Every so often you get a call from a client that you haven’t
worked with in quite sometime. Michael Buss Architects is a perfect example.
We began working with Michael and his wife Sue back in 2005
when we were shooting a project for an architectural magazine.
At that time, he took me through several neighborhoods
encompassing projects of various home styles and sizes. One of the builders that were working with
Michael labeled him a genius and a hidden talent. Hidden I wasn’t so sure about when I visited
his then-crowded home office. Sue met me
at the door, pointed to a small waiting area and was off to find Michael. While waiting the office staff hustled in and
around each other all busy with clients, designs, phone calls, faxes, and
meetings. Blueprints were laid out everywhere.
It was just what you would expect from a full-blown large architectural
firm functioning like a well-oiled machine, but in a lower level ‘bunker’ style
office. It was fun to watch.
I arrived with proofs of the work that we shot so that Mike
could make selections for a magazine write up.
He suddenly appeared, told me he had about five minutes and then scoured
the contact sheets and made his selections.
Our meeting was over in about three and half minutes and he was off
taking a phone call and walking into another meeting. To this day he holds the record for the
quickest image viewing I have ever had. In
that incredibly brief amount of time, he selected 14 images for the magazine
article and 59 for his business portfolio.
I can’t even imagine how quickly his mind works. Stunned, I gathered my materials and was off.
Fast forward to last year, when out-of-the-blue we got an
email from Sue. They wanted to update
their portfolio. Wow! No longer in the ‘bunker’ office, Michael had
moved into a large commercial building complete with full office amenities and
increased staff to support their expanding business. Very impressive.
Meeting Michael and Sue again was like flashing back to the
bunker days. Mike still moving at warp
speed, Sue still managing the office, clients, schedule and Michael.
We made arrangements to begin photographing new spaces. As you can see, Michael’s designs are
beautiful, open and have a spacious feel.
Among the things I noticed about a Michael Buss design is his skill in finding
a practical use for every inch of space. Some
of my favorite shots are found below.
