Harry Seidler: father of modernist architecture in Australia

My daughter is an expert at photobombing. Photo ©Darren Bradley

When the Austrian-born architect Harry Seidler arrived in Australia after World War II (via North America - that's a long story), he didn't make many friends in the local architecture community. He called the local architecture "sad brick shacks" and poor copies of outdated European architecture. Town councils and distinguished local architects returned the favor, decrying his modernist designs as flimsy and "un-Australian". 

A [Soap] Opera in the Land of Oz

Trying to make the best of a cloudy afternoon. Photo ©Darren Bradley

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most well known, magnificent structures in the world. It's up there with other man-made structures like the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal as a singular achievement for civilization. And like most other great achievements, it was almost never built. In fact, it was quite a soap opera...

How to take original photos of the Salk Institute

Yes, even me... Photo ©Darren Bradley

OK, that title is meant as a bit of a joke (photographer humor?), because there's probably no such thing as an original photo of this building - and certainly not the one above. In fact, it's the most obvious shot and the one everyone takes. C'mon... if you've been there, you've taken this shot, too. You can't help yourself. And since no series on the Salk Institute is complete without this shot, I thought I'd get it out of the way first thing.

New York City

Photo ©Darren Bradley

Last summer, I took the family back to New York City for a quick trip (just a few days) to attend a family wedding. We didn't have much time to sightsee (or do much photography), but I did bring my camera, of course, and take some shots while running around town. There are many, many modernist landmarks to see and photograph in that fair city. This is only a random sampling of them. 

The Coolest Restroom in San Diego

Photo ©Darren Bradley

Last fall, while volunteering as a photographer for the annual San Diego Architectural Foundation Orchids & Onions Awards, I was asked to photograph a public toilet. I wasn't terribly excited about the assignment, but we were under a time crunch so I agreed to stop by on my way home that day and take some shots. It turned out to be the coolest public beach restroom I've ever seen.