A well-appointed bath adds a comforting touch to any home, contributing to an overall peaceful atmosphere.

Good photography is essential in capturing the carefully considered design of these intimate spaces.

When photographing baths, my main focus is creating a bright and relaxed mood that draws the viewer into the scene.

Paying special attention to the small details, whether it be the wall treatments, tiling, sconces or hardware, I strive to compose a dynamic image that brings all of the essential elements to life.

Working with the added dimension of radiant daylight, my portraits bring the room to life, allowing the viewer to truly experience the intended design and atmosphere of the space.

Below are some examples of my bath and powder room photography. Please take a look and keep me in mind for any design project that requires high-quality photography.

Lisa Wasserman Sivan Design                                                          Duffy Design Group

Siemasko + Verbridge                                                                               SBJ Architecture

The 1st shoot, taken at the New England Aquarium; feature the talented work of Simple Details Events and Mimosa Fresh Flower Design.

The photographs below, taken at the Boston Opera House feature the skilled work of Ray Quinones of The Catered Affair and Patrice R. Milley Floral Designer.

As kitchens are often the focal point of the home, it’s important that good kitchen design be represented by professional photography.

If you want your work to stand out and get noticed, having high-quality imagery is a must.

Below are two kitchens I recently photographed for Mid-Continent Cabinetry that show four different views, each adding to the viewer’s sense of  “space”. It’s important to feature an overall view or perhaps two, accompanied by at least three tighter shots e.g., vignettes and details to show a complete understanding of the overall design and functionality of any kitchen.

The overall shot gives the viewer a sense of the space and the tighter detailed shots bring the viewer into the room, allowing one to experience the design and atmosphere of the kitchen as it’s intended.

Check out the article and photos (page 144) and see it all for yourself:

You can read all about it here.  The Vilna Shul

As a photographer lucky enough to shoot the Vilna Shul, I wanted to capture its timeless beauty. Seems easy some might say, but the Vilna shows signs of almost a century of use, and weathered buildings can be a challenge to photograph.

It really was a treat to stand inside and feel the history all around me. The ceilings are high, approx twenty feet, and strategically placed skylights allow for ample amounts of soft light. Some of the features that immediately jumped out at me were the chandeliers, the stained glass and the murals, some of which are still being discovered underneath many years and layers of paint. Other interesting features that caught my eye included members’ plaques, pickle barrels, and an original turn of the century stove.

An interesting anecdote: the eternal light above the ark shines through two hands, each forming the letter shin as a Kohanim would. Leonard Nimoy, aka “Spock” of Star Trek fame, grew up in Boston’s West End and visited the Vilna Shul as a child. Legend has it he conceived his character’s legendary “live long and prosper” Vulcan salute by mimicking the hands.

Below are the photos from the shoot:

To view the slideshow featured in yesterday’s New York Times (5.18.11) click on the image below.

Here is a link to the article:  What You Get for … $1.3 Million.

And below are some additional photos from the shoot.

The photo was taken at World’s End in Hingham, MA.

Here is a link to the on-line version of the article: Best Places to Live

and below are some additional photos taken for the assignment.

I thought this would be a good opportunity to revisit those photographs and include my impressions on photographing the home.

Here is a link to my original post : Design New England – The Gropius House

And below are some of my photographs of the Gropius house:

Being a fan of innovative architecture and design, it was quite an honor and privilege to photograph the Gropius Home.  Volumes have been written about the house and with good reason.  It is one of the most historical and uniquely distinct architectural homes ever constructed.

However, not much has been written on photographing the house itself and this is where I’d like to include my impressions. Photographically speaking the house welcomes the camera.  The large open windows allow for ample light, always a key ingredient when photographing interiors.  The house’s dimensions are modest, which makes physically moving about the space easy, but photographing in small spaces can present it’s own challenges.  It also has a very intimate and livable quality to it, which makes one think that living there must have been quite a treat.

As an architectural photographer, it’s important to capture the design and feel of the space as it appears naturally.  You don’t want to exaggerate the size of the space by using wide-angle lenses, if at all possible. In this case, I chose to use a mid-range lens for much of the interior, which does compress the subject matter slightly, but allows for a more accurate representation of the original design.

Photographing this space was a real pleasure for me as I had free reign over where I wanted to compose my shots.  Initially, I walked through the house a few times to get my bearings and overall feel for photographing the space.  I feel it’s important to document the space in a series of photos that moves the viewer through the home as if they where actually there. A photo-essay if you will. In the Gropius House, this is made relatively easy by the smooth flowing and minimalist Bauhaus design principals Gropius mastered and implemented.  There is a very definite flow to the rooms that guided me through the home when composing the shots.  I also was very aware of the light coming through and this also played a role in the order of my shots.

Another unique aspect of the Gropius House is the styling and props throughout.  Everything is left in the same exact place as the Gropius family left it way back when. Usually, the photographer is allowed to move stuff around a bit, all for the good of the final image. In this case, I did not have such liberties. However, because we are dealing with Gropius here and his family, they styling was pretty much right on anyway.  There were a few instances in which I’d liked to have been able to move a couch or chair a few inches, or move a potted plant over a bit, but I was able to work around those small restrictions.

In the end I can say that good design translates to good photographs. The Gropius House’s efficient simplicity led to photographs that capture those Bauhaus design principals that Gropius founded and knew all too well.

Here is a link to the article:  Modernism for an Ancient Pastime

and below are some additional photographs from the project:

These photographs feature residential remodeling projects by Sharon Jacobson and Miriam Tropp-Spear respectively.