Everyone enjoys snapping pictures of magnificent structures. But very few of those photos become famous. That’s where architectural photographers come in. Some of them were so skilled that they made their subjects famous. How? They took a snapshot of the structure itself but also managed to breathe life itself into their images.

Below you will find the most notable architectural photographers. What made them famous are the years of their experience, unique and eye-catching style, and undisputed talent for architectural photography.

Kerstin Arnemann

To become famous in the world of architectural photography, one doesn’t even need to use colors. To become famous in the world of architectural photography, one doesn’t even need to use colors.

Kerstin Arnemann, one of the world’s most prominent black & white photographers, stands as a living proof of this claim. Kerstin is a German photographer based in Malta, and her work was rewarded several times so far.

Kerstin is mesmerized by geometric shapes, lines, and forms. She is always on the look for a unique perspective, which allows her to present us the images of the old structures and still make them appear as we are seeing them for the first time in our lives.

If you want to take a closer look at her work, you should see the images in her “Architectural Street Photography” collection.

Berenice Abbott

Berenice Abbot is perhaps one of the most famous architectural photographers of all time. She is an American photographer who made her name by taking photos of New York City structures. Berenice was not an architectural photographer right at the start of her career. She started by doing incredible work in portrait photography.

As time passed by, her interest in architecture grew, and she started taking shots of buildings in NYC. Her pictures are still famous and can be found in renowned architecture magazines as well as on the front covers.

James Austin

James Austin and Australian photographer renowned for his work in architectural and fine-art photography. The British Institute of Professional Photography even recognized his talent. James retained the Fellow title at BIOPP for 14 years. James didn’t have a favorite pick when it comes to subjects in architectural photography.

He traveled the world and used every opportunity to take shots of various structures. He spent most of his time in France and Italy, which is why most of the photos in his portfolio were taken there. Over the past decades, his portfolio kept on getting rich. Today it features hundreds of high-quality architecture photos.

Iwan Baan

Iwan Baan is a Dutch architectural photographer. His unique approach and distinctive talent for composition have helped him build a career in architectural photography. Iwan’s focus is on architecture as an art, but he also strives to capture the day to day life in the structures and around them. He is the winner of the prestigious Julius Shulman award in photography.

So far, he has worked side by side with some of the most famous names in the architecture, including Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas. The interesting fact about Iwan is that he has no formal training in architecture photography whatsoever.

As a world traveler, he managed to capture the shots of some of the most prominent architectural achievements, including the National Museum of Qatar, the University of Technology in Sydney, and Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku.

Julia Anna Gospodarou

Julia Anna Gospodarou is a Greek photographer and architect based in Athens. Her varied career gives her an advantage when it comes to knowing how and what to capture in photos. Her focus is on fine-art architectural photography. Her success didn’t go unnoticed, and Julia received several awards in architectural photography so far.

Julia’s photos are unique because she enjoys making abstract details most prominent. But she does it in such a way that viewers can still see the scale and the form of the structure in the photo. Her photos are so rich in detail and able to tell the story even though she prefers monochromatic shots.

Julius Shulman

Julius Shulman is perhaps the most famous photographer in the world of architectural photography. He even has his own Golden Palm Star you can see on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. He received this prestigious acknowledgment back in 2006. And he managed to build a career in photography without formal knowledge.

Julius devoted himself entirely to architectural photography. He even custom-tailored his own way of taking shots. In fact, he worked in black and white and used an infrared film. Infrared film was such an unconventional choice back then, but it allowed him to capture the essential shapes and lines of his subjects.

Janie Airey

Janie Airey is a London-based architectural photographer with a background in graphic design. She started her career as a photographer working on fashion shots but soon discovered that she has no interest in fashion.

Luckily she got contacted by the Olympic Delivery Authority to take shots of open spaces. That’s when her spotless careers in architectural photography begun.

Her unique style is obvious once you take a look at her work. The photos she takes are vibrant and always show her perspective of the structures. She does two types of shots open spaces and people in spaces.

Frederick H. Evans

Some of the world’s finest architecture can be seen in the French and English cathedrals. Thousands of photographers took pictures of them, but only one managed to capture their essence. Frederick H. Evans was a London-based English photographer who made a name photographing cathedrals. Experts say that he is one of the greatest names in the history of photography.

Students of religious architecture around the globe use his photographs to understand the ins and outs of cathedral designs. As a reward, Frederick was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.

Richard Pare

Richard Pare is an architectural photographer from the UK. He got interested in photography early on and decided to study along with graphic design at Ravensbourne College of Art. After his studies, he moved to the US, where he graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His primary interest as a photographer is Soviet modernist architecture or the Russian Avant Garde.

His work didn’t go unnoticed. Documentation of the Soviet architecture put him in a position to receive the AIA monograph award. Richard’s work has been exhibited all around the world, and he continues to lecture on the history of photography.

Andrew Prokos

Andrew Prokos is an established photographer with a keen eye for architecture. He started as an advertising photographer in New York City back in 1996. Right from the start, it was apparent that Andrew was a talented photographer. His work ended up in mainstream magazines and newspapers.

After establishing authority in the field of advertising photography, Andrew switched to a more specific niche – architectural photography only to become even more successful.

This completes our list of 10 notable architectural photographers. Hopefully, you can learn from and seek inspiration in their work. Feel free to research more on them and look at their other photos because they are truly magnificent.