Define Your Design

With an Architectural Photographer

An expert eye for a picture along with a professional, dynamic approach.
— Gary Walker, Editor, Long Live Vinyl Magazine

Architectural photography helps architects and construction companies showcase their buildings in the most impactful way.

With Beauxhaus, you’ll experience professional quality photography services tailored to your needs. We'll explore the intricate design, structure and atmosphere of your built assets, bringing your built environment project to life with stunning precision and detail.

Experts at exploring the play of light, space and materials, working with an experienced architectural photographer means capturing the full breadth of your architectural project to best effect - from your building's overall design, down to the intricate details.

With years of experience exploring the built environment and telling architectural stories through the camera lens, we understand how to create powerful visual assets.

We’ll create striking photos to help you demonstrate your design and build expertise, and help promote your AEC business on social media, your company website and beyond.

All of the photography on the Beauxhaus website is our original work. Please scroll down to view our photo gallery and many other examples. Additionally, keep reading to further explore how architectural photography can help to enhance your built environment project.

Please feel free to reach out and arrange a free Zoom call with our co-founder and lead architecture photographer, Alison Zak-Collins.

We’d love to discuss how we can help create a collection of dynamic photographs to promote the success of your latest project and raise awareness of your construction company or architecture firm.


You don’t take a photograph - you make it.
— Ansel Adams

Capture your vision with our architectural photography services in London, Bristol and Beyond…


Key Points About Architectural Photography

  • Architectural photography is a specialised form of photography that captures the aesthetic features of buildings and the intricate design details of architectural structures. The work incorporates interiors, exteriors, and landscapes.

  • An architectural photographer is an individual with an exceptional eye for detail who specialises in capturing images of structures and other architectural elements.

  • Architectural photography showcases the beauty and complexity of architecture through the skilled use of light, angles, and composition.

  • Engaging an architectural photographer can provide advantages to architects and construction companies by showcasing your building projects in the most engaging way and therefore increasing your prospects for selling your services with impactful visual marketing assets.

  • Different types of architectural photography require different techniques and equipment.

Illuminated buildings Canary Wharf by Beauxhaus architectural photographer London Alison Zak-Collins

What is Architectural Photography?

Architectural photography is an art form that powerfully captures the beauty and intricate details of buildings, both inside and out. From modern skyscrapers to structures steeped in history, this specialised form of photography transports viewers into a location, highlighting the beauty of both interior and exterior architecture, and capturing the surrounding environment in order to document the building in context.

A skilled architecture photographer showcases design elements and a building's surroundings in a beautiful and immersive way using a variety of techniques such as macro photography and long exposure. This allows viewers to appreciate design nuances and architectural beauty in ways they might otherwise miss.

In that sense, an architectural photographer doesn't simply produce photos of a building. Instead, the artist captures the core essence of a structure - highlighting design elements, architectural themes and the building's purpose through a combination of interior photography, abstract perspectives, and external architectural and landscape photography.

The pictures create a visual journey that immerses the viewer and provokes a deeper, more evocative response to the project in both function and form. In doing so, architecture photographers aim to create an overall emotive experience that is not dissimilar to the reactions evoked by documentary photography or portraiture.

The role of an architecture photographer

Architectural photography is an art form that captures the beauty of buildings and the stories behind them. Whether self-taught or formally trained, an architecture photographer specialises in capturing the essence and art of structural design.

Often possessing a deep understanding of both the architecture industry and the photographic arts, an architectural photographer is also likely to have mastered a wide range of photographic techniques.

With an expert eye for detail and composition, architectural photographers have an understanding of illumination and angles, and the ability to capture the distinct characteristics of a structure in an imaginative fashion.

Coloured windows at night Canary Wharf London architecture photographer Alison Zak-Collins

Influential architectural photographers

Around the world, there are many award-winning architectural photographers who specialise in this field. Their stunning images immortalise the most breathtaking architectural elements and offer a mesmerising glimpse into the genius of the designers and builders behind the vision.

As the need for impactful visual content continues to grow online, these influential architectural photographers are in steady demand, creating stunning images that showcase the beauty of iconic and inspiring buildings, technologically advanced construction projects, and buildings that are creating transformative benefits for people and communities.

