Member’s Forum – The Art of Building Photography with Jim Sinsheimer

Construction photography is a subject that not many photographers get at chance to explore.  For me, however, it came as an integral part of my career in architecture and construction project management. My interest in photography paralleled my architectural education during which I documented most of my college projects. As my career developed, so did my interest and fascination with photographing not only the finished projects, but the process of creating them as well. 

I started to record the process in a documentary form, but soon saw the potential to go beyond to capture the incredible images of light, color, form, texture, and composition that the construction process can produce. The images can be of materials, machinery, and equipment; and of course, the trades people themselves.

Capturing images on a construction site is a challenge on two levels – technical and interpersonal. The technical challenge is being at the right place, at the right time, with the right light. Understanding the construction sequence is of course very helpful. The pace can be fast and often sporadic, so there’s no time for lighting setups, umbrellas, or other assisted illumination.  You must use what is there. Equipment needs to be simple and flexible. In the early film years, this was a challenge without quality zoom lenses. So, I carried two cameras with different lenses – one normal and one telephoto. As digital photography developed, I was able to simplify this to one camera and two lenses.

Developing a level of familiarity and trust with the construction team is as important as the technical aspects. The craftsmen are at first suspicious of a photographer in their midst– they are concerned that the pictures will be used to show them doing something wrong. So, I start by being as inconspicuous as possible until my presence is accepted.  It helps to give trades people a print of their picture – they love to show their families how they look at work.

Of course, I’ve shared these images with the architects and builders I’ve worked with. Some of these images were published in the October 2011 edition of Lenswork. I hope you will enjoy them too.

---