Athletic facilities are some of the most exciting projects to photograph. They are big, complex, highly designed spaces—but they also need to feel energetic, functional, and connected to the people who use them.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph a wide range of athletic facilities, football practice facilities, training centers, dining spaces, and sports environments for architecture and design firms across the country. While every project presents its own challenges, the goal is always the same: create photographs that show the architecture while also capturing what makes the space special.
For architecture firms, those images aren't just documentation. They become part of how a project is presented to potential clients, published in architectural media, shared on social media, and used to help win the next project.
Chicago Fire FC - Chicago, IL - Designed by Crawford Architects
Chicago Fire Practice Facilities — Chicago, Illinois
The Chicago Fire practice facilities in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Crawford Architects, provided an opportunity to photograph a professional soccer training environment with a strong architectural identity.
Sports facilities have a unique relationship with their surroundings, and Chicago provides an especially interesting backdrop. The photography focused on the architecture, spaces, and details that communicate the facility's purpose while still presenting the project as a carefully designed architectural environment.
For architecture firms working on professional sports facilities, athletic training centers, and sports performance environments, strong architectural photography is an important part of telling that story.
Chicago Fire FC - Chicago, IL - Designed by Crawford Architects
Purdue Athletics Dining Hall — West Lafayette, Indiana
At Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, I photographed the Purdue Athletics Dining Hall, designed by Populous.
Purdue Athletics Dining Hall, designed by Populous.
Athletic dining facilities are an interesting category of architecture because they have to accomplish a lot more than simply providing a place to eat. They are gathering spaces, social spaces, and important components of the daily experience for student-athletes.
The photography focuses on the architectural design, materials, furniture, lighting, and overall atmosphere of the space—showing both the larger environment and the details that make the project successful.
This is the kind of work I particularly enjoy: photographing spaces that are highly functional but still have a strong visual identity.
Ryan Fieldhouse at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, designed by Perkins+Will
Ryan Fieldhouse — Northwestern University — Evanston, Illinois
The Ryan Fieldhouse at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, designed by Perkins+Will, is another great example of the scale and complexity of modern collegiate athletic architecture.
Facilities like this bring together training, performance, recreation, gathering, and support spaces under one roof. That creates plenty of opportunities for architectural photography, but it also requires careful planning to communicate the project as a whole.
Ryan Fieldhouse at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, designed by Perkins+Will
The finished photographs need to show the scale of the building while still giving attention to the details that make the architecture distinctive.
And when you're photographing a facility this large, there are approximately 900 different angles that look like they mightbe the one. Eventually, you find the right one.
University of Washington Football Practice Facilities — Seattle, Washington - Designed by Deutser
University of Washington Football Practice Facilities — Seattle, Washington
My work photographing the University of Washington football practice facilities in Seattle gave me the opportunity to document another impressive collegiate athletic environment.
The project was designed by Deutser, and the photography included both still photography and video.
This type of project is a great example of why I enjoy athletic facility photography. There is an incredible amount of scale, energy, and activity happening within these environments, and the photography needs to communicate more than just what the rooms look like.
University of Washington Football Practice Facilities — Seattle, Washington - Designed by Deutser
It needs to communicate what it feels like to be there.
And fortunately, Seattle supplied plenty of coffee to keep the photographer moving.
University of Arizona Football Practice Facilities — Tucson, Arizona - Designed by Deutser
University of Arizona Football Practice Facilities — Tucson, Arizona
The University of Arizona football practice facilities in Tucson provided a completely different environment and visual character.
Also designed by Deutser, the project presented opportunities to photograph athletic spaces while taking advantage of the unique light, materials, and environment of the Southwest.
University of Arizona Football Practice Facilities — Tucson, Arizona - Designed by Deutser
One of the things I enjoy most about photographing projects in different parts of the country is seeing how architecture responds to its location. The best photographs don't simply document a building—they help communicate the relationship between the building, its environment, and the people who use it.
Chicago Fire FC - Chicago, IL - Designed by Crawford Architects
Architectural Photography for Midwest Architecture Firms
Although my work has taken me well beyond the Midwest, I’m particularly interested in working with architecture firms, design firms, universities, and athletic organizations throughout the Midwest.
I’m based in the region and regularly work on projects involving:
Illinois architectural photography
Iowa architectural photography
Indiana architectural photography
Wisconsin architectural photography
Minnesota architectural photography
Missouri architectural photography
Nebraska architectural photography
Collegiate athletic facilities
University athletic facilities
Sports training facilities
Football practice facilities
Sports performance centers
Stadiums and arenas
Higher education architecture
Recreation and fitness facilities
For architecture and design firms, the finished photographs are often the lasting visual record of a project. They're used for award submissions, publications, websites, marketing campaigns, social media, proposals, and future business development.
That's a pretty good reason to make sure they're done right.
Looking for an Architectural Photographer for Your Next Athletic Facility?
Whether you're an architecture firm designing a new collegiate athletic facility in Illinois, a sports training center in Indiana, a university project in Iowa, or a major athletic complex anywhere in the Midwest, I'd love to help photograph it.
My approach combines architectural documentation with a focus on creating images that have energy, atmosphere, and personality.
Because athletic architecture should look like more than a collection of empty rooms.
It should look like a place where something is about to happen.
If you're an architecture firm, university, athletic department, or design team looking for an architectural photographer for an upcoming sports or athletic facility project, let's talk.
I'm always happy to travel for the right project—and I already have a tripod packed.