Photographing San Francisco's Art Deco Architecture

I recently spent some time walking San Francisco’s hills and capturing some of the Art Deco facades I saw along the way. One of the best neighborhoods to witness Art Deco influences is Pacific Heights where I found residential buildings and movie theaters adorned with geometric patterns and ornamental details that capture the glamour of the 1920s and 30s. On a larger scale the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown skyscrapers also feature stunning Art Deco design work.

Seeking out and photographing these gems offered a glimpse into one of the most captivating design movements of the 20th century.

Golden Gate Bridge

Presidio Theater

Vogue Theater

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

Golden Gate Bridge

The Shell Building

The Shell Building

155 Sansome Building

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

The Clay Jones Building

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

Building Facade, Pacific Heights

Four Fifty Sutter Building

Four Fifty Sutter Building

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Four Fifty Sutter Building

Chicago Observations

While exploring Chicago I was looking for scenes mostly highlighted by light and shadow. I wanted to show architectural features and some of the more abstract patterns I observed around the city in a not so straightforward way so I approached with a longer focal length and tighter compositions, focusing on shapes, shadows and reflections I encountered.

In a city so rich in diverse styles of architecture it’s an exciting challenging to hunt for all these shapes and facades in their best light.

The Chicago Picasso by Pablo Picasso, Chicago, Illinois

Marina Towers, Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Picasso by Pablo Picasso, Chicago, Illinois

The Field Building, Chicago, Illinois

The La Salle Building, Chicago, Illinois

The Field Building, Chicago, Illinois

Reflections captured on Anish Kapoor’s Cloudgate (The Bean) Chicago, Illinois

Reflections captured on Anish Kapoor’s Cloudgate (The Bean) Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Picasso by Pablo Picasso, Chicago, Illinois

View of Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago, Illinois

The Wintrust Building, Chicago, Illinois

View of Chicago, Illinois

View of Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Theater, Chicago, Illinois

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