#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. While we use 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.
We spoke to Darren Bradley, the photographer behind @modarchitecture. Bradley began his career as a history major and soon developed a following for his clear and stunning photographs of modern architecture from around the world. When he began collaborating with Sam Lubell in the production and photography of Phaidon's Mid-Century Modern Architecture Travel Guides: East Coast USA and West Coast USA, Bradley began to marry his professional career with his carefully curated Instagram. More an architecture geek than one of photography, as Bradley self-identifies, he also did much of the initial research in compiling the lists for those architecture guides. Between his research and exemplary photography, Bradley presents through his Instagram a global perspective on a fiercely polarizing architectural movement.
What is your relationship to architecture?
I have always had a deep appreciation for architecture, and some of my earliest memories as a kid were how I felt seeing and experiencing wonderful spaces, such as the lobby of the San Francisco Embarcadero Hyatt Regency, and the pavilions at Expo '86 in Vancouver, Canada.
At one point, I wanted to become an architect, but I was dissuaded from doing so because I'm terrible at math. It was only much later that I realized that most architects are terrible at math... So instead, I photograph buildings as a way to reconnect with my early love of architecture.
View this post on InstagramIt’s often said that 90% of architectural photography is knowing where to stand. But the other 10% must be about deleting all the crap people put on and around these buildings... see the second photo for what I’m talking about. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, this is the ANZ Bank building in Canberra, Australia, designed by Stuart McIntosh (1961-63).
A post shared by Darren Bradley (@modarchitecture) on
How did you decide you would focus on modern architecture in your photography for social media?
I appreciate architecture in all forms. I have a history degree from the University of Paris (Panthéon-Sorbonne), in France. I spent a lot of time while there exploring buildings from virtually every period in European civilization, from Roman baths to Gothic cathedrals to Haussemannian apartment buildings. But I grew up in mid-century Modernist homes in Hawaii and San Diego, so when I returned to San Diego, I reconnected with that period. I appreciated its authenticity, as more and more faux-Mediterranean and Spanish strip malls were being built. I started posting my photos of these Modernist buildings on social media because I was seeing them get torn down so quickly. Eventually, my photos started getting published and recognized, and it sort of snowballed from there.
What have you hoped to express about architecture through the photos you post?
For me, architecture is a language like any other. With my photos, I'm really just trying to allow the building to express itself without me getting in the way. I love Modernist architecture because of how well it captures the optimism and progressive spirit of the time, which is rather unique in our country's history. Architects broke free of centuries of tradition to think differently about how we should live, and came up with fascinating ideas.
So I try to capture that exuberance. I strive to find the best angles to allow the building to express itself, while avoiding lens distortion and fancy added effects. It also means editing out or minimizing (though camera angles) a lot of the detritus that has accumulated on this buildings over the years, like bad signage, inconsiderate additions, etc. I try to convey to a viewer not just what a building looks like, but what it feels like to experience it. I have a visceral reaction to these buildings. I want others to, as well.
View this post on InstagramTemple Beth Shalom in Elkins Park (Philadelphia), PA, by Frank Lloyd Wright (1959).
A post shared by Darren Bradley (@modarchitecture) on
Has Instagram affected the way you take photographs?
Yes, definitely. I find myself framing shots in square format a lot more, and I never would before. Instagram has also helped me to be more minimalist in my approach. Most people are looking at Instagram on their phones, and they're probably scrolling quickly through a bunch of photos while waiting in a line some where, or otherwise distracted. So you really only have a split second to say what you want to say with a photograph. Keep it simple.
Do you mostly work in a specific region? What is your travel schedule like?
I'm based in San Diego, so a disproportionate number of photos are probably from here, and the greater Southern California region (including Los Angeles and Palm Springs), but also get up to San Francisco fairly regularly, and to the East Coast (Boston, NYC, or DC) maybe once a month. I am on a plane traveling somewhere probably 2-3 times a month. Family and work obligations take me to both Australia and Europe several times a year, too. I photograph buildings for clients all over the country and the world. This year alone, I've been to Canada, Italy, the UK, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, and South Korea. Last year was about the same.
View this post on InstagramI found another shot from my little test run with the new camera, so here’s a bonus round...
A post shared by Darren Bradley (@modarchitecture) on
Is there a photograph you have posted that you are particularly fond of?
I'm never really satisfied. And frequently, the ones I like best are not the ones that others find most appealing - and vice versa. So I'm probably not the best judge for that.
What are your favorite profiles to follow?
Fernando Guerra is my favorite architectural photographer. His work is so inspiring. But I am not really interested in photography for photography's sake. People like to ask me what sort of camera I use, but to me that's irrelevant. It's like asking a painter what kind of brush they use. I'm more of an architecture geek than a photo geek. So most of the accounts that I follow feature mid-century modernist architecture. Some examples: @dc_hillier, @claasshaus, @usmodernist, @langealexandra, @deane_madsen, @pierluigiserraino. Instagram is a wonderful community to discover others that share your passions, and Modernist Architecture is no exception. It's been a great way to connect and create lasting friendships with people all over the world.
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