What is your relationship with architecture? What drew you to architecture, as a photographer?

I first wanted to become an architect during a family holiday to Barcelona when I was around 12 years old.

When I left school I enrolled to study architecture in Glasgow, but It was during my first year of the course I found a passion for photography and from that point on these two area of my life have merged and grown together. 

I worked for various architectural practices in the UK, Australia and New Zealand for over 10 years before going back to study photography and becoming a full time photographer. This experience has given me a broader understanding of design and proves to be invaluable when photographing a wide range of buildings.

Describe how you work... who are your clients?

My commissions come mainly from architecture firms, construction companies or media outlets that contact me to photograph a building that has recently been completed. 

At the beginning of any new project I like to gather as much information as possible. I start my speaking to the project architect to gain a better understanding of the building and to see if there are any important features/ aspects that they feel strongly about. I then like to arrange a walk round the building with the project architect before the shoot - that way we both have a clear idea of what to photograph. To take advantage of the best natural light I normally ask for a set of floor plans before setting off on the day.

Do you mostly work in a specific region? What is your travel schedule like?

I am based in London and  currently splitting my work schedule between the UK and New Zealand. For the past 4 years I have been flying out to Christchurch, New Zealand to photograph the re-build after the devastating earthquake that struck in 2011. This has been a fantastic opportunity to document the re-birth of a city that has been struck by disaster. Through this experience I have been able to photograph a wide range of buildings from the Cardboard Cathedral by Shigeru Ban, to local architects homes that been redesigned after the earthquake. 

When not in NZ, I mainly work in and around central London on a wide range of projects from high-end residential to schools.

What is your goal when capturing buildings in photographs?

My aim is to delivery a series of photographs for my client that shows their building in a cohesive and interesting way. 

Its important to look out for for interesting compositions, patterns, textures and lines and not to rely on the obvious shot.

What are your thoughts about including people in your photos? Is it important to photograph a building in use, or by itself?

More often than not I prefer to include people within my photographs. For the majority of my projects I believe that including people within frame can add a lot of character and additional layers to the image, especially when its a family home or a public space. 

What are your favorite pieces of equipment?

I never leave the house without my Canon MKII, Tilt-shift lens and a polarizing filter. 

Over time I have found that my high-viz vest to be just as invaluable - this can act as an access all area pass. 

Do you work alone?

Normally the buildings I photograph are of a size that doesn't warrant an assistant, unless its a very large building or I'm on a tight time frame. 

On the day, I generally ask for some assistance from the building caretaker. This unfortunate person normally agrees to meet me before sun rise or to stay late after sun set before they can lock up the building. 

How do you feel about seeing your photographs on blogs and websites?

I am always more than happy to see my work online- its great to reach as big an audience as possible and to connect with new people. Being a photographer can sometimes be a very isolated profession, especially when editing photos into the small hours of the morning.

Social media apps like Instagram have made it very easy to keep up to date with my favourite photographers from all over the world. For me this is very inspiring, not only to see new architecture from around the world but also to question and improve my own technique and skills as I go along.

Davis is a photographer specialising in architectural photography. With over 10 years experience working in architecture practices, this experience has given me a unique understanding of architecture and design, combined with an insightful photographic vision. His aim is to produce beautiful photographs that show buildings at their best - images that describe architecture within the built environment.

His work has been published in numerous architecture magazines around the world, from Interior Design magazine (New York), Architecture Now, Progressive Building, ArchitectureNZ,The Design Guide, Concrete magazine, Garden Design Journal (UK), At Home magazine and multiple award submissions.
 

You can view more of his work here.