The Laurent House, Rockford, Illinois

I started this project of photographing Frank Lloyd Wright buildings the same way I start a lot of things in my life---impulsively, with no real plan or goals or methodology. It's been going pretty well, but an obvious downside of just sort of jumping in and learning while you go is that you make some mistakes along the way.

One lesson I learned while photographing Frank Lloyd Wright's, the Laurent House in Rockford Illinois, is that I can listen to a docent talk about the interesting story behind the history of a house, or I can take photos I love, but I absolutely can't do both.

As a real estate photographer, I have noticed that my best photos always come from shoots where I am left alone to wander unaccompanied through an house, with no real estate agents or homeowners to distract me from my photography. I get into the zone, and can really get some great shots. The more I have to talk with people, the less I like my photos. I just can't focus on people and photography at the same time.

I signed up for a private tour of the Laurent House in Rockford, Illinois, and the docent was incredibly informative about the ins and outs of the home. It was fascinating to hear about how Frank Lloyd Wright was able to take the needs of a man in a wheelchair and customize his designs with accessibility as a guiding light

I'd recommend anyone take the tour.

On the negative side though, I don't feel like the photos ended up being my best work. I've been putting off writing this blog because I'm not particularly proud of the photos I took. I'd definitely like to come back and try again, but here's what I got:

It's a gorgeous house, with a fascinating history. I really hope to try photographing it again.