In the Eyes of an Architecture Student: The Importance of Photography

Hi Everyone!

I’m back again this week to discuss this week’s topic: the importance of photography!

Yes, photography, as in the term corresponding to the Webster definition: “the art or practice of taking and processing photographs.”

In architecture, as you may have inferred from all of my previous posts, representation is VERY important. Representation makes or breaks our works’ proposal, and that is kind of a very big deal, even within the stages of education before a job in “the real world.” In architecture school, representation refers to everything (all types of media) you use to “sell” your work to your professor(s), and this includes the exact words you use to talk about the project, how perfectly orthogonally pinned up your work, how nice and stable your constructed models(s) are, and how sharp or effective your photographs are.

Even outside of classes, powerful photographs serve arguably more importance than how well you preserved your hand-drafted drawing(s) or even your original model(s). I say arguably because, when we apply to jobs and internships, the employers are likely to only have access to your work virtually- which makes photographs EXTRA important because that is their ONLY window into your skills and personality as a designer! Yes, employers want to see perfection and thoughtfulness in your work in the portfolio, but they also appreciate the honesty of sharpness of quality of photos- it’s a sort of stunning thing to see, even if you did Photoshop some blemishes or glue-globs out!

Photographs not only serve to simply document you work to show to employers, but also function as a very effective way to remember your work and (potentially) locate your improvements within your work. Of course, the sharper and better your image, the larger the file, but I cannot stress what pain it is to have to go back to old files only to realize I did not document the stuff well enough, and now it’s too late because my models may or may not be rotting in my basement now, very obviously not photo-worthy quality. So, in other words, after you make a model or ANYTHING (if you don’t think it’s worth remembering right now in this moment) it is safest to just check out a nice camera (Nikon, Canon, etc) and deal with a million AMAZING photos now, than to just use your phone (even that cannot compare to a really good camera) and take a few subpar images, only to realize the quality degrades each time you uploaded it to different platforms. The ideal process is as follows: make the model(s), get a good camera, yes spend time and get all angles of the stuff you’re documenting, and upload it straight to google drive for initial storage. But, I’d recommend you go through and eliminate to the images you’re going to keep, Photoshop them to the best of your abilities (or satisfaction, I guess), and save as a Tiff or PNG (or PDF if that’s an option). Fair warning though, Tiff files can get pretty big and jam up your memory, so I recommend saving as a Tiff without layers, or PNG to save memory.

Good luck to you all, happy documenting!

If you have any questions or further insight, comment! I love hearing from you all 🙂

Have a fun and safe Thanksgiving holiday break, everyone!

Ciao for now 🙂

The Poetry Snapshot: change in AA

Summer green turns into
vibrant shades of autumn.

This transition happens,
whether I think about it or not.
Whether I want it to or not.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

One morning I notice
my morning walk to class is crisp.

A brisk breeze is hitting my face
and leaves on the ground are
being brushed past my feet
as I walk by freshly carved pumpkins.

I realize I should have worn more layers.
People around me are bundled up
in their scarves and winter boots.

Something about this change feels cozy,
and I cannot help but smile.

I appreciate the beauty of impermanence.
A seasonal love, in a sense.

What a shame it would be,
if summer lasted forever.

 

The Poetry Snapshot: standing is falling

A step in any direction could lead her down such different paths,
that sometimes it seems easier to stand still in comfort.
Never move forward so she can guarantee not taking the wrong step.

But what happens when she takes a wrong step?

Mailbox Peak, Washington

Is it that she has to
work harder to climb up?
She reaches a dead end
and has to back track?

If the right step brings her
to the top of a mountain,
every wrong step creates a
story of lessons learned
and memories earned.

Standing still only deprives her
of a beautiful view and a beautiful story.

So move, dance, run, leap,
but do not stand still.

 

The Poetry Snapshot: Instructions for Life

Anderson Lake, Washington

Manuals to assemble furniture.
Guides to care for pets.
Directions to wash your clothes.
Recipes to cook your food.

Unlike everything else,
your life does not come with instructions.
No singular timeline to follow,
or levels to unlock like a game.

Easy enough, your life is yours to live.

But it’s easy to get lost in freedom.
When you were younger,
the hardest choices were in Choose your Own Adventure books.
Now, every decision becomes a spiraling void,
and you become stuck at every fork in the road.

So you put your head down.
You forget about the sunrise in the horizon,
and just see the stone beneath your feet.
You take one step to a dead end,
and another to a cliff.

Oh, how I wish my life came with instructions.

The Poetry Snapshot: Power of Words

Billion of words, glistening in a void.

Toronto, Canada 

All these words shine on their own,
but we string them together into
magnificent constellations to share stories.

Some words are powerful suns
that can bring light to a dark life-
or burn a life down to ashes.

Other words shoot out of us in the moment,
they fulfill spontaneous wishes or cause regret.

People never forget words.

At the end of the day, without fail,
words shine brilliantly
and remind people that we will
forever live under them.

 

The Poetry Snapshot: strength is undefinable

Alpental, Washington

I’ve been told to stay strong.
not cry
be the rock
pull it together
and I’ve succeeded.
I’ve successfully built a wall around me,
locked up my emotions, and lost the key.

All this time I thought someone else
would have a spare,
so I’ve been looking for myself in others.
But when has a locked door
stopped a prisoner from escaping.
Perhaps, I need to bring down these walls
with the same strength that built them.
Because there is nothing weak about
vulnerability.

 

This poem was inspired by a recent opportunity that allowed me to let my guard down and share a personal story to the public. After years of thinking that my strength came from internalizing my story, I realized that sharing it and allowing it to be a beacon of hope for others was my real display of strength. Strength is not limited to the constraints set by the media that showcases our lives filtered and perfected, and a culture of always putting on a happy face. Breaking through those constraints and embracing the authenticity of being vulnerable, accepting mistakes, and needing help is also a display of strength. Â