Architectural Photographer | Russell Abraham
  1700 Webster
  Taronga House
  Spring Rd Residence
  Amara
  340 Fremont Apartments
  Danville House
  Orinda Residence
  Golden Gate Rec Center
  SFO Airport FireHouse3
  Palo Alto Fire Station No. 3
  Santa Clara Square
  The Orchards at Walnut Creek
  Bair Island Marina
  Tahoe Family Retreat
  Willow Glen Colonial Revival
  Santa Lucia Preserve Residence
  Telegraph Hill House
  Hillsborough Colonial
  Pac Heights House
  Alameda Home
  Portola Valley Home
  Sinbad Creek
  Hilldale House
  Politzer Drive
  Los Gatos Home
  One Henry Adams
  Nobu Hotel Miami Beach
  Chateau Tivoli
  California Pizza Kitchen
  The Alise
  COMO Shambhala Estate
  Silicon Valley Courtyard by Marriott
  W San Francisco
  Il Fornaio Restaurant
  Hotel Griffon
  The Progress
  ARMA Museum and Resort
  Francis Ford Coppola Winery
  The Bristol Hotel
  The Orchard Garden Hotel
  Food
  Furniture

Why work with us?

Making Art, Creating History
Russell Abraham is an architectural photographer based in San Francisco serving all of Northern California. For over 30 years he has been photographing for architects, interior designers, hotels and resorts, commercial real estate interests, product and furniture manufacturers and retailers. He started out working with notable Bay Area photographers Joshua Friewald and Jeromiah Bragstad in the black and white film era. Since then he has progressed from Ektachrome sheet film to high resolution digital cameras. Abraham still uses electronic flash extensively to light most interiors and objects. He believes that lighting gives accurate and predictable color, textured highlights and shadows that will show detail and print. He lights in such a way that even another photographer would have a hard time figuring it out.

Abraham's client base has included many noteworthy national and international design firms including HOK, SOM, KMD, Smith Group JJR, Swatt|Miers and Ehrlich Architects. On the hospitality side of the ledger, his client list has included major hotel management companies and cruise ship lines, such as Hyatt, Marriott and Royal Caribbean International. Of his work, one of his clients commented, "he is the consummate professional to work with. His greatest talent has been his ability to have the viewer feel as if they are part of the interiors, something I don't see in a lot of interior photography."

In the last few years he has written and photographed several books on architecture including California Cool: Residential Modernism Reborn and Rural Modern. He has also collaborated with architects to produce four other monographs.


Bios

Russell Abraham

The well-crafted image has always been a central part of Russell Abraham's life, no matter what the tool used to create it. Russell started life with a paintbrush in his hand. He traded in that paintbrush for a T-square and graduated with a degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley (cum laude) before eventually swapping his T-square for a view camera. These days, his tools of choice are a digital camera and a high-powered desktop computer. He has taken the time to learn the new technologies and develop enough of a mastery of them to both teach and write about them. He is an active member of the local photo community and serves on the Board of Directors of ASMP. When not behind the camera or in front of the computer screen he is the proud father of four children, three of whom are graduates of the University of California and one a graduate of Sarah Lawrence in New York.

 Click here to learn more about Russell's latest book, "Rural Modern"


Kristen Paulin

Kristen Paulin has become a key player as associate photographer over the last three years. She handles most of the post production work and digital communications for the firm in addition to being the second camera on many shoots. Her "good eye" and intuitive knowledge of lighting make her an invaluable asset.

She is a transplant from Chicago where she worked for a fashion and lifestyle photographer. She has a BFA from the University of Cincinnati in media and photography. She has also photographed interiors and architecture in Chicago and San Francisco for a handful of architects and designers.  With a strong interest in both architecture and interiors, Kristen adds a smart dimension to our capabilities to offer a broader range of services to our design community clients.
 


Eric Sahlin  1957 - 2021

After a bitter and protracted struggle with cancer, our partner, videographer and dear friend, Eric Sahlin passed away this March.  He was a bottomless well of technical knowledge, visual expertise and good humor.  Eric was always a pleasure to have on shoots and in the studio.   He rotated from holding down significant jobs at major tech companies like Adobe Systems and Hewlett Packard, to working with us as a film maker and photographer.  We collaborated on scores of projects especially when drone or video was involved.  He produced a half dozen videos for Adobe Systems as a marketing manager and probably as many for us on our various projects.  Our last project together was last winter where he did a time lapse shoot of an HVAC rooftop installation in the pouring rain starting at 6 AM.    It is always sad when someone dies, but it is especially bitter when someone as vital and creative as Eric is taken.  We can only hope that his soul has an easier time in that big film studio in the sky.