An In-Depth Exploration of Three Architectural Photographers: Part 1 - Nico Babilon

Straight from Hamburg, Germany, this photographer caught my attention with his beautiful and atmospheric work, good use of weather effects like fog, and great sense of lighting. Those are the qualities I am usually looking at when studying the work of other people in a visual medium. And there are certainly plenty of lovely works from Nico, who may not necessarily be a focused architectural photographer, meaning he may not be contacted by architects or developers to take photos of newly built structures, but rather he is an architectural photographer because he photographs architecture in an urban setting. In this case, there is a bit of a different feeling from the usual architectural photography images, since the building isn't necessarily the focus and subject of an image, but it is more of just one of the elements that make up an amazing image. Now, that might be a luxury contracted photographers or archviz artists cannot afford, and yet, there are probably many lessons we can all learn.

Without further ado, allow me to guide you through some impressive works of this lad, and let's appreciate those works together!

Since our man is living in Hamburg, he cannot help but see Elbphilharmonie (Elphi) once in a while. This architectural gem by Herzog & de Meuron is a concert hall, and it dominates the riverfront of the city. Such a poetic building deserves a quality treatment, and after years of looking at this building under different settings, seasons, and lighting, Nico gained an understanding of what makes this building special and how it blends with Hamburg's cityscape. When this building is obscured by fog, it creates a sense of magnificence, a feeling of discovery that envelops you as you are noticing this colossus.

As you approach from the water, this incredible and otherworldly shape presents itself. It creates a unique atmosphere where architecture sets the mood of the environment it is in. It usually happens that buildings of cultural importance are a huge deal in the architectural field, as it is usually the ones many would consider as giving the most ways to self express the wild creativity that is boiling inside of architects, which doesn't always happen in the residential or commercial architecture. Surely the building must stand out on its own, and this is the reason why Elphi is looking like this. Nico utilizes here just 5 elements (Sky, Building, Fog, Water, and a Seagull), but they are composed in a great harmony to each other. A great lighting makes this scene lightly nostalgic and elegant.

Talking about dramatic. This light definitely makes the atmosphere majestic, shining all the way through. You can see the example of the image which doesn't need a direct focus on a building for you to notice it as the first thing. This image has a strong and contrasty foreground with the boat to the right here, and normally it would turn over your attention to it, but instead through the strong and scattered light and a strong outline, our attention is taken by the Concert Hall.

Now away from the modern architecture and out of the bustling and noisy part of the city, there must be this picturesque setting. Quiet riverside, slices of history, and powerful light in the foreground. This dash of yellow color really communicates the mood for the entire image regardless of the subject of the photography.

The power of quality framing and composing an image can sometimes do wonders even if the setting itself is not that appealing, unless you are really into grungy atmosphere (which I am into, to an extent). The frames of that bridge and their materiality really communicate the mood well and highlight the impressive architectural elements of the city.

Here is also a beautiful example of a basically monotone scene, but every shade of that orange has earned a spot on this image completely. The sun has graced us with the ability to see color, and it itself is a source of light that shines differently depending on the time and place. A good photographer would be willing to wait a long time to capture the atmosphere they are looking for. I, on the other hand, can spend hours trying to simulate it in 3dsMax.

Another example of just teasing you enough to pique your interest. Patterns are strongly recognized by humans, and this crane certainly grabs your attention despite being heavily obscured. Sitting next to a flaming ball of light in space also helps. In the end, I would add that I thoroughly enjoyed taking a look at Nico's work. It is also a pleasure to learn something new every time I do one of those posts. With architecture studios and Archviz, I have a strong familiarity, while photography for me has always been something I casually appreciated and practiced on a level "my phone camera will do for now". Now I have gotten a great appreciation of the craft and am willing to learn more. I believe the next architectural photographer will help me with it even more. Next time, I will discuss a friend of mine - Helena Lee.

In the meantime, check out mister Nico here: https://nicobabilon.com/

Cheers!

Bonus image. Love it!