Photography Project – Custom Residential Architecture for McCullough Architects

The context of this spec project was especially important as it had really influenced the design
McCullough Architects – “Bridge House”, Issaquah Highlands, WA
McCullough Architects is a 12-person shop based in Seattle’s historic Georgetown neighborhood. Owner Phil McCullough directs his firm toward mixed-use and commercial projects, plus a special focus on high-end, custom residential. For many years he’s been on the list of pre-approved architects for the Issaquah Highlands, a master-planned community roughly 15 miles east of Seattle, developed by Port Blakely Communities.
McCullough Architects partnered with a local builder / developer on a high value spec project in the Harrison Street neighborhood of Issaquah Highlands, some of the last remaining view lots at the very top of this community – and oh, what a view! Upon completion and before the property was sold, I was contacted to photograph the design and the context of this spectacular, modern home for his project portfolio.
After a scouting visit, the client and I listed all the possible interior shots and then prioritized the top twelve or so, with others listed as “time allowing”. Since McCullough Architects was the only firm participating on this shoot, they got to set the shot list and we could focus on the great design, high-end finishes, and spectacular setting of this multi-million dollar home. The context of this spec project was especially important as it had really influenced the design, more so than the specific desires of any one homeowner. Due to the house’s orientation, we wanted to shoot both early morning and dusk exteriors to capture some breathtaking “hero” shots, so I planned on arriving shortly after the 4:45am sunrise and staying through dusk until full dark around 10pm. Shooting on the longest day of the year made for one very long day of photography, but even so the shot list was longer than even 17 hours would accommodate. Of course the location of this site demanded massive windows to maximize the views, so every room at the front of the house was flooded with light throughout the day.
From a total take of over 400 images, the final edited set contained 82 images, including variations, from which the client selected 17 images to have retouched, individually color corrected, and delivered as highest-rez TIFF files, along with their image library of all 82 images from the final edited set as un-retouched, screen-rez jpegs.
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- Early morning exterior architectural photo
- Morning light floods the high-ceilinged main floor in this interior photo
- Interior architectural detail photo of the main floor
- Interior kitchen photo on the main floor
- The lower level rec room and freestanding steel staircase beyond
- Detail photo of the freestanding steel staircase and the glass-enclosed stairwell
- Detail photo looking up the glass-enclosed stairwell
- Interior detail photo of the glass-enclosed stairwell
- Master bath interior photo, and wide open view
- Shower tile detail photo in the Master bath
- Late afternoon exterior architectural photo showing east and south elevations
- Late afternoon exterior architectural photo showing north elevation
- Dusk exterior photo showing northeast corner elevation
- Dusk exterior photo showing southeast corner elevation and sunset sky beyond
- Dusk exterior photo from the entry bridge, and sunset sky beyond
- Dusk exterior photo from the SE corner showing entry bridge, and sunset sky beyond
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