Fall is Our Favorite Color ~ Schedule Your Holiday Family Portraits

Don't let the Central NY weather keep you from celebrating this holiday season with a family portrait from Jon Reis Photography. Cornell's Robinson Herb Garden was the perfect backdrop for the family behind Significant Elements - an Ithaca-based, non-profit, architectural salvage warehouse. At our studio or on location in the illustrious fall foliage, we will balance lighting and composition to make your whole family look great.

Strategic Lighting for Architecture Assignments

Jon Reis Photography captures light emerging from the embedded glass block on Cornell's Ives Hall through employing professional lighting techniques. Rather than waiting for darkness to fall, we set up lights behind the glass to make the architectural design glow. We consider every detail during the shoot from adding extra lighting to avoiding obtrusive objects in order to make each component work towards creating an appealing illustration of the structure.

Photographing Building Exteriors at Night

By photographing the Cornell Dairy Bar's iconic milk jug at the "magic hour," the light from within and surrounding the building glows to catch the viewer's eye. Jon Reis Photography specializes in creating images at specific times of day to show off the structure's unique qualities. Every detail is taken into account to ensure that not only the lighting but also perspective and framing are utilized to create an aesthetically pleasing depiction of the architecture and signage. Advertising, contest submissions, and portfolios can all benefit from high quality photography work, and Jon Reis Photography guarantees to make your building shine amongst the rest.

Flying Soon ~ Call to Schedule Your Aerial Flyover

Get the bird's eye view of your commercial, agricultural, or industrial site by scheduling a flyover with Jon Reis Photography. Through use of professional techniques and experience, we know how to create a successful aerial shot of any area. And not to mention - most drone-quality images do not compare to our high-resolution equipment, as seen in this view of Cornell University.

Spring Aerial Flyover Season is Here!

Forget the drone and promote your property in high resolution with an aerial photograph encompassing the landscape from a new perspective. Shown here is the Country Club of Ithaca along with Cornell University, but we also shoot vertical and oblique aerial photos for architects, developers, planners, and proud homeowners. And don't be fooled - despite their increasing popularity, most drones in fact do not match up to our cameras' high-res capability. Ask about our special spring aerial packages to get started on your new view today!

Finding the Light at the Magic Hour

Innovative business portraits can set you apart by creating a memorable look reflecting the personality of your brand. Plasterer and music producer Craig Street's clothing style, arm positioning, and tool in hand set the stage for the message he wanted to convey. Through expertise in lighting at specific times of day, Jon Reis Photography chose this shadowed wall with an interesting light fixture to add a unique element to the portrait. Through the combination of Craig's personality and Jon Reis Photography's vision, an original depiction of a creative professional emerges. 

A View Behind the Glass ~ Reis and Hatch Perspective

The Reis and Hatch architectural photography team innovatively captures structures and environments through collaborating their unique artistic visions. Dede Hatch utilizes a long lens and keen sense of design to show off the graphic elements that the architect brought to the PS 340 project in Astoria, NY. Meanwhile, Jon Reis photographs with a wide angle lens to provide all-encompassing views of the school. See the beauty of your architectural project through every angle with the Reis and Hatch Perspective.

Developing a Sense of Place and Structure

Gates Hall represents the information science community at Cornell University through its architectural design. Jon Reis Photography made sure to capture this essence for Building Design + Construction Magazine by spotlighting the building's unique characteristics. The large windows are a key feature of the structure because they create bright, open spaces, ideal for the free-flow of energy and ideas. We accentuated this design concept along with many others through various photographic techniques, including choice of lens, perspective, and exposure control.

Building ~ It's All in the Details

Textured materials like the Ives Hall brick gives this MDSzerbaty +Associates design a unique aspect of beauty. By using a raking light along with shadow placement, Jon Reis Photography accentuated this interesting detail. With attention to both form and function, we provide architectural photography that illustrates the structure in both a documentary and artistic view. 

Building Design & Environment

Taken before the Ithaca City Courthouse acquired damages and closed down its bridge, this image is impossible to capture today and was certainly tricky to shoot at the time. A 4x5 film view camera was lowered downward on a rope with a long exposure time to soften the water, resulting in a beautiful view of the architecture at dusk. Jon Reis Photography utilizes his numerous years of professional experience to dynamically illustrate the structure, no matter the obstacles. 

Interior Design Materials and Details Found

To capture this Perkins Eastman design, Jon Reis Photography scouted the location multiple times to determine the ideal time of day and lighting pattern for this particular space. Reflections were key in this instance to highlight the materials used as well as give the photograph graphic appeal. We ensure that every detail and angle is taken into account in order to turn your 3D interior design into a compelling 2D image.

Leaf Peepers and Architectural Exteriors

Through strategic use of texture, lighting, and composition, Jon Reis Photography graphically highlights the surfaces and angles of the MDSzerbaty+Associates design for Cornell's Ives Hall. Professional landscape photographs are essential to advertising your buidling design to future clients and employers. Jon Reis Photography provides images that are not only documentary but also visually compelling through professional and creative photographic vision.

Fall Flyovers ~ Get the Bird's Eye View

Get a unique vantage point by scheduling an aerial photography session with Jon Reis Photography. Kieran Timberlake's architectural design for Cornell's west campus seen from this alternate perspective not only highlights the visual qualities of the project but also showcases the energy efficient green roofs. Aerial photography is a special skill requiring specific resources and experience, and utilizing a plane rather than a drone allows for a distortion-free view of the area. Not to mention, the beautiful Fall foliage will add a colorful element to the image making Fall the perfect season for aerial photography!

Its Made Here in Ithaca ~ Featured Artisan Works

Are you looking to get into the next gallery exhibit or writing a grant? You put a lot of effort into creating unique, artisan crafts to provide for your customers, and the photographs of your products should match the quality of your hand worked originals. We know the right techniques to make your products a lasting impression. We used unobtrusive plexiglass stands to highlight the shape of these Kingsbury Pottery pieces and manipulated lighting to shadow the background. Our studio is located downtown near the Ithaca Commons, Jon Reis Photography will showcase your work with the best light so you'll have the advantage when applying for finer galleries and craft shows as well as advertise to your customers.

Helping Start-ups get Noticed

A key to starting up a new local business is strategically advertising your product to your clients. Professional photographs of your Tech Innovation can help increase your sales with photographs that feature a new product line's most compelling attributes. This photo illustrates a digital composite by staff photoshop expert Amy Porter, using the projected image photograph of the cartoon and the projector unit photographed seperately, to appear as working together. We can shoot on location to tell a story that depicts your business and merchandise together. Mezmeriz is growing ideas from R.E.V. and just another example of how Jon Reis Photography has helped develop a local start up's vision with creative and skilled photographs. If you can imagine it.. we can create it!

Been there, done that, do it again.

I recently returned to Los Angles and decided to go back to the Walt Disney Concert Hall as a little photo field trip.  I wanted to see if the images I made two years ago looked any different to me today.  I was really surprised–the building offered me a totally new set of views.  I couldn't pinpoint the exact differences... maybe it was a different time of day, a different quality of light, or maybe I had matured in my vision.  Whatever the case may have been, my tendency to dismiss the "been there, done that" cliche was reinforced.  There's always an opportunity for a new photograph, no matter how familiar you are with a place or situation. 

Here are two photos from my trip.  I found some amazing lighting situations I've never seen before.  The Walt Disney Concert Hall is a playground for photographers interested in architecture; the lines of the building gave me so many opportunities for finding radically different images in this one building.  I really appreciate the architecture and hope to go back again in a few years to make even more different images!