Hot Shots

PHOTOGRAPHERS OF DESIGN

>>> Ed LaCasse, LaCasse Photography, Denver, Colorado

During one shoot, architectural photographer Ed LaCasse hovered in a helicopter above Coors Field in Denver to get just the right angle during a game for the client, an electrical company that handled all of the facility's lighting. For another shoot, the client, a mining company, sent a barge up from South America to the Texas Gulf Coast so that LaCasse could get a good overall view from the water of that Texas mining operation.

Even though LaCasse has become known for big, sweeping views of big, important projects, he's just as happy shooting a small detail or the interior of an intimate restaurant. "I don't have a fear of large-scale projects," says LaCasse, who started his Denver business in 1988. "But I also like the challenge of doing something in a more confined space. The important thing is digging out the architect's statement and knowing the purpose of the images; then you have to be there at the right time for the light. If the shoot is for an interior designer, it's about mood, texture and details."

Coors Field, Denver.

LaCasse's simple approach to the big picture might have roots in his Montana childhood, where his father was a cinematographer for the State of Montana, working on educational films and photography for such entities as the game and fish department. "Dad would shoot things like bear-tagging and activities at fish hatcheries," recalls LaCasse, "and I always hung around the office and checked out the camera equipment. I've been in a darkroom ever since I was tall enough to see over the lip of the sink."

In high school, he discovered that taking pictures for the school newspaper was "a legal way to get out of class," then later went on to earn a degree in photography from Montana State University. "Ultimately, though," LaCasse points out, "everyone is self-taught when it comes to photography. It's something you really can't learn just by sitting in a classroom."

Stockton Arena, Stockton, California.

With a partner, LaCasse started an architectural photography business in 1978, based in Billings. "Yes, it was a niche market," admits LaCasse with a laugh, "but I learned a lot. If you can make a drab, prefab steel building look good, anything with real architecture is easy." To get more work, LaCasse hit the road a lot, finding numerous jobs out of Denver. Eventually, he decided to move there, partnering with another photographer before going out on his own.

"I decided to move to Denver about 1984," he says, "and, even though the market there was bad, there were still a lot of high-rises being built because they had been planned earlier." The high-rise projects got LaCasse in with major construction companies, as well as architects and interior designers.

Radio Shack headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

Today, most of LaCasse's photography is of commercial projects, and he usually shoots directly for clients, who use the images for portfolio, marketing, presentation, Web or awards purposes. "I really don't do editorial work," he explains, "but my images will wind up in magazines because the client submits them."

LaCasse uses all digital technology, noting that he made the transition over a 10-year period. "Digital wasn't all there a few years back, especially for architectural photography, but now I'm comfortable using it," he says. He also tends to work alone, unless he hires an assistant to help with interior lighting or exterior traffic control for those bigger, public projects.

Hitting the road, be it by helicopter, barge or mere rental car, is still appealing to LaCasse. "I live on the road," he says, noting recent treks to Maryland, Florida, Louisiana and Texas for work. "You figure, if the client is willing to spend the money to send you somewhere to shoot a project, then that building is usually worth it architecturally."

South Towne Exposition Center, Sandy, Utah.