Color-Block Building Photographs by Mauren Brodbeck

For Mauren Brodbeck’s series “Urbanscape and Cityscape”, she photographed buildings in both Los Angeles (where she was living) and Geneva (where she grew up). Brodbeck looks at buildings as if they are sitting for a portrait. “The idea is to photograph building as though they are people. That way, they become portraits of the cities where they are located. In this series, I am looking for subjects that have a real structural geometry. Buildings are a kind of mirror of society. I find the repetition and rhythm of architecture is associated with human rhythms such as habits and rituals. We are all really such creatures of habit.”

To determine the colors for the buildings, she uses the colors of the location or the colors of the season. “I am inspired by the colors of the place and the seasonal colors which can really change the feel of the pictures. I start by using the color palette of the area or the persona. Then I create my own color palette based on the original color. That maintains the authenticity at the base of the work.”

Feature Shoot Contributing Editor Carolyn Rauch is a Photo Editor.

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