Construction: MAKE
Architect: Prewett Bizley
Location: Somerset, UK
The Orchards is a contemporary family home set into the rolling countryside around Frome in Somerset. The design sits low on its gently sloping site, with careful consideration of both environmental performance and everyday living. The building’s form and material choices respond quietly to the landscape, creating a residence that feels integrated with the rural context rather than imposed upon it.
In photographing this house, my priority was to capture how the architecture mediates between interior life and the surrounding land, how volumes are grounded, how daylight enters, and how the subtle shifts in level and space shape the lived experience.
The exterior images focus on how the house sits in its setting and engages with the landscape. Because the building mostly occupies one level, the roof and façade work together to anchor the home against the slope, with an elevated guest volume stepping above the main line to take advantage of distant views.
Photographing from multiple vantage points allowed me to show how the roof form and external materials, often warm and tactile, reconcile the horizontality of the plan with the vertical rhythms of the surrounding hedgerow and countryside.
Inside, the house is organised across a series of connected zones that follow the natural gradient of the site. My interior photographs emphasise light movement, spatial transitions and material continuity. Views trace from more public living spaces through to private retreats, with carefully considered changes in floor level reflecting the subtle shifts in the landscape outside.
These images aim to communicate not only the proportional clarity of the rooms but how daylight sculpts surfaces throughout the day, an essential part of understanding the architecture’s atmosphere.
Detail shots highlight where spatial intent meets material resolution, junctions between timber cladding, masonry and glazing, as well as thresholds where interior and exterior meet. These moments reveal the architect’s focus on tactility and durability, qualities often prized by architects and editors alike.
Whether it’s the grain of timber, the quality of natural light on a surface or the junction between floor and wall, these images show how material choices elevate everyday spaces.
Documenting architecture isn’t just about pretty pictures — it’s about capturing spatial logic, material intelligence and the way a design sits in its environment. If you’re looking for a photographer that will communicate your work with clarity and depth, I’d love to talk.
