothing but a gap betweem two farm buildings. The architect enclosed the gap between the two farm buildings producing this wonderful, bright, modern stylish space.

In this photo I have tried to capture the light coming in from the new structure, as well as the scale of the interior space.

And what a stunning space this is.

Portfolio Image Number 12 – An old derelict barn converted into an ultra-stylish summer house

 Summershouse by Rick McEvoy - architecture photographer Summershouse by Rick McEvoy – architecture photographer

This photo of a derelict barn conversion was taken for the architect Etchingham Morris Architecture Limited.

This is a summer house like no other – I could happily live in it!!

Portfolio Image Number 13 – a conservatory with lots of lovely light

Rick McEvoy Photography – Interior Photographer in Dorset

This conservatory was a pleasnat surprise as I worked my way through this stunning house on a lovely private estate. The space worked perfectly in relation to the other spaces in this wonderful house.

Portfolio Image Number 14 – Lovely features and light in this hallway

 Light from the front door by Rick McEvoy ABIPP - Interior Photographer Light from the front door by Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Interior Photographer

Quite often when on an architectural shoot a scene not on my shot list just catches my eye. This is one of those times. I was walking to the front door when I stopped – the scene above just caught my eye.

I liked the symmetry of the scene, with the flowers to the left, the dresser to the right and all that lovely light shiing in through the front porch giving just a glimpse of the outside.

This is why I love interior photography – getting the opportunity to capture such wonderful scenes and light. And the work of those very clever people called architects.

Portfolio Image Number 15 – Lovely living open living space in this country residence

Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Country residence photographer in Dorset

More classical, timeless interior loveliness in another stunning interior space.

I am very fortunate to be given the opportunity to visit and photograph such wonderful spaces.

Portfolio Image Number 16 – a games room with a difference!

 Relaxing area by Rick McEvoy ABIPP - Country House Photographer Relaxing area by Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Country House Photographer

This is one of my favourite rooms to photograph. This games room with bar was constructed in an extension to an amazing coutry house.

The extension was designed by Etchingham Morris Architecture Limited.

There so much detail in this wonderful new space, so much character and of course things for me to have to think about framing. I love interior design and the way things work together to make a wonderful space like this.

One of the aims of my architectural photography work is to capture all the work done by the architect in one photo, which I tried to do here.

This photo was taken using my Canon 6D and Canon 17-40mm lens safely mounted on my Manfrotto 190 Go tripod with XPro geared head.

Portfolio Image Number 17 – lovely decor and subtle lighting in this relaxing space

 Interior design photography by Rick McEvoy Interior design photography by Rick McEvoy

Like I said yesterday, I just love photographing interior design.

Editing this image was a joy. Very subtle processing highlighting the main features whilst maintaining the mood of the room was required here to replicate all those lovely tones, textures and colours.

Portfolio Image Number 18 – Another bright light vibrant converted space

 Architectural photography by Rick McEvoy Architectural photography by Rick McEvoy

Another interior photograph taken for the architect Etchingham Morris Architecture Limited.

A wonderful new space created in this barn conversion, with a living and dining room and separate kitchen on the ground floor.

The exposed beams and a wall of light made this a fascinating space for me to photograph.

Portfolio Image Number 19 – the bar at Sopley Mill, a great Dorset wedding venue

 Sopley Mill - a great Dorset Wedding Venue Sopley Mill – a great Dorset Wedding Venue

Finally a place used by the public that I can write about! Sopley Mill is a wonderful wedding venue in Dorset, where you can hire out the entire building and grounds.

The refurbishment was managed by Etchingham Morris Architecture Limited, and I was commissioned by them to photograph the interior, exterior and grounds for their new website.

This particular shoot took place over a number of visits, culminating with the interior shoot as the building was being prepared for a wedding!

I met the photographer who was booked to photograph the wedding the next day, which convinced that I was right to make the decision a long time ago to not photograph weddings!

This is the lovely bar on the ground floor, with a great mix of natural and artificial light.

