From the FAQ's :



When is architecture getting art ?
I have specially the various Gehry buildings in my mind where all photographers are falling in love with - including me, of course.
Seeing the Guggenheim in Bilbao where the building itself is meanwhile more famous then the art inside ....and there are a couple of buildings more in the world like the ones from Calatrava, Hadid or Coop Himmelblau.

What are your thoughts ?

Are these buildings already art ?

I have wondered myself, however isn't it an art to be able to capture these buildings with the quality they deserve?
And I live opposite the Gehry buildings. When you see them day after day, its less impressive.

yes, they are art, I think it is the "deeper meaning" part you should be concentrating on.

Does anybody have an example of "deeper meaning" on a sculpture or "Artwork" ?

Ignore the Faq's on this site, they are not accurate at all.

Check the new Faqs in the forums...

As for your question, I too have wondered many times.....I believe that Architecture is ART, and therefore photographing a famous building like the ones you mentioned is somewhat comparable to capturing a a painting, a sculpture or any other kind of art.

What happens with monuments? Aren't they also architectural building themselves and art?

The new faqs in the forum about sculptures are exactly the same and therefor do not enlighten me ?

I just wonder. I get that no pictures of sculptures are allowed here except those with "deeper meaning" ?? What do you mean by that ? And what if, there's a sculpture in the background or a fountain or a sculpture on architecture like Gaudi's Sagrada Familia ? Or as Thomas mentioned, the whole building looks like a sculpture ? I just wouldn't want to waste the crew's precious time and my very few slots on unacceptable pics...

Interesting thoughts, for my understanding if you name Gehry or Calatrava for example I would also agree that they are art,
such buildings are so special that you can't just call them building -
But the interesting thing I always realise again is that (especially for gehry) if you "just take a shot" they look well kind of boring and completely different than in reality. They make it a photographer a hard job to get interesting pictures of it.
And that is a point for me, if you find an unusual/extraordinary view of it it has not much to do with the work of the architecture artist (let's say architist ;) ) anymore. It's a bit like a painter who let himself inspirate by a landscape or subject he wants to paint but who is not interested in painting it like it is.
For me, those architists are masters of inspiration to me

That is not true. To photograph a building involve a PoV, a composition, not to speak about the light that comes in the process. Not the case for a painting photog. Sculpture is a bit in-between, especially the one outoors that can be similar to archi shots i some cases.

I am coming into this discussion as an Architect. Architecture is an art, but like all art (and photography) it is executed with varying degrees of expertise and success. Architecture, regardless if it is by Frank Lloyd Wright or the local architect designing apartment buildings in your town, when designed well provides the user with a series of 3 dimension spatial settings, discoveries and details. It's finding those details and spatial settings and the way lighting and seasons can effect the way we perceive them than has always drawn be to photograph architecture. I believe that when photographing architecture, its not about taking a snapshot documentary of the building, but it's about looking closely at the components, the geometries, the spatial views within , around or framed by the building that inspire a photographic image. Is there a sense of place, or a unique 2 or 3 dimensional element the inspires you? If so you may have the making of wonderful photograph image that captures YOUR interpretation of the piece of architecture.

I once bought my father, who had no artist background or interest for that matter in art, to the Salk Institute, designed by Louis Kahn, in La Jolla, CA. After he walked into the center courtyard and looked around for a couple of minutes, he walked over to me with a huge smile and said thank you for bringing me here, I see why you wanted to come to see this place. I think of this as one of Louis Kahn's greatest complements.

May we all have the opportunity to photograph an image that inspires that type of reaction.