An interview with Prague based interior photography and trained architect Alexandra Timpau, aka Alex.Shoots.Building

“Most of my work happens in the Czech Republic and the neighboring countries, indeed. The architectural photographers here are very good and that competition, I believe, is very healthy. Since I am an architect I feel like the new kid on the block and as the only woman (I think), I’m definitely the oddball here.”

Alexandra Timpau is a trained architect and architectural photographer interested in documenting the built environment in a raw and unfiltered manner.

Fascinated by the process of building but also by the interaction between structures and their inhabitants, she believes context is important and that buildings should be presented with all the clutter and complexity that people bring to them.

She goes under the Instagram name of Alex.Shoots.Buildings

Hi Alex, I hope all is safe and well with you and many thanks for taking the time to share with our community and for your brilliant takeover last week. 

Can I congratulate you on a superb portfolio, I love the striking impact you achieve in your work and also, I'm a huge fan of your new website, very nice!

Can you tell us what has been keeping you occupied recently throughout 2020 and what your plans for 2021?

Thanks for having me and for your kind words!

2020 has been a turning point for me as for most of us, I'm sure. The past year has been quite a ride (and specifically a train ride almost exclusively) which brought challenges and professional satisfactions. 2021 feels like a reset and aside from an intense shooting schedule it certainly holds some well deserved holiday. 

I know what you mean, although the pandemic has caused chaos, it is great to hear many of us continue to be busy. I hear that about a holiday! Been nearly two years…

Could you tell us a bit more about your past, your education, ethos and how you approach your work currently?

I am an architect turned photographer so I approach each shoot from my clients` perspective. I believe I have a pretty good idea of how they think, what they want and each encounter with a client feels like an exclusive insight into how architecture is practiced today.

Photography is an amazing tool to use in order to understand the built environment and the way in which it is produced and now I see myself as a bridge between the two professions, somewhere in between.

I think that is half the battle, not only using your own perspective and composition but looking through the architects eyes in capturing what they have achieved.

How do you go about getting work and what do you find is the best solution you've found?

I know this is cliche but doing what I like brought me the work I like to do. The more I photograph and my photos are published the more I get like-minded people contacting me.  

I think that is slowly starting to happen for me, fingers crossed it continues. Where do you see the future of photography heading, not only in our genre but as a whole?

As I am a sort of novice to photography, I’m not sure if I’m equipped to answer this question, but I suspect that the future of photography will be blending into moving images and 3d work / renderings. We are already using Photoshop in order to modify the content of images, so why not push it even further?

That is an interesting answer. Although renderings help show the vision of the project, there is nothing better than photographing the real thing.

What is the interior and architectural scene like in Prague, is this where do you do most of your work?

Most of my work happens in the Czech Republic and the neighboring countries, indeed. The architectural photographers here are very good and that competition, I believe, is very healthy. Since I am an architect I feel like the new kid on the block and as the only woman (I think) I’m definitely the oddball here. 

That is great news, I’m sure and hope it is only a matter of time before you balance out the scale in scene out there.

As a photography community we love a bit of gear talk, could you tell us what equipment you have in your bag and enlighten those who aren't familiar a little bit more about your process.

I now have a Sony mirrorless camera onto which I use tilt-shift lenses from Canon with the help of a Metabones adapter. 

As far as process goes, I try to understand the project first, understand the architectural concept and its relationship to its context.

From there I try to find a few key shots that show the overall building and then break the composition more by zooming in more and more. And if I’m lucky and I have people or animals that inhabit those places, then I try to involve them as much as possible.  

Well it is certainly working, your results are stunning.

Do you feel that you're happy with the work you produce?

Sometimes I take a photo and I get an instant thrill. At that moment my gut tells me “this will be a photo you’ll love forever!” So I chase that feeling as much as possible,  and I suppose that is what “happy” means. 

On the other hand, being happy or content with one’s work can be dangerous and keep one stuck in the same patterns or processes, so I try to be a bit unhappy sometimes to keep the engines rolling. 

Haha…I hear that. The thrill when you know you’ve taken something special…If only every shoot worked out like that. Some of my best work has come from a more opportunistic approach…but I suppose you have to be in the right place at the right time sometimes.

Do you have any advice for aspiring photographers to keep motivated and pushing yourself forward?

Yes, take photos of everything you see beauty in, all the time! It may not be a commission now, but someone will appreciate it and when you get that commission it will be for the work you love to do. 

Beginnings are always hard, but that’s why they are also fun. 

We all have to start somewhere and we’re all on certain stages of our careers. I love how open the community has become in offering their time and support. It is only a matter of reaching out and you for every no, they’ll be a bunch of people offering their support and advice.

I think we should talk a bit about copyright.....How do you go about educating your clients about licensing and is there anything we can be doing better, especially in the UK to inform our clients better?

It’s a struggle as it is everywhere, I suppose.

With the internet, people seem to think that content is always free and shareable and it takes a bit to explain how licenses work. I always explain copyright( licenses) as something that is related to my prices so that clients understand there is a relationship there and I sometimes try to relate that to how it works in their field.

Nevertheless, the more we do this work now, the better it will be later, for the younger photographers and for the profession in general. 

There was a great little video on APALMANAC by Matthew Anderson which I really enjoyed. I suggest everyone have a little look.

Where do you draw your inspiration from and how do you go about creating your stylised look?

Well, to be honest, from movies more than from photography. I really enjoy the idea of an “atmosphere” or a story within an image and if it feels as if it’s part of a bigger narration, then it’s a successful photo for me. 

From Tarkovsky to your indie documentary on icebergs, that’s my cup of inspiration.

I love a good documentary….

Do you have a favourite thing you like to shoot and why?

I don’t think I have a favorite, but I do enjoy transparency and translucency and how light plays with architectural surfaces or volumes that have these characteristics. I enjoy context, be it urban or nature and somehow framing that in the images as well.

Nice.

What would say the highlight of your career would be to this point?

Those moments of happiness while shooting, that I mentioned before. External validation is very nice as well, but my highlights are the process. 

I love hearing how people have such a passion for our subject and that they are so happy with what they do. To me, life is too short to do something you hate. I just couldn’t sit behind a desk all my life, watching the world go by. That is what I love about this career, everyday in a different place, meeting different people.

Do you have any favourite photographers that inspire you and anyone you think we should be keeping an eye out for?

Of course!

I love the work of Laurian Ghinitoiu @laurianghinitoiu who is also a friend, Simone Bossi @simonebossiphotographer for his soft and sensitive approach and Francesca Ióvene @francescaiovene for the way she sees value and beauty in unexpected environments. There are many more, of course but these are the ones that came to me just now. 

I’ll certainly go and check them out.

Lastly, what have you learnt and taken away from the past years events?

That sometimes it’s good to stop everything and listen to what your gut tells you. We are constantly bombarded with information and distractions from all sides and we forget how important it is to have some quiet time for ourselves. For me, it was transformative and I hope more people experienced that as well! 

A huge thanks again to Alex for her time in sharing her portfolio to our community. We wish her all the very best in the future and hope she keeps in touch.

If you’d like to see more of Alex’s portfolio clink on the following links - Website - Instagram