NYLO Hotel-Warwick, Rhode Island

I've recently completed my second photography shoot for the new NYLO hotel located in the Warwick/Providence Rhode Island area. NYLO loft hotels are a new concept in the hospitality business, a hip and cool budget hotel. Each property is a newly constructed building in the style of a loft building conversion. Guest rooms and public spaces all feature hip design with exposed concrete walls and fixtures combined with unique custom furniture and many in room amenities. It is a great place for an event, party or meeting. If you are flying in or out of Rhode Island's T.F. Green Airport is it only minutes away and has direct shuttle service.
Here is a link to what I photographed:NLYO New Look

This view features the NYLO's spectacular "Terrace" located directly off it's "Loft" restaurant which overlooks the Pawtuxet river. To achieve this view it was necessary for me to photograph from a tall ladder on top of the bridge over the river. With assistance from the housekeeping department we were able bring all the window shades to an even level.

Scouting trip or walk-through

Often a scouting trip or walk-through of a property takes place prior to scheduling the actual photography day. Simple low resolution digital photographs are taken to help select views or as a reminder of problem areas that will need special attention. Sometimes due to circumstances beyond the control of the client, future access is limited. There is then a desire to utilize the scouting views, this should be avoided as they are typically low quality, quickly composed snapshots not often taken in the best light. On the rare occasion when there is no alternative and the view, lighting and use size are acceptable it is possible to make use of them. Keep in mind scouting shots were not part of the original use license quoted by the photographer, they were taken for discussion/reference purposes only. If you'd like to use one you will need to discuss with the photographer a fee to prepare the scouting view as a master file and an appropriate fee for your intended use. Don't forget that retouching may be needed to make the photograph usable.
This image was taken as a scouting shot with the anticipation of an additional shoot at the same location. That second shoot was never scheduled and the architect was in need of a rear exterior for an editorial article to go along with the front exterior and staircase interior photographs which were taken during the original assignment.

The Shot list

The "Shot List" is one of the most important discussions you can have in preparation for a photography assignment. If not determined by a walk-through or scouting of the property by the architect and photographer, the shot list needs to be created by the commissioning party. Often the request is too broad, "shoot everything" and the list too long to accomplish during the photography day. Only the client can prioritize that list by order of importance. It is important to remember that typically only a select number of views will be used frequently from a particular project. It makes the most sense to spend the time on those important views and less time on the photographs that are more "for the record". Having this conversation with your photographer prior to the estimate will help you maximize your photography budget and yield a better final product.

For this assignment my client was looking for a great view of this stone entertainment patio for his AIA competition entry. Knowing this was the more important view than the home interiors, time was spent to make sure this view was ready to shoot when the natural light was right. A torrential rain storm that had ended that morning required that a good deal of effort be made to dry out the stone work and patio furniture prior to being photographed. Without the input from the client this view would not have had the attention it needed to make it a successful photograph which in the end was selected for exhibit at his AIA competition.

Ready to shoot?

With the significant preparation needed to complete a successful architectural photography shoot, not to mention the costs involved, great attention should be given to how well prepared the location is for the photography day. Everyone seems to be very busy these days and the importance of this step can sometimes be diminished or overlooked in the budgeting and scheduling process. From the clients' standpoint the photographs should look perfect and there is occasionally an over reliance on what can be accomplished with photo retouching in post production. The best plan is review all aspects of the shoot with the property manager and maintenance staff. For interiors that would include making sure the desired furniture and fixtures have been installed and are operational and painting has been completed. Is it clean? (you'd be surprised). For exteriors, are the green spaces and trees maintained? Are seasonal or temporary signage or structures removed? Are other people working on site that day? Sometimes property owners schedule multiple parties on the same day as it's convenient to them. It is often difficult or impossible for each party to stay out of each others way when trying to achieve their goals. Sometime it's inevitable so try to determine before hand and see if it will affect the shoot plan.

Location, Location, Location

The often quoted real estate expression "Location, location, location" applies to successful architectural photography siting as well. Choosing the best angle for your project involves selecting the best point of view that tells the complete story. That viewpoint may be from across the street, from another building or in this example from the water. These two New York City glass residential towers by architect Richard Meier are shown in context to their proximity to other well known NYC icons like the Empire State and Chrysler buildings. That gives the viewer a sense of their Perry Street location in lower Manhattan.
Take the time to review all view options with your photographer when you are considering the possible views for your project.

Green Manhattan

One of the more interesting new buildings in the Manhattan skyline is the Hearst Tower on 57th street. This new Norman Foster designed 46 story office tower is the headquarters of the Hearst Corporation and the first green building completed in New York City (2006). The unusual triangular framing pattern is known as "diagrid". The building was constructed of 80% recycled steel by Turner Construction. The building's design allows it to use 25% less energy than the minimums set by the city of New York, which helped it earn a LEED gold designation.
Photographing reflective buildings requires careful planning for camera and sun angle to yield the best results.

Framing the subject

July presented an opportunity for a family trip to the Mid-Atlantic region. Along the way we visited the Gettysburg National Military Park and its new Museum and Visitor center. Designed by Cooper, Robertson & Partners of New York City the 136,000 square foot facility was designed to blend in to the Pennsylvania country side. I chose this view to frame the buildings diverse shapes as well as to show the main pedestrian and tour group entrances.