Portfolio Image Number 20 – a semi-circular staircase

 Interior photography by Rick McEvoy Interior photography by Rick McEvoy

Yes, a semi-circular staircase in a house!

I included this photo as it was a unique staircase connecting new and old parts of this lovely house in Dorset.

Portfolio Image 21 – the first of my exterior images is this wonderful church in Dorset

 Chideock Catholic Church, Dorset Chideock Catholic Church, Dorset

This is one of my favourite locations to photograph in DorsetChideock Catholic Church. I was commissioned by the architect, Andrew Stone, to photograph the new roof to this lovely traditional catholic church.

This is the view from the pirvate side of the church. I wanted to include the lovely grounds in the foreground, which you can see in this photo.

This was taken with my Canon 5d Mk1 – I have been going on about the validity of older cameras for a while now, and this image is a case in point.

Check out this article on Improve Photography – Full frame DSLR photography without breaking the bank – this is how I do it

No-one has looked at this image and turned away in disgust because it was taken on a 12 megapixel camera released in 2005!

Portfolio Image Number 22 – Poundbury architecture in Dorset

 Photo of Poundbury Architecture by Rick McEvoy ABIPP Photo of Poundbury Architecture by Rick McEvoy ABIPP

I have photographed a number of buildings at Poundbury for a number of clients.

This photograph was part of a commission for John Simpson Architects, who designed some of the buildings on this intriguing urban development on the outskirts of Dorset.

I had to photograph a number of buildings over the course of a day, working through drawings showing the views required.

All I had to do was get to each viewpoint at the right time light wise and take the photos.

Thankfully I can read drawings so not a problem.

It was a long but very enjoyable day!

I could literally spend days photographing the buildings at Poundbury without running out of either enthusiasm or new things to photograph!

Portfolio Image Number 23 – Travelodge Southampton Central

 Travelodge Southampton Central by Rick McEvoy Hotel Photographer Travelodge Southampton Central by Rick McEvoy Hotel Photographer

This picture was part of an interesting commission photographing Travelodge Hotels in Hampshire!

I had to photograph 6 hotels by a pretty stiff deadline, and of course the main issue was the unpredictable weather!

This picture of the Southampton Central Travelodge was one of those types of photos I had always wanted to take, and I love the effect!

Portfolio Image Number 24 – Construction product shoot in Dorset

 Construction product shoot - KRend applied to new houses in Poole Construction product shoot – KRend applied to new houses in Poole

I was commissioned by the render manufacturer and installer KRend to photograph their products used on these stunning new houses in Poole.

The KRend is all the white stuff you can see in this photo. Very clean, sharp and modern.

Portfolio Image Number 25 – a funky modern piece of architecture in Portsmouth

 Modern architecture in Porstsmouth Modern architecture in Porstsmouth

This was a chance shot. See the white reflection in the glazed units? That was what I was photographing – the recladding of some huge tower blocks in Portsmouth City Centre.

I had my Canon 6D set up on my Manfrotto tripod, and was waiting for the sun to appear. I literally walked round the corner to see what was happening with the weather, and saw this funky modern building which I did not know existed!

I took my camera off my tripod and grabbed two shots of this building before the sun started to emerge from the clouds and I had to get back to work.

The photo shoot I was working on was for Rockwool by the way.

This chance shot made it into my portfolio!

I have kept this bit which I posted in the series of blog posts as a separate post. Just in case you were wondering!

​A few thoughts on the interior photos from my architectural photography portfolio

That was the 20 interior images from my architectural photography portfolio – what have I learned?

I was meant to provide a bit of a break after the 20 interior images in my architectural photography portfolio. I missed that but no matter, I will do that just now after image number 25. Lets just pretend that I did this 5 days ago…..

Why am I posting my Architectural Photography Portfolio now?

As a reminder, I submitted 40 images to the BIPP to support my application for Associateship Membership, which was successful.

My interior photography

I really enjoy photographing the interiors of buildings and have been very fortunate to photograph some very special buildings for architects and property owners.

There is something about photographing a lovely room in a classic English Country house which I just love. And processing the images is a joy too.