Benefits of Working with an Architectural Photographer

Architectural photography is an essential element of the building design profession. To create visually captivating images that effectively highlight your project, engaging an architectural photographer is key. These are some of the advantages of working with an architectural photography expert.

An architectural photographer can help you to:

  • Document your firm's design and build work with professional, high-quality photographic images.

  • Highlight your process and/or project to maximum effect.

  • Develop an impressive portfolio of project photos for showcasing your firm’s work.

  • Showcase a selection of project images from interesting and advantageous angles.

  • Make a lasting impression and increase your visibility with creative, high-quality photos for your marketing materials and websites.

  • Capture stunning visuals of your buildings that help you stand out from your competition.

  • Increase your prospects of attracting new clients to your architecture or construction business.

  • Reach more potential customers through captivating imagery that resonates with viewers.

By working with an architectural photographer to produce high-quality, professional photos, you'll end up with visual assets that lend credibility to your business and offer potential customers a visual representation of what they can expect from your work.

This not only gives your firm the ability to illustrate your expertise, but it also helps you demonstrate what sets you apart from your competitors in the space, enabling you to compete for business more effectively.

Great Western Studios London architectural photography by Alison Zak-Collins

Different Types of Architectural Photography

Architectural photography encompasses a broad spectrum of building typologies, from residential and commercial buildings to industrial structures, and even the surrounding landscape. Each type of architectural photography has different goals:

  • Residential architectural photography showcases the design, layout, and features of homes and apartments.

  • Commercial photography focuses on structures such as offices, retail shops, and restaurants.

  • Industrial architectural photography captures images of factories, warehouses, power plants, and other structures utilised for manufacturing purposes.

  • Landscape architectural photography aims to capture stunning photos of the exterior of buildings and the natural environment surrounding them.

The different types of architecture can necessitate different photography techniques and equipment. Therefore, it's important for an architecture photographer to prepare for the particular type of built asset they'll be shooting in order to generate images that will best capture the project and be most beneficial to client needs.

Working with an Architectural Photographer

Architectural photography requires clear communication between the architectural photographer and the client to successfully achieve the desired outcome. To get the best results from the collaboration, both parties should establish clear expectations and communicate their vision for the end result.

Connecting with your chosen architectural photographer and sharing ideas in advance helps to facilitate success. If possible, provide examples of past projects you've delivered, or of other architectural photography that inspires you.

You should also make your architectural photographer aware of your marketing goals and how the photos will be used going ahead. By doing so you'll help them fully understand your needs and preferences, enabling exceptional outcomes for your business.

With an architectural photographer as your professional partner, you can bring your vision to life with high-quality photos that make engaging marketing assets for your AEC firm.

Architectural photographer Alison Zak-Collins

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good architectural photographer?

In today's visually-driven world, architectural photographers play a key role in AEC marketing. Capturing a building's unique design aesthetic and functional purpose, and then conveying this information through impactful pictures, is an art form that requires an exceptional eye for detail, an in-depth knowledge of composition, and the ability to understand the narrative behind a particular building.

Architectural photographers must have excellent communication skills, as they work closely with construction companies, architects, and stakeholders to bring the vision for a project to life. Ultimately, a great architectural photographer is someone who combines a passion for the built environment, with artistic and technical expertise to tell unique and memorable visual stories.

How do you assess a photographer?

A skilled architectural photographer must capture the essence of buildings and spaces while maintaining technical accuracy. To stand out, architectural photographers must possess expertise in angles, lighting, and composition and produce work that is interesting, emotive and highlights both the design and function of a building. Technical ability and good client communication skills are equally important qualities for an architectural photographer to possess.

How much does an architectural photography shoot cost?

High-quality architectural photography is always a wise investment for architects and construction companies. Professional photographers often charge an hourly rate that varies based on factors such as experience, location, and equipment. The rate frequently guarantees the supply of a certain number of photographs and details the subsequent editing services that will be provided.

Remember, the images you use to promote your work are a direct reflection of your brand and impact the perception and success of your business, so investing in quality photography by a professional architectural photographer will be well worth your investment as an AEC firm.

To find out more about our architectural photography services and rates at Beauxhaus, please drop us a line today. Our lead architectural photographer, Alison Zak-Collins, will respond to your query personally. Alison is happy to set up a free Zoom consultation with you to discuss your needs.