Benson Photo's Blog

Exterior view of Girl Scouts' Science & Technology Lodge. Hockessin, DE

In 2009 we photographed the Girl Scouts’ Science and Technology Lodge in Hockessin, Delaware for Re:Vision Architecture and S C & A Construction. This building was the first to qualify for Platinum LEED certification in the state of Delaware. LEED or “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” is a certification process for green buildings, with Platinum being the highest ranking.

In this time of rising energy costs and stress on the environment, LEED certified buildings are a way to create more sustainable structures.

Science Classroom, Girl Scouts' Science & Technology Lodge. Hockessin, DE

Part of a larger camp, this building is used for programs that instruct Girl Scouts in science.

Multipurpose Room, Girl Scouts' Science & Technology Lodge. Hockessin, DE

Natural daylight supplies much of the building’s lighting, reducing the amount of electricity needed.

View of the deck and green roof of Girl Scouts' Science & Technology Lodge. Hockessin, DE

View from deck of Girl Scouts' Science & Technology Lodge. Hockessin, DE

Having a green building is a hands-on way for the Scouts to experience environmentally friendly architecture.

Bathroom, Girl Scouts' Science & Technology Lodge. Hockessin, DE

A rainwater harvesting system collects water that is used to flush toilets.

University of Pennsylvania College Houses Catalog 2010-2011 Academic Year

For this academic year the College Houses at the University of Pennsylvania crafted a fresh new design for their catalog. They came to us with their design concept and ideas about the mood for the cover image. The result of our collaboration is this view of the Rodin House lounge that feels as cozy and inviting, as it is slick and stylish.

Daytime view of Rodin House lounge.

While on campus shooting other images for the catalog, Greg scouted several views of the Rodin House lounge. The above view was perfect for the cover, but daytime would not give this scene the mood our client wanted. The shoot was scheduled for an evening.

Lounge scene before retouching

On the night of the shoot we assembled a small cast of student models, posed them in various positions in the space, and asked them to interact with each other.

Detail of lamps and window -- unretouched scene on left and retouched version on right.

Above is an example of how we use Photoshop as one of our tools to get the desired visual effect. Elements from different frames are brought together seamlessly in Photoshop. The glow of the lamp on the right cannot be captured in the same exposure as the flash-lit interior. The exterior through the window was also shot separately, with the lights down and no flash to avoid reflecting the room (and the photographers) on those beautiful, large windows.

Detail of coffee table and woman's foot -- unretouched scene on left and retouched version on right.

During the shoot the accent coffee table above was moved out of the scene to simplify the shot. The frame that was finally selected for the cover was from somewhat earlier in the shoot before the decision to move the table was made. In Photoshop the table was removed, and our model’s foot was restored.

Rodin House lounge scene -- final version with all retouching

All of the pre-shoot planning, our efforts on location, and the final digital tweaks come together above in the final version.

Covers of University of Pennsylvania's College Houses catalogs from 1998 through 2009

It can be very rewarding to step back from a project you have been involved with for many years and see how it has evolved and changed over time. Greg has been photographing for University of Pennsylvania’s catalog of College Houses for thirteen years. The designs and concepts have changed over that time. It is fun to see some of the covers together and trace the evolution.

University of Pennsylvania College Houses Catalog 2002-2003 Academic Year

More than just the designs have changed over the years. The cover concept for the catalogs from 2002 through 2005 called for a photograph of one the many sculptures on campus in the foreground and Penn dormitories in the background. The photograph had to wrap around to the back of the book and digital capture technology of the day was not up to the task. These series of covers were all shot in large format film.

University of Pennsylvania College Houses Catalog2006-2007 Academic Year

The redesigned cover for the catalog for the 2005-2006 academic year set a new concept that was continued on until last year’s catalog. Though Greg had already been shooting digitally for some assignments before this, it is during these years that the studio saw less and less of a necessity for shooting film. The day that marked the final transition to fully digital for all assignments was somewhere in the middle of 2007, and by the end of 2008 Greg’s large format and medium format cameras had found homes outside of the studio.

Not just University of Pennsylvania, but all of our clients’ needs continue to change and evolve. Our tools (not longer just cameras, lenses, and lights; but now also computers, software, and hard-drives) continue to change and evolve at an accelerating pace.

After about one hundred years of slow to little change, right now is a very exciting time to be a photographer and embrace all the new possibilities. But, it requires that one is willing to continue to be a student.

Elegant Dining Room. Private Residence, New Jersey

Peter Lalor Fine Paperhanging specializes in the installation of designer wallpapers and scenic murals. We recently photographed some of Peter’s residential projects for his website.

Detail of Hand-Painted, Silk Wallcovering. Private Residence, New Jersey

These delicate, one-of- a-kind, hand-painted silk wall panels require patience and skill to install.

Dining Room. Private Residence, Philadelphia, PA.

