How to Photograph Stories in Architecture

How can you retell architectural stories through photographs when a two-hour film tells its story in an average of 172,800 frames? For example, like this.

It is possible because the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words exists for a reason. Story in architectural photography is an important way to lift a project presentation above simple documentation. Stories create emotion, and through that process you can engage both the viewer and a potential client.

First, you must get to know the project and its author well, even before you start photographing. You can obtain the necessary information through an interview with the architect or by visiting the location in advance, through scouting. Be interested in the investor, the brief, why the building is in that location, why the materials were chosen and how the owners will use the space. There are many useful questions, and you can turn them into a template for developing the story. Published articles about architecture can also provide inspiration.

Stories can be told in one photograph or in a series. You can tell them through light and shadow, colour, movement, weather, composition, season, time of day or individual elements. The story should fit the context of the architecture, the architect's idea and the investor's interests. Presenting a problem and its solution can be an interesting element.

I do not recommend putting the whole story into every image. You still need to create a set of photographs that documents the architecture itself, its materials, solutions and details. Technical photographs must also be included. Every element in the space was created for a purpose, and you present the qualities and skills of the architect or designer. If the author of the project is present during the shoot, definitely ask which views they are interested in.

A photographic story creates emotion and draws people into the scene. It helps viewers imagine their own presence in the space. The photograph becomes more memorable, and so do you as the photographer. The simplest way to tell a story is chronologically. You have many tools, but use them sensibly, because as a photographer you must be both storyteller and documentarian.

Architectural photographer Jiří Bednář