A Conversation with Photographer William MacCollum

We had a chat with one of our favorite photographers today, William MacCollum.

His most recent work for Whipple Russell Architects was on our Hopen Place and Summit house homes in the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

W^R: Bill, tell us a bit about your overall approach to architectural photography.

WM: I try to capture what the architect sees when he looks at the work. It is the same in my cinematography work; I want to give the best composition to the director’s vision.

W^R: Both your work and Marc’s deal very much with light, shadow, and balance; what are your thoughts on shooting his designs?

WM: Yes, a great deal of balancing inside and outside must happen so they blend together for a complete image. Lighting is a big part of that. I take inspiration - along with many others - from the great Julius Shulman – the modern house; the inside opens to the outside.

W^R: What is your methodology when trying to capture the strengths or essence of a building?

WM: Marc often uses water, pools, fountains very close to the structure and this creates visual opportunities. I like to reflect the house in water; there is a shot of the Summit house across the pool with a reflection of the house in the water that I like. I love to shoot homes at twilight, and I do try to create in some of the shots an almost surreal feel, that this house is its own world. Water also gives you an opportunity to get a great depth of color, a very dark blue.

W^R: It almost sounds like you are capturing the personality of the house.

WM: Marc’s work produces a particularly warm and inviting feel for a modern design. It’s not just the design, but the choice of materials, the stone, rock walls, textures. ... I like to shoot at night with the glow of light from inside the house. You get a sense of substance and life inside, even in a modern house with lots of glass. When I first visited the finished Summit house it took me a while to realize I had shot the old house that stood there years before. The hilltop was transformed; the new house so distinctly stands apart from everything – yet feels as if it belongs right where it is in the hills.

W^R: What do you enjoy most about architectural photography?

WM: I enjoy the end product, just looking at the man-made beauty of that.

So do we ... thank you Bill.