Who Were the Bechers?
Bernd and Hilla Becher were a German photographer duo known for documenting industrial architecture with a methodical and almost scientific approach. They focused on water towers, cooling towers, silos, and factory structures , man-made buildings that were fading from the landscape during Germany’s post-war rebuild.
They met while studying at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art. Their shared fascination with the disappearing industrial world led them to photograph the first abandoned site in Germany scheduled for demolition. This was a turning point for them an attempt to preserve a vanishing part of the past.
Motivation
What drove their work was a deep respect for architecture that most people ignored or rejected. Instead of romantic landscapes, they photographed ordinary, functional buildings, creating a visual record of an entire era of production and engineering.
They were inspired to preserve this fading landscape before it disappeared forever. Their work wasn’t emotional or nostalgic it was about documenting reality with precision and clarity.
METHODOLOGY
The Bechers developed the concept of Typologies , series of similar structures photographed from the same angle, with the same framing and lighting, and often presented in grid formats.
They explained Typology as being like a flipbook or a film. You’re not just looking at one image , you’re comparing shapes, noticing patterns.
They were inspired by Karl Blossfeldt, a photographer who documented plants in a similar structured and objective way, almost like specimens in a museum.
huge part of their method involved waiting for the right light. They preferred flat skies to remove shadows and drama, creating a clean contrast between the structure and the background. This neutral tone supported their idea of realism over romanticism.
Photoshoot plan
I haven’t started taking images for this part of my project yet, but I’m planning to:
- Choose a single structure type (like stairwells, electric boxes, or Signs.)
- Photograph them around my area with consistent framing and lighting.
- Present them as a grid to explore form, variation, and repetition , just like the Bechers.
