Architecture is rooted in composition, angles, and perfect settings. It’s chief end is beauty.

When we consider the art of architecture and the ways in which various artistic pursuits influence our understanding of custom house design, we observe a rich relationship between the methods of architecture and the methods of photography.

Photography and Architecture

Jin Wan, one of our job captains and an intern architect, points out that “all designers attempt to capture beauty,” and photography is a natural outlet in that quest.

Jin’s felt an affinity for photography since she received her first camera at age 13. Now, she practices the art of photography in Rainier’s alpine wilderness and on China’s metropolitan streets…and everywhere in between.

“Photography forces you to think about composition,” she explains. “When you look through a lens, you have to think about what you want to present and how you want to portray it.” It’s a playful exercise in how a small change in framing can create drama or how a tweak in lighting alters the mood of an image.

Those rules of photo composition translate to architecture as well. As architects, we consider how we reflect and present natural surroundings in a custom house design. We frame the home within its landscape. We work with colors and textures to create moods. We observe how light plays in a space and changes with time and seasons. In short, it’s a clear example of how the eternal principles of beauty draw distinct art forms together.

Photography and architecture seek the same end: to capture beauty.

Here are a few more examples of Jin’s photographic pursuits…