Peter draws on more than thirty years of experience. His expertise is not only in the installation, but also during the planning stages, where he will help plan the placement of each of the panels before they are made. He frequently works in collaboration with interior designers or homeowners.

Hand-Painted Silk Wallcovering Detail. Private Residence, Philadelphia, PA.

Portrait of Peter Lalor.

Lobby of Sheraton University City, Philadelphia, PA

The Sheraton University City Hotel in Philadelphia hired us to document their newly renovated lobby. Since these spaces are very busy during the day, the shoot was scheduled after midnight.

Reception Desks - Sheraton University City, Philadelphia.

With the renovations a new restaurant opened at the hotel. The Sang Kee Noodle House is a new location of the much-loved Chinatown restaurant known for their Peking Duck.

Sang Kee Restaurant - Sheraton University City, Philadelphia.

Earlier in 2010 we also documented the hotel’s renovated meeting rooms and downstairs public space. The hotel hosts many events and meetings, but we were able to photograph on a rare day when few events were scheduled.

Lower Level Lobby - Sheraton University City, Philadelphia.

As well as banquet halls, the hotel has several other spaces better suited to hosting large meetings and conferences. We worked with hotel staff to have the rooms set up in a way that would best illustrate and showcase their use.

Meeting Room - Sheraton University City, Philadelphia.

More of our photographs of the Sheraton University City Hotel can been seen on their website.

Sheraton University City Hotel at Twilight

Community Room. DeKalb Apartments, East Norriton, PA.

Sharing costs can make photographing your projects more affordable. The community room pictured above belongs to an apartment complex that we photographed for the builder, the architect, and Scully Company, the property owner.

DeKalb Apartments, East Norriton, PA.

The typical costs of hiring a photographer for a project include the creative fee, assistant, travel costs, post-production costs, and the license to use those photographs for a specific use and a specific time period. Most often when a the project is a building or site there are multiple parties involved and all those entities may be interested in documentation of the work that they have done. All costs except for the licensing can be split.

Community Room. DeKalb Apartments, East Norriton, PA.

These shared projects provide a great value to our clients as it allows some of the cost to be divided between them.

DeKalb Apartments, East Norriton, PA.

Even on a smaller budget, it is possible to have beautiful, high impact, professional photographs if two or more parties are interested in sharing the costs.

Sample Unit. DeKalb Apartments, East Norriton, PA.

Originally part of a convent, this space was renovated to create a library for Princeton Academy. Photographing this library for our client, E. Allen Reeves was a challenge because it is a large space that is rarely empty. We were able to shoot during a lull in scheduled activities.

The above living room was photographed for Automatic Empire, a real estate developer that specializes in creating high-end residential spaces in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia.

Greg worked directly with the client to style the spaces to match their aesthetic.

Earlier this year we photographed another Automatic Empire project and showcased the kitchen and the innovative metallic exterior.

Two weekends ago while visiting friends at the New Jersey shore, my wife and I paid a visit to an architectural salvage yard, called Recycling the Past, located in Barnegat, NJ. Their enormous lot is a treasure trove of building pieces. As a fan of buildings I was in heaven. There are Victorian mantelpieces, signs from 1950s amusement parks, terra cotta decoration from 1920s buildings, 15-foot stone columns from a closed state mental hospital and on and on.

Recycling is in vogue. We recycle cans, paper and glass at curbside to minimize trash put into landfills. The reason to recycle buildings is more complex.

In America buildings often have short life spans. A thirty-year baseball stadium is obsolete, whereas in southern France I visited a Roman stadium 2000 years old that is still used for bullfights and rock concerts.

When a house or commercial building is deemed too expensive to renovate or unsuited to its site’s next use, then it’s knocked down. Pre-World War II buildings often have a level of craftsmanship and quality of materials that current buildings frequently lack. This makes the well-crafted fragments of older buildings valuable to buyers who can appreciate and afford them.

My emotions ranged from delight and wonder at seeing beautiful salvaged objects that may find new homes to sadness and melancholy contemplating the decay and destruction that led to these objects being orphaned from their original settings.

Enough claw footed bathtubs to shoot lots of Cialis TV ads.

Detail of copper panels from an old Atlantic City school.

Summer is the perfect time of year to retire to one’s own backyard oasis. The one above was shot for EP Henry’s current product catalog. EP Henry is a manufacturer of hardscaping products.

Greg captured many great views of this setting during the day, showing the pool, the built in grill and the pergola. But what lead to the dramatic twilight image was realizing that a second shoot at night would lead to even more dramatic images of this space.

For the twilight shoot, 1000 watt lights were set up outside of the frame, and a roaring fire was lit in the fire ring. Then Greg waited for the magic time when the sky is a deep blue, just before it turns black.

The homeowner should feel proud of what they have created for themselves. Now, who’s ready for a summer cook out and a midnight swim?