Inspirational Stories #18: Arch-Exist Photography

In the 18th edition of our Inspirational Stories series, we are pleased to feature Arch-Exist Photography, @archexist on Instagram, a Chengdu-based architectural photography studio founded in 2012 by documentary photographer Zhenhuan He and registered architect Zhewei Su. Known for what they describe as “daily architecture photography,” Arch-Exist has built a distinctive visual language rooted in authenticity, environmental sensitivity, and the belief that a building’s story is inseparable from the life unfolding around it. With long-term collaborations spanning leading Chinese and international practices, including 2025 Pritzker Prize laureate Liu Jiakun, and recognition at the World Architecture Festival, the studio has established itself as one of the most respected voices in contemporary architectural photography.

Arch-Exist emerged from close collaboration with architects in Chengdu and has achieved many successes to date. How did these early experiences shape your approach to architectural photography and your way of working with designers?

Chengdu is our hometown and the starting point of our career. Here, many traditional Chinese lifestyles and a slower pace of life are preserved. It is also the hometown of Liu Jiakun, one of China’s most representative architects and the winner of the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize.Looking back to 2013, when we first collaborated with Liu Jiakun, he did not engage in any pre-shoot communication with us, nor did he share any design drawings. He simply provided us with the project coordinates and left the rest to us to experience on site. Undoubtedly, this collaboration was a success, and its approach has influenced us to this day. The greatest advantage of this method is that it stimulates our creative initiative, we are not merely completing a task assigned by the architect, but rather exploring and observing on site, including the architecture itself as well as its interaction with people and the environment. Since then, we have gained great confidence in being able to start shooting directly without any prior communication. This approach, in turn, often brings pleasant surprises to architects, because our photographs are not produced under their conduct but through our own perspective and interpretation.

Trust and freedom seem central to your process, especially in long-term collaborations. How does this relationship influence how you observe, frame, and narrate architectural projects?

Exactly, mutual trust is the foundation of our collaboration with every architect, and creative freedom is a crucial condition for us to produce exceptional photographs. We have worked with Liu Jiakun for over 13 years, with MAD Architects for nearly 9 years, and have also maintained long-term, growth-oriented partnerships with many young architects. The longer we collaborate, the more confidently we understand the unique atmosphere each architect seeks for different projects, that requires no explicit communication and enables remarkable efficiency. Our aesthetic sensibility evolves alongside our experiences, and such an open and relaxed collaboration allows us to continually incorporate new experiments and perspectives.

You have worked with a wide spectrum of architects, from leading Chinese practices to globally recognized studios. How do you adapt your visual language when moving between different cultural and architectural contexts?

We work with architects and artists from around the world, but we do not adjust our visual language or shooting habits to cater to them. However, architectural styles vary significantly across different countries and cultures, and we strive to highlight the distinctive features of each environment. For instance, when shooting in Saudi Arabia, we emphasize the aridity of the local environment and the state of people under high temperatures. In projects in southern China, we aim to capture the relaxed lifestyle of the locals and the humid atmosphere.

Your work consistently emphasizes what you describe as “REAL” architecture. Why is this approach important to you today, especially in contrast to highly stylized architectural imagery?

First, the photographers we admire are all documentary-style practitioners. Additionally, we believe that if architectural photos are too polished or perfect, they become indistinguishable from architectural renderings. We hope that our photos, even after many years, can show how people once coexisted with these buildings. Therefore, what truly moves us is the complexity of architectural design and the intricacy of the environment in which the building exists.

In your opinion, what makes an architectural photograph truly successful —technical precision, atmosphere, storytelling, or something else entirely?

A successful photograph, in our view, is one that leaves a lasting impression, unforgettable in terms of the building itself, the era it belongs to, and the environment it inhabits. This is what we strive to achieve.

With AI tools increasingly influencing image production, how do you see the future of architectural photography evolving, and what role do you believe human observation will continue to play in this shift?

With the rapid development of AI and digital technology, creating a polished photo has become increasingly easy. However, we believe that what will be most valuable in the future are precisely the “clumsy” or unrefined elements in a photograph. We don’t dwell much on other aspects of the future, as it is difficult to predict. We are more concerned with our present lives and the world’s environment, focusing on feeling and recording a genuine moment as it unfolds.

Through this conversation, Arch-Exist Photography reveals an approach to architectural imagery built not on polish or perfection, but on honesty, curiosity, and a deep sensitivity to the relationship between buildings and the lives they shelter. Their commitment to documentary-style photography, shaped by years of collaboration with architects like Liu Jiakun and MAD, reflects a belief that the most powerful images are those that capture architecture as it truly exists, embedded in time, weather, culture, and the rhythms of everyday life. In a moment when AI-generated imagery makes visual perfection increasingly effortless, Arch-Exist reminds us that it is precisely the unrefined, the spontaneous, and the genuinely observed that will hold lasting value. Their work stands as a compelling argument that architectural photography, at its best, is not about making buildings look beautiful, but about revealing how architecture and people coexist. For more information about their work and portfolio, visit their official website.