Architects as Artists
Howard Wolff’s “Architects as Artists” installation at Honolulu’s Downtown Arts Center, January, 2024.
Trained as an architect, my career has taken me to destinations in 45 countries around the globe. From my home base in Hawaii, I photograph distinctive locales with the mindset of a curious traveler, keeping an eye out for opportunities to capture the essence of a place and a moment in time. Through these images, I hope to share not just what I've seen but also what it feels like to be present in each place.
For four years running, my work has been selected by Honolulu’s Downtown Art Center for an exhibition entitled “Architects as Artists.” Curated to showcase what architects do when they’re not doing architecture, this annual roundup of artistic creations includes jewelry, pottery, ceramics, sculpture, painting, and, in my case, photography.
Royal Albert Hall, London
Blustery Bruges, Belgium
Framed black-and-white photos from my recent travels—from Tokyo to Bruges—were selected for 2024. I find the process of thinking in monochrome to be a complementary exercise to my passion for capturing portraits in color. View more Travelogues here.
A portfolio for 2026 of New York images below shows The City in ways friends of mine tell me is new and revelatory to them.
Rainy Rooftop, Brooklyn
New York Public Library
Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn
Reflections
Morning Mist, Brooklyn
Oculus at the World Trade Center
Lady Liberty Illuminated
In a way, these are portraits of cities whose personalities I’ve come to love, and they feel as intimate and distinctive as the people I photograph on a daily basis.