Behind the Lens – Artist Couple Photography Featured in Architectural Digest

A short story about making it into Architectural Digest Magazine, by - Topher Mack

Interior design by Sarah Rice Design. Photography by the Artist Couple.

As a photographer, there are certrain things that are the pinicle of achievement. For me I feel if your a documentary photographer its National Geographic, for a photojournalist its the cover of TIME or an A1 in the Washington Post and for archtectural photographers its Architectural Digest.

Interior design by Sarah Rice Design. Photography by the Artist Couple.

When that name entered the conversation with a client, I understood the weight right away. We were talking about an unrelated interior design project when the topic came up. My heart immediately began to race. The thought of being published in Architectural Digest has been a lifelong dream, a goal almost as big as being published in National Geographic Magazine and here it was, one of the biggest publishing opportunities I honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever get a chance at.

In the days before the shoot everything is on me. No walk through. No trial run. I study what I can. Notes, drawings, and reference photos. I pull satellite images of the property to see how it is positioned, which way the windows face, and how the sun will move through the rooms hour by hour. I check the weather and build a simple plan I can adