Robin Hill’s photo of Philip Johnson’s Glass house chosen to promote 2010 tours at dusk.
My photo of Philip Johnson's Glass house will be used by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to promote new tours of the Glass House at Dusk
Photography by Robin Hill (c)
My friends Hilary Lewis and John O ‘Connor (c0-authors of Philip Johnson: The Architect in his own words) are responsible for getting me to the Glass House in 2006 to shoot a story for Home Miami Magazine. John suggested I go in the Fall around October and Hilary helped me get the lights turned on. That combination resulted in the photo above which will now be used by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to promote their new tours of the Glass House which take place at dusk, so that the lighting can be fully appreciated. I was fortunate to go to the official opening of the Glass House in 2007 where I met my mentor and Architectural Photography hero, Julius Shulman, along with Julius’s assistant, the gifted photographer, Juergen Nogai.
Julius Shulman, myself and Juergen Nogai at the Glass House in 2006
Photo by Hilary Lewis (c)
I showed Julius some of my photos that had been used in the Home Miami article, written by Paul Goldberger and Hilary Lewis, and it was a very pleasant surprise when he liked my work. I was a bit taken aback, actually and mentioned that there were a couple of hot spots that could be a little more refined . Julius scowled at me and said “Robin, don’t ever criticize your own work in front of others. Let the photography speak for itself”…needless to say…that was a lesson learned! Several glasses of champagne and two hours later, we were still talking…Julius was 97 years old and bright as a sunny California morning before the smog years. 75 years into his career, I felt like a complete neophyte with my meager 21 years behind me, and he was still shooting! WOW! I tried to look at this meeting objectively but it felt like if I was an actor…it was like sitting down with Marlon Brando, or if I was a painter, Rembrandt, or if I was a sculptor…then Elton John….:) Still, when Julius passed over to join the great gig in the sky…I felt immensely honored that I had the chance to meet with him…and at the Glass House of all places…an Architectural Mecca for modsquadders. I never want to retire. Julius didn’t…and I won’t either. Below is the cover photo that Julius liked.
My Cover photo of the Glass House