Shutter Mike Photography

This particular post may take a bit of “stretching” to fall into the photography category since the subject at hand doesn’t exist yet.  That is why I call it a “subject to be.”  Earlier this month the design for the new Board Museum in Los Angeles was unveiled.  Situated in downtown LA the new $130 million Board Museum will have such prestigious neighbors as the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall.  That is some stiff design competition to live up to but judging from initial designs architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro appear to be keeping up with the Jonses (or Disneys in this case).  The design flexibility of concrete seems to be continually expanding and the architects used innovation with it in the Board design.

So even though the Board Museum is not slated to open until 2013 I have added it to my list of future architectural photography subjects.  In the mean time a trip to photography Gehry’s Disney Hall is scheduled for later this year.

Built in 1888 (although some sources list it as being built in 1886, so let’s say 1886-1888), the Yuma Building was downtown San Diego’s first brick building.  It was built by Captain Wilcox and named after the town of Yuma, AZ because of the Captain’s business dealings in Yuma.  The building’s real claim to fame came in 1912 when it was a “hotel” (aka brothel) and it got the distinction of being the first red light district business to be shut down during an attempt to clean up San Diego’s area of ill-repute.

The University of California San Diego is a haven for architectural photography buffs.  The campus sits near the bluffs of Torrey Pines, steps away from the Pacific Ocean, in La Jolla, CA.  I did not get much time on campus during my visit so I was limited to the School of Medicine which by itself offers some great architecture and details to photograph.  On a typical gray Southern California morning the concrete structures of the School of Medicine present a challenge to an architectural photographer.  You risk a drab gray on gray monochromatic image where nothing really stands out.  The best solution to this problem is to wait until the clouds burn off which usually happens by late morning.  When that is not possible I’d suggest trying to include color from the landscape or other elements in the image.  Or, when all else fails, add in your own blue sky with the help of Photoshop.