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Hi all, I’m now sharing updates of my recent work on my Tumblr page. Check it out and follow me here.
I’ll still be posting longer pieces here, so keep me bookmarked!
Landscapes from the Everglades
I recently spent some time photographing in the Everglades, for an ongoing personal landscape project investigating the silence and beauty of this marvelous place. I intend to return to photograph more extensively, to gather stories from the area’s long-term residents, and delve more deeply into this landscape.
The light in the Everglades light is remarkable. These photographs were all taken in the early morning, shortly after sunrise.
Thoughts on Interiors
I recently had the privilege to do some interesting architectural work, at both Delta’s new terminal at the JFK Airport and at some corporate interiors, both of which presented some unique photographic challenges.
At an airport, you are more or less at the mercy of the space and the people that occupy it. As you are in there photographing, travelers lounge, eat, relax and walk throughout the terminal as they wait for their flights, and you can’t really ask them to move. On top of this, even after you have been vetted by the TSA, you are escorted during your entire shooting time by a security guard you feel rushed with compositions. So you are limited in how much your shots can be setup and arranged – ideally, you are given the time to wait for all the light and subject matter in your frame to align just right, and then take the shot, but you don’t always have this luxury. And so, though I much prefer to get everything perfect in-camera, you sometimes have to turn to Photoshop.
Shooting in corporate interiors is very much the opposite. When you show up as the photographer, you’re given total access, with plenty of time to wait for the right light and to compose photographs of what are most often beautiful, cleanly designed spaces. To me, this is a great professional joy. The challenge in photographing this kind of architecture is showing how these new, contemporary spaces are designed for people to flow through them, without actually including people in the shots. It is also of course important to incorporate specific design elements, which architectural clients might want featured or highlighted, within the photographs.
The little challenges that come up in these different kinds of architectural photography is what keeps this work interesting to me. I always welcome the chance to see a new space, and figure out the best ways to represent and re align the puzzle and the architect’s vision within the frame of a photograph.
Photographing the Steven Holl Pool House
The Steven Holl pool house
I photographed my first pool house in June of 1983, and still today feel the thrill of that experience, and I will tell you why. Even though I proceed with the same unknown solution to the puzzle when I begin I always feel very comfortable knowing that the process will unfold in a very natural manner. It usually starts with maintaining awareness to the natural light ultimately available and best using how it plays on the subject throughout the day.
In most cases my pre- visualization of the composition is based on the simple elements the designer is revealing to me. To really be aware of the juxtaposition of elements materials proportions and their relationships to the entire space like Matisse is ultimate. Never taking any one aspect or individual portion of it for granted because it takes time to understand how a sculpture or structures occur within an environment.,
Dragging a large 4×5″ view camera and tripod for many years helped to make these decisions quickly. However on this day in June, I had the supreme luxury of being a young fledgling professional architectural photographer standing next to the architect Steven Holl. “Stand and set up here,” and he was right.
Those photos of my first pool house went on to be published on the cover of the then prestigious Progressive Architecture magazine, Princeton Architectural Press and hung in the Museum of Modern Art for one of Steven’s exhibits. I am proud to have been a part of that process.
Today I still rely on the same methodical way of working, which still works for my clients as you can see in the unfolding pictures of this modern pool house overlooking Cayuga Lake in Ithaca New York, which I recently photographed for Ikon.5 architects.
I can feel the relief on my shoulders not lugging my trusty 4×5 any more, but still find it important to make the same sort of considered decisions that one must with a view camera. I am also still amazed at the wonders of architecture and how buildings evolve in space.
The New York Times Travel Show
I had a great experience at the New York Times Travel Show at the Javits Center last week. Arthur Frommer’s talk was particularly enjoyable – what a pleasure to experience such an informative speaker, who’s so up-to-date with trends and hasn’t missed a step in time.
In addition to meeting a lot of people and attending a number of presentations like Frommer’s, the show also gave me a chance to show my work to others. I came up with some new promotional pamphlets for my hospitality and travel work, which I shared with other travel professionals at the show.
From the Archive: New York City Series
When the directors of (SMPS NY), Society of Marketing Professional Services NY asked me to meet with them and the creative team @ Pentagram Design, I knew I was in for a welcomed challenge, which was confirmed when they discussed their needs and restrictions. The exciting part for me with this assignment was that there were few restrictions other than that the images should command an emotional impact using architecture and urban environments, but without making a statement about specific genres of architectural design. Rather, they wanted the images to illustrate the energy of meeting, socializing, and connecting to the fabric of Manhattan.
Living in Manhattan for 20 years and photographing architecture gave me an intimate knowledge of the places I might begin to work. The areas I found most successful shooting in were Grand Central Station, which in January unfortunately only gets a small patch of natural light (that I made the most of), as well as the Roosevelt Tram, where you can catch great early morning (though chilly) winter light. Some areas in SOHO, where the wet cobblestone streets and taxis made for some exciting night energy, were good too.
Architectural and Interior photography is very regimented so when someone blesses you with some freedom on an assignment it really allows a photographer to stretch his wings a bit, especially when urban landscapes are his passion. The images were wonderfully used in varied graphic situations to illustrate urban energy, and fit well within SMPS’s visual identity.
James D'Addio 