Conversational Client
Questions
& Answers
with Glenn Hettinger - Architecture
& Interior Design Photographer
Q#1:
How does your innovative approach to
architectural photography benefit your clients?
A#1:
First off I'm a registered architect, and I know what's important to capture about a well-designed building. Quality images of your work drives business to your company. My goal is to represent your buildings and their details exactly the way that the designer intended for them to look, rather than make abstract or artistic representations. My objective is to make the whole building team of owners, designers, builders and suppliers very proud of their accomplishments.
Q#2:
What distinguishes your work from
other architectural photographers?
A#2:
Dimly lit dawn and twilight shots are usually thought of as the “most artistic architectural shots”, but they don’t show off all the architecture very well. So, I limit the amount of those shots that I take. Most of my shots are taken in natural light, and I pay careful attention to how it constantly changes what I'm shooting. This does mean that I sometimes need to enhance my images by Photoshopping in a more dynamic sky (than the pure blue-sky sometimes present on the day that I took the image). We do basic to extensive editing based on the client’s investment. I do the basic editing and our fantastic graphic artist does the extensive image manipulations.
Q#3: Are you an expert on your favorite subject
of architectural photography?
A#3:
I decided to be an architect in eighth grade, and I’ve never lost my passion for building design. I’ve always been taking extensive pictures of distinctive architecture everywhere I travel. As a result, I have developed a keen eye for composition and for capturing outstanding architectural images in my lens. I strive every day to be more of an expert today than I was yesterday. ...and it seems to be working.
Q#4:
What led you to specialize in architectural photography?
A#4: As a life-long architect I never really had any other interest in photography other than to use it to capture beautifully distinctive buildings. Sure, I take a fair amount of family and landscape pictures, but I’ve always gravitated to buildings and to the details of those buildings.
In 2008 I did some ‘soul searching’. I asked myself, “What would I do now if I was independently wealthy and did not have to work?” I sat with my writing tablet for eight hours writing down everything I love to do and everything that I hate to do – with no thought of how any of it would make any income. What fell out of the bottom was that I would walk around gorgeous residential neighborhoods or commercial buildings and take pictures of distinctive buildings – whether I got paid to do so or not.
I now photograph for building owners, architects, builders, interior designers, building product manufacturers and my own coffee table books. I also photograph for individual homeowners that want to document their estate homes, collections, businesses, philanthropy and/ or life stories in heirloom or legacy books.