And my recent work gave me plenty of interior photographs to chose from.

My evolution as a photographer

I will write a full post about my evolution over the 7 years that it has taken to create the images which constitute my professional architectural photography portfolio. I will do this after I have posted and written about all the 40 images on my photography blog.

My professional photography qualification – ABIPP

Tomorrow I will be back to my architectural photography posts. I have said it before but I will say it again – I am tremendously proud to have achieved the designation of Associateship in the British Institute of Professional Photography – this is why I am posting my portfolio set in celebration.

I qualified as a Licentiate Member in 2014, and deferred my application for Associateship last year as I was not happy with the set of images.

Why I submitted my application to the BIPP for Associateship when I did

It was when I set the targets for my photography business for 2018 that I decided to pursue my application again. I cunningly set myself the target of achieving my ABIPP in 2018. That worked, giving me the metaphorical kick up the you know what that I clearly needed.

Well this and the fact that I had lots more images to a much higher standard that I was much happier with.

So that is what I did. Goal achieved – ABIPP. Insert logo to the right

ABIPP is defined by the BIPP as

“A high standard of craftsmanship and creative ability”

Yep – that is me now. How utterly excellent.

OK I will shut up now and tomorrow it is back to the portfolio for another 15 days.

Portfolio Image Number 26 – A major building refurbishment in Hampshire

 Refurbishment at Horndean Technology College - Rick McEvoy ABIPP - Construction Photographer in Hampshire Refurbishment at Horndean Technology College – Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Construction Photographer in Hampshire

This is one of those photos that tells the whole story in one image.

The story is this.

The complete refurbishment of this building at Horndean Technology College in Hampshire, and the provision of a new garden which is very prominenet in the foreground. And very important to the users of this building.

The vapour trail of the plane was really there.

And the white van in front of the building to the right was removed using Photoshop. Obviously you can’t see it now, and neither can you tell that it was there at the time!

This was an HDR image captured using my Canon 6D, which was placed on top of the corner fence post, with the compostion done though me peering through the not so great LCD screen on my Canon 6D in Live View mode.

I was stood on top of a low wall.

And the shot is one of the best construction shots that I have taken. This is down to a combination of factors.

  • Timing
  • Light
  • Composition
  • Viewpoint
  • Technical image capture

Which all combine to give an image that has received so many positive comments.

The client for this project was Hampshire County Council, the architect was Kendall Kingscott, and the main contractor was Raymond Brown Construction, now known as Knights Brown.

Portfolio Image Number 27 – Winchester School of Art

 New entrance to the Library at the Winchester School of Art - Rick McEvoy ABIPP - Architectural Photographer in Winchester

New entrance to the Library at the Winchester School of Art – Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Architectural Photographer in Winchester

Just a stunning extension to the library.

Portfolio Image 28 – An interesting extension to a school in Poole

 Hamworthy Park Junior School - Rick McEvoy Photography - architectural photography in Dorset Hamworthy Park Junior School – Rick McEvoy Photography – architectural photography in Dorset

This is one of those exterior images that took a lot of time to produce. Firstly in the image capture. There was a lot of preparation and planning, along with three visits and a lot of waiting for the right conditions and no people to be in shot! 

And then there was the processing, which was a challenge. The render has a green tint within, which I had to accurately recreate. A very subtle green through colour render – see I know about all this good stuff!

I managed to do this, then hand the epic task of dealing with my nemesis (I would have said nemesises but not sure how to spell it?) – which are

  • Gravel
  • Chewing gum

A lot of spot removal and clone stamping work in Photoshop to give the appearance of a smooth new playground. 

This extension, photographed for the architect Kendall Kingscott, was nominated for an LABC award – my images were used as part of the submission. I don’t think it won – well if it did no one told me! 

Portfolio Image 29 – estate agent photography in Poole with style

 Rick McEvoy Photography - Estate Agent Photography in Poole Rick McEvoy Photography – Estate Agent Photography in Poole

This is one of my favourite exterior photos of a recently constructed house in Poole. A stunning recently constructed house in Poole that is.

