When widely disseminated, professional photographs help to shape public impressions of the building’s architectural character. An extraordinary image of an iconic building may assume iconic status in its own right.

Photographer Alan Karchmer has risen to prominence in his field thanks to his skill in conveying architects’ ideas and intentions. Having earned a Master of Architecture himself, Karchmer uses his knowledge of the design process, coupled with his own artistic vision, to express the essence of a building. He is, quintessentially, “The Architects’ Photographer.”

This exhibition presents a cross-section of Karchmer’s professional photographs, coupled with personal photos and artifacts that shed light on his work. While the exhibition features numerous large-format images of remarkable beauty, it also includes didactic displays examining the technical and creative processes underlying such images. It thus illuminates why certain images are so successful in expressing both the physical and emotional aspects of architecture.

By displaying multiple images of specific buildings, the exhibition also examines how a series of photographs can be used to create a visual narrative conveying a cohesive sense of design, place, and experience. The exhibition sheds light on the important but sometimes elusive role of artistic interpretation, tracing how the photographer’s own vision complements that of the architect, yielding final images that ultimately reflect a blend of the two. It also explores how changing technologies—especially the transition from analog to digital cameras—have influenced architectural photography.

The exhibition celebrates Karchmer’s recent bequest of his professional archive to the collection of the National Building Museum.

Media Coverage

• August 2021 / Washington City Paper: Alan Karchmer on Photographing Architecture
• July 2021 / Professional Photographer: Alan Karchmer Makes Structures Come Alive
• February 2021 / American Way: Edifice Complex