Untitled. © Ben Thomas

#ArchinectMeets is a series of interviews with members of the architecture community that use Instagram as a creative medium. With the series, we ask some of Instagram’s architectural photographers, producers and curators about their relationship to the social media platform and how it has affected their practice. 

Social media has undeniably affected the way we perceive, interpret and share opinions about architecture today. Using our own account, @Archinect, as a site for image curation and news content, we wanted to ask fellow Instagram users how they navigated the platform as well as their thoughts on social media's impact on architecture.

We spoke with Ben Thomas (@__benthomas), a photographer and based in Australia. His career has taken him all over the world, including a trip to Dubai for the New Yorker. Through his work, he hopes to provide a way for people to consider the relationships that they form with their surroundings and how those surroundings might affect them in turn. 

What is your relationship to architecture? How did @__benthomas begin?

The consistent theme throughout my work has been the built environment. It all started when I moved to Melbourne from Adelaide (Australia) and decided to discover my surroundings through photography. 

It's that sense of discovery that has evolved to seeking a deeper understanding of how we respond and react to the environment around us. As far as my Instagram is concerned, I was really late to the party and only got properly started on the platform in 2015.  

What are the steps you take to produce your imagery? About how long does each image take to produce?

It really depends. A lot of planning goes into the work. Firstly, there is desktop research on specific locations, access, best time of day to shoot, etc. 

My work is also completely weather dependent, with sunny skies being a must. From that point, I have a workflow of post production that can take a couple of hours to a couple of days depending on the complexity of the image.  

What have you hoped to communicate about architecture or the built environment through your posts?

Context is everything. 

While the images are somewhat abstracted from reality, I want to communicate how the built environment is both equally influenced by local communities and how this environment also impacts local culture and identity.

Has Instagram (or social media in general) affected your views toward the profession?

There's no doubt that I'm exposed to more work as a result of being on the platform. I think thats a good thing. Moreover, its enabled me to connect with architects and firms globally to ask questions and engage in discussion. 

The broader conversation around the built environment is critical for communities and social is now making that conversation more democratic allowing everyone to have a voice.

Do you post your work anywhere else online? Is Instagram your social media channel of choice?

I have a base website and a twitter account. However, Instagram is my go-to platform.  

What are some of your favorite Instagram profiles to follow?

I enjoy the work of @blachford, @jonsetter, @ian_strange and @liamwon9