What do I mean? I guess this could be a homonym moment, so let me explain.

The world of pro-architectural visualization is a complicated one; we wear a lot of hats. Like a lot of English words, one word can mean several things. Language is defined as:

Okay, let's use the definition above in this conversation. What language does an architectural visualization pro use? Here is a brief list for starters.

• Architecture

• Construction

• Photography

• Art Theory

• Color Theory

• Composition

Notice software and hardware didn’t make the short-list. Yes, both are important, but only if that is the media you choose. However, software and hardware are typically where most architectural illustrators start and stop today.

Architecture:

I am an architectural school dropout. However, I do have a degree in Architectural technology. Also, I have worked for some of the best architects in the Chicagoland area for over a decade. I speak the language!

Construction:

I spent my youth on building sites, from living in a construction zone with a father who was a builder to working in construction through high school and college summer vacations. I speak the language!

Photography:

My hobby is photography. I have read everything I could get my hands on, watched every YouTube video I could find, and gone through many workshops. However, that only gets your toes in the water. I spend my weekends doing street and architectural photography, and I journal my weekend hike with photos. You can see my photos here if you are interested.

Art and Color Theory:

About 15 years ago, when software became accessible to most, I knew I had to up my architectural visualization game. I wanted to find out what made a picture good, and it all comes down to art and color, which includes light and shadow. I have studied for years and applied what I have learned to my architectural renderings. I speak the language!

Composition:

Another big topic. How you compose an architectural illustration is essential. It is so important; doing it wrong can kill an image. If you ever watch a professional architectural photography work, they work around light and shadows. They walk the site several times, across several days, in different environments before they even take out their equipment. Yes, you can give a person a point-and-shoot, send them to the site, and they can take some photos. It’ll save you some money, but cheap always comes out expensive. Hiring a professional photographer is crucial to a successful photo shoot, as hiring a professional architectural illustrator is to an architectural rendering. Like a photographer can spend days waiting for the right shot, I can spend hours virtually staging a scene for the perfect shot. I speak the language!

I speak your language!

Yes, there is a pink elephant! I am also a native English-speaking person. I love everyone, and I don’t mean disrespect, but working with someone who natively speaks your language is essential. Two English-speaking people have a hard enough time communicating; adding a language barrier isn’t what a project needs. Over the years, I have had dozens of requests to record tutorials because almost 100% of the stuff available is difficult to understand because it wasn’t recorded in someone’s native language. I also get many clients (more than you might think) who come to me because they took the cheap route (sometimes it is cheaper to go overseas), but the language barrier made it impossible. Not only the English language, but they didn’t speak architecture, construction, art, or composition.

Side note:

Believe it or not, most people doing renderings, not necessarily professionals, use an app to translate your emails. They will not take a phone call or do a Zoom call because of it, I couldn’t imagine. You also might get the next person on the call list, regardless of skill level. Why would anybody risk a deadline to save a few bucks?

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