Atlanta Symphony House | Architectural Photography Case Study
A Three-Storey Modern Residence on Protected Peachtree Land | Buckhead, Atlanta
Architect: Robert Tretsch III
Builder: ADCO Construction
Location: Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia
Notable: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 75th Anniversary Designer Showhouse
The Project
Set on a 1.19-acre site in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighbourhood, adjacent to protected Standing Fort Peachtree land, architect Robert Tretsch III created a residence that served as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s 75th Anniversary Designer Showhouse. While serving as Modern Studio Director at Harrison Design, Tretsch drew on the dramatic arc of compositions by Rossini and Schubert performed during the ASO’s 1945 inaugural..
The facade pairs Meridian brick with Nichiha Miraia black reflective fibre cement panels — the first installation of this cladding in the United States. Oriented on an east–west axis, the house allows daylight to move fully through the interior over the course of the day, continuously reshaping each space.
The material contrasts inside are deliberate: dark steel railings and black-framed glass against white volumes and warm oak floors. Pendant chandeliers drop through the triple-height void. Wrought iron stair railings — geometric, almost musical in their rhythm – stitch the three levels together. Such materials frame key design choices (e.g., the elevated dining room above the main living space).
“The volume of the main living space and the floating stair was successfully rendered — but the addition of a figure moving down the stairs gave it a great sense of scale.”
~ Robert Tretsch III, Architect
A dramatic, marble-wrapped island anchors the kitchen on the main level, while the lower floor opens through expansive glazing to a 65-foot pool and landscaped grounds.
As a designer showhouse, each room was conceived by a different Atlanta interior designer – each responding to Tretsch’s architectural framework. The result is a home where the spaces shift in mood as you move through them, from the monumental scale of the staircase and living volumes to the intimacy of the bedrooms and the primary ensuite.
“All previous shots I had seen were looking over the tub towards the pool — but this shot, looking towards the dense forest, gives it a primal, verdant feel, as if you’re up in the tree canopy, a million miles from civilization.”
~ Robert Tretsch III, Architect
The Photography
TC Photography was in Atlanta co-facilitating an architecture and design photography workshop, with this residence secured as a key subject for the event. Pre-event access for the session facilitators was limited to a single three-hour window the day before the workshop opened. A residence of this scale and complexity would typically demand a minimum of two full shooting days, extended walkthroughs, a formal light study, client meetings and a detailed shot list developed well in advance. At the Atlanta Symphony House, none of that happened — there were simply three hours.
Even so, the three hours began with a walkthrough — one that had to function simultaneously as an orientation, a light study, and a triage exercise. A Sun Seeker app allowed for real-time tracking of where direct light would fall across the interior volumes and for how long — converting three hours of potential chaos into a sequenced plan.
The triple-height staircase volume was the first priority. The sun was in the best position it was going to reach within the available window, light bouncing off the white exterior wall cladding and filtering through the full-height glazing, generating an ambient quality that was remarkable but wouldn’t last. A model was non-negotiable here. A space of that scale requires a human presence to make its proportions legible. The camera was set to high-speed burst mode to maximize the chance of capturing the precise position and blur effect that would convey movement without losing the architecture behind it.
A house like this, with its triple-height glass volumes, dramatic shifts in interior light and significant dynamic range between the dark reflective exterior and the bright, white-walled interiors, demands a different approach to exposure than most residential work. Holding that tonal range while maintaining the atmosphere of each space — the warmth of the kitchen, the drama of the staircase, the serenity of the bedrooms — was key. Where most photographers expose for the highlights and use fill flash to recover shadow detail, the depth and richness of the darker materials here argued for the opposite: expose for the shadows and trust post-production to manage the highlights. Confidence in Photoshop and the Nik Software Collection made that call possible.
The twilight exteriors were captured in the final moments before the workshop facilitators needed to move to the adjacent shoot venue — revealing the house as the architect designed it to be experienced after dark: a luminous glass structure reflecting the evening sky and the surrounding canopy.
The Outcome
“The twilight shot of the rear elevation captured everything I thought about when I envisioned this side of the house: the layering, the volumes, and the incredible reflectivity of the mirrored panels on the upper floor.
The fact that all this was done in a three-hour window is quite an achievement.”
~ Robert Tretsch III, Architect
What these images reflect is something every complex photography project demands: conveying the quality and precision of the build, while showcasing the architect’s choices and why they matter. Such understanding must be embedded into every composition, regardless of how much time is available — whether it’s three hours or two days.
TC Photography is an architectural and interior photographer serving architects, custom home builders, and interior designers across Victoria, Vancouver Island, and the Vancouver and Lower Mainland markets. To discuss photographing your next project, get in touch.
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