Photographed for the architect, Kendall Kingscott, this house is one of a pair in a luxury development in Poole not far from the sea. The main contractor was Spetisbury Construction.

And the secret to this photo?

A painters pole……..

Portfolio Image 30 – just a lovely house in the country

 Rick McEvoy Photography - Architectural Photography in Dorset and Hampshire Rick McEvoy Photography – Architectural Photography in Dorset and Hampshire

This is why I love my work. I get to photograph buildings like this. This is not a place you would ever find yourself passing – it really is out in the countryside.

And the weather was perfect on the day, dry, bright with interesting clouds. Work doesnt get any better for me.

Portfolio Image 31 – a different view adds impact

 A different angle - creative architectural photography in Dorset A different angle – creative architectural photography in Dorset

This shot was taken as I was walking back to my car after photographing this stunning farmhouse conversion.

It was the last shot, and not one I was planning on taking – I had already photographed the front of the property in better light with a more conventional view on arrival.

But I am always looking out for new angles and views, and of course what the light is doing.

I got my Manfrotto 190 Go tripod as low as I could, framed the image, focussed and got this.

I could not see the image properly on the screen of my Canon 6D, so I had to lie down and frame the shot the best I could using the viewfinder whilst staring into the sun.

Happily focus and exposure were both good – that is the benefit of experience I guess!

I love getting new angles on shoots, and also breaking the rules – in this case shooting straight into the sun.

Portfolio Image 32 – a stunning converted barn in the countryside

 Rick McEvoy - Country House Photographer Rick McEvoy – Country House Photographer

Another image commissioned by the architect Etchingham Morris Architecture Ltd, part of the shoot of a lovely convterted barn in the grounds of another stunning country residence.

Portfolio Image 33 – a stunning house with a cool water feature

 Country house photographer - Rick McEvoy ABIPP Country house photographer – Rick McEvoy ABIPP

Sometimes I wish my legs were longer. They were just long enough to get this view – handheld straddling the water channel right below me.

Taking the shot was ok – it was the getting back up that was challenge!

Thankfully the Canon 6D with Canon 17-40mm lens are quite small and lightweight!

Portfolio Image 34 – a low angle and burst of sunlight

 Rick McEvoy ABIPP - Architectural Photographer in Dorset Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Architectural Photographer in Dorset

On this shoot the clouds, which you can see in this photo, were completely spoling things. It was meant to be a sunny day with a bit of clouds, not a cloudy day with a bit of sun.

I resequenced the shoot, and started taking interior images of this lovely house – not ideal but this is England after all and it is virtually impossible to photograph exclusively in good weather.

I kept an eye out for the sun, and spotted a gap in the clouds, raced out and got this shot.

I deliberately composed this image so the sun was just creeping over the junction of the two roofs.

Portfolio Image 35 – just a barn!

 Architectural photography in Dorset by Rick McEvoy Architectural photography in Dorset by Rick McEvoy
 Architectural photography in Dorset by Rick McEvoy Architectural photography in Dorset by Rick McEvoy

This is the gear I use on most commercial architectural shoots.

Canon 6D

Manfrotto 190 Go Tripod with geared head

Canon 17-40mm lens

Portfolio Image 36 – a stunning country residence

 Country house photography by Rick McEvoy Country house photography by Rick McEvoy

I know – maybe next year….

Portfolio Image number 37 – New house in Wiltshire

 Architectural Photography in Wiltshire Architectural Photography in Wiltshire

This was a shoot where the direction of the sun was not in my favour, so much so that having got the mandatory images I needed I went off to photograph the local church. Thankfully the church was rather stunning, with a lovely sunset.

I returned after sunset, having already asked the house owner to turn on all the lights so I couldget some interest from within the building after the sun had set.

Considering the circumstances I am really pleased with this image.

Portfolio image number 38 – Sopley Mill in Dorset in the blue hour

 Architectural photography at this Dorset wedding venue, Sopley Mill Architectural photography at this Dorset wedding venue, Sopley Mill

It’s called the blue hour for a reason. And I love this time of day. Just look at that lovely natural blue light, which perfectly offsets the lights shining out from the mill.

This was the effect I was after, and also what my client, Etchingham Morris Architecture Limited, requested.

You never know what you are going to end up doing on a shoot. On ths one I had to go round the enire mill and make sure all the lights were on, which was a challenge considering that people were setting up for a wedding the next day. Once they had finished in a room the good folks would turn the lights off – meaning I had to leg it back up there and turn them on again!

And I had to wait for people going in and out of the building with all the stuff needed for a wedding!

But these are just things that we photographers have to contend with – all part of the job.

Sopley Mill is a wedding venue in Dorset – and this is as close as I want to get to wedding photography!

A bit about the image capture.

The first exposure was 0.3 second, F8, ISO400. The second image, the two stop underexposed image, was captured using a shuttter speed of 1/13th second. The third, two stop overexposed image, was captured using a shutter speed of 1.3 seconds.

This is called HDR bracketing, and I do this to capture a wider dynamic range than I can in a single image capture.

Basically I get more of the lights and more of the darks.

Once you have got your head round this it is great to use, and now that Lightroom is much better merging the files together in Lightroom is really slick.

Here are the other things that you might want to know about this shot

Camera – Canon 6D

Lens – Canon 17-40mm lens

19mm focal length used

Manfrotto 055 tripod

Taken at 4.55pm one November day

And the last image in my architectural photography portfolio is The Beacon in Ferndown at night

 Rick McEvoy ABIPP - photographer, photography blogger Rick McEvoy ABIPP – photographer, photography blogger

Blimey. The last image in my portfolio. The Beacon, St Mary’s Church, Ferndown, Dorset.

A night shot pocessed when Lightroom was at its worst. I remember that now. Thankfully all that is now behind me/ all of us Lightroom users.

How I got the shot

Taking the image was fine – I just had to get the lights left on and wait for cars to stop pulling into the car park! It was my third visit, so I knew which shots I wanted to get. And I knew that cars pulled in on the right, headlights shining straight on the facade of the building.

Be prepared – which I was. I took these images during a break in the traffic!

A word on composition

This was the only location from which I could fit in the whole of the sign and the extension – the critical parts of this photo for the architects, Etchingham Morris Architecture Limited.

And what you can tell from this photo is that there are loads of trees that I was stood amoongst to take this shot. If I moved back the trees appear in the shot.

Somtimes compostion is nothing more than moving around to get the right image, like in this case.

I compose my images carefully, and rarely crop an architectural image. This was pointed out to me in my BIPP portfolio review, which I had not noticed or thought about before.

My application for Associateship of the BIPP was successful, hence me posting my entire portfolio in my photography blog. Well it is my blog after all so why not??

Technical Stuff

Three exposures, 1/4 second, 1/15th second, 1 second, all at F8, ISO400.

Canon 6D, Canon 17-40mm lens at 17mm, Manfrotto 190 Go tripod.

Back-button focus, 10 second self timer.

Processing

Images merged together in Lightroom, processed in Lightroom and cleaned up in Photoshop. As I like to say, no layers required!

And that is that – portfolio done. Well not quite. I am going to post a couple of videos on my photography blog whilst I reflect on how I have evolved a photographer over the period of the images in my portfolio being taken.

Summary

It was nice to revisit the portfolio which I submitted to the BIPP in 2018. I still like this set of images. Sure I have taken some newer stuff that I like but this set of images will hopefully stand the test of time.

Next week on my photography blog? Who knows – maybe some big news?

Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Architectural Photographer

Rick McEvoy

I am Rick McEvoy, an architectural and construction photographer living and working in the South of England. I create high quality architectural photography and construction photography imagery of the built environment for architects and commercial clients. I do not photograph weddings, families, small people or pets - anything that is alive, moves or might not do as I ask!! I am also the creator of the Photography Explained Podcast, available on all major podcast providers. I have a blog on my website where I write about my work and photography stuff. Rick McEvoy ABIPP, MCIOB

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