Architectural Exteriors – Before and After

Last month we had an architectural photography assignment that took us to Le Conte Hospital in Sevierville, Tennessee just outside of Knoxville. This new hospital is in the Smoky Mountains and on our shoot day we were greeted with snow then clear skies. Thankfully, the snow melted enough to get a few exteriors, albeit with fresh (aka brown) landscaping.

We were able to salvage the shoot with some nice timing, the roof of a moving truck and a little post production. So, all that being said, I thought I’d share a couple before and after shots.

Entrance - Before

Entrance - After

Front - Before

Front - After

Nothing beats a few adjustment layers in Photoshop and some clouds from our own stock library.

Look for a later post with interior photography from this particular job.

- Kyle

Closet Photographer on the Edge?

There are too many puns and jokes that could be made from these situations from a recent architectural photography shoot for Marriott here in Nashville. My first assistant Rory White is lightning fast with his iPhone camera to capture me in precarious situations.

It never fails, regardless of how big a room is, when photographing architecture I always find myself crammed up in a corner, against a wall, or in this case … in a closet. No, there were no skeletons. Just a nice robe for the next guest.

Kyle Dreier stuck in closet.

Or, in this case, where we were rooftop and leaning over the edge three stories up. It was brutal cold with the wind.

Kyle Dreier out on edge.

I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait for a later post to see the finals. It was a good day of shooting and the client was very good to work with. Here’s hoping that we do more for Marriott here in the near future.

- Kyle

Dangerous Architectural Photographer

I don’t know that I’d classify myself as “dangerous” when shooting architecture but, as documented by my trusty first assistant Rory White (and his Swiss Army Knife iPhone), standing precariously on the roof a moving truck might qualify me as a little “risky.”

I spent the last two days just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee in a Sevierville on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains photographing Le Conte Hospital. We were greeted with snow, cold and sunshine. Thankfully we did most of our photography in the warmth of a beautiful new facility.

Maybe a more apropos word for this situation would be “improvise.” In the absence of a lift we were able to make use of a moving truck in the parking lot to get the elevation we needed for an exterior elevation shot. The sun was setting to my back and the building and sky were cooperating as best they could given the circumstances … dormant landscaping and frigid temperatures.

Getting the shot … whatever it takes.

The view from the ground via rear view mirror.

Note to self: Next time bring gloves so Rory doesn’t have to loan his out and freeze his hands.

- Kyle
ps. I’ll post the final images from this shoot at a later date after I process the images.

New Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower

Looking at the campus of the Vanderbilt Hospital you’d think there wasn’t any room to fit a new building. Somehow Earl Swensson Associates managed to fit this 200+ critical care tower and integrate it into existing facilities. Betsy and Ken were great to work with on this project, as was my first assistant Rory … always the can-do man on the job. Sandy, you were missed but you deserved a little break.

Probably the most interesting aspect of this shoot was getting into scrubs to enter the surgical area. We were quite the site. The technology in the bi-planner room was amazing. I can only imagine what it’s like while actually being utilized. See the special green lighting in the OR room below which is used to assist during operations.

Critical Care Tower Atrium

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower Atrium

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower Atrium

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower - Nurses Station

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower - ICU Room

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower - bi-planer operating room

This facility is amazing. I enjoyed photographing it. However, I hope that I don’t have to go there for any other reason.

- Kyle

Cleaning of the Temple

Well, this isn’t something you see every day.

I was driving back from a food photography client appointment and saw this … so I had to grab my 300mm (and trusted 16-35mm) and capture a few frames. The sky was really doing some fun things so I grabbed a polarizing filter as well.

This is a Mormon / Later Day Saint temple here in Franklin, TN. It’s an interesting structure from the outside.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

- Kyle Dreier

Dangerous Photography

Over the years I’ve managed to avoid many of the physical dangers of being a commercial photographer. Sure, there’s the paper cuts from sending invoices and the occasional burnt tongue from power lunches, but yesterday delivered a blow equal to that of Rocky Balboa.

Most architectural photography assignments land me in relatively benign situations. There are times where I might be dangling from the edge of a building, walking on a steep roof or even navigating a dark mysterious basement. I’ve been in questionable places at questionable hours. (Oh, and contact with poison ivy … but that’s a whole other story.) Who would have thunk that photographing the new headquarters of the Nashville Opera at the Noah Liff Center would have produced a bloody fat lip, two loose front teeth and the headache of the decade.

Enter me, surveying the wonderful light coming into their Patron’s Lounge. I’m captured by the break in the clouds that are producing nice clean light shining through the skylight ceiling and casting sharp shadows with the typography on the perimeter.

In full-stride and mid-sentence I am stopped dead in my tracks by … what was that! Oh, I remember, we closed (and cleaned) the large glass doors for the previous shot. Ouch! A bit dazed, I receive sympathy and ice from everyone around me … my assist, my clients and some of the opera staff who come from their offices after hearing what sounded like a 175 pound man hitting a 4 x 7 foot glass door.

From examining my pristine face-print on the previously invisible glass door I could see that it was likely my less than shy chin that saved me from greater damages. One of my first thoughts (aside from “what was that!”) was “darn, no more corn-on-the-cob for me this Summer.” Ironically, my wife prepared corn on the cob for dinner last night. Needless to say, I had corn-off-the-cob.

Architectural Assignment

I was in Lexington, Kentucky the first part of February shooting for a large architectural firm from Nashville. Thankfully we were there before the huge ice storm crippled that part of the state.

This particular architectural photography assignment was to highlight an extended care facility which was a complete redesign of an existing structure. This particular architect client joins us on each shoot with the marketing director and the lead interior designer for the project.

I enjoy being an architectural photographer. It certainly has its challenges but that’s really what keeps it fun. This particular assignment we had to shoot into the wee hours of the morning when the residents were asleep. It made for a long day, but we all hung in there.

For me, my day started at 6:30 am loading gear into my SUV. I picked up my assistant at 8 am. We drove to Lexington and were setting up for the first shot by 1 pm. By the time we got our shots, packed up gear and checked into our hotel it was 1:30 am. But, we shot everything we needed.

It’s kinda funny how different skills overlap. We actually had to create some fake ice cream for one of the shots. We turned to the old powdered mash potatoes and Crisco for this task. It’s not my favorite recipe for fake ice cream but it did the trick for what we were trying to do. (My favorite recipe involves a bag of confectioners sugar and frosting. More at the another time.)

So, here are the results. Nothing glamorous but certainly what we set out to capture.

Stay tuned for the next shoot …

- Kyle

Natural High

I was out scouting the other day on a beautiful afternoon here in the Nashville area. The results of my joy ride in an R22 helicopter are below. I love shooting aerial photography. I love it even more when I’m able to land (safely) and process images such as these. Covenant Presbyterian Church, the Natchez Trace and some beautiful mansions here in Williamson County.

lone biker along the trace.

Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN

Hilltop Mansion in Williamson County, TN

Stay tuned for more aerials in the near future.

– Kyle Dreier

An Inside Job …

Another fun job. I continue to enjoy shooting interiors, particularly when the subject of these shoots is so cooperative … sitting still and just looking pretty.

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Ok, maybe this last one isn’t really an “interior” but I treated it as such with lighting and styling.

-Kyle Dreier