In interior and architectural photography, the ‘hero’ shot is the photograph that gives the project its identity. It is the face of the project. This one image has the power to communicate the story of the entire project in one instance. Right?
It is true: there is something unparalleled in a well framed, expertly styled ‘hero’ shot that draws you into the design whilst allowing your eye to dance over all of its elements. But is it in the details that we find the true essence of the subject?
In design, there is a story. An elegant tale that is articulated through the tactile fabrics in the sensory environment of a spa or the story of the exquisite craftsman that shows through the seamless connections of different molten glass elements of an elegant sculpture
As designers, photography becomes your only tool to communicate this story quickly, effectively. The viewer cannot walk around the space and feel the sunlight as it burst through the window and enjoy the tactility of the delicate alpaca throw. They can only imagine.
However, photography can encourage this imagination: to sense the aromas of the eclectic levantine menu that inspired the curated and bold design or to marvel at the juxtaposition of organic form and geometric precision in the design of lighting filament. It is in these touch points that the design can come to life.
At Franklin & Franklin, we spend time surveying the design and identifying the stand out elements that we believe to be quintessential to the design language. Taking them out of context, we aim to immortalise the essence of the whole.
The hero shots communicate the design as a whole, but it is in the details, with a combination of precise framing and unbound creativity, that you can truly articulate the language of the design.
You cannot, however, have one without the other. The Hero shot gives context to the detail whilst the detail gives meaning to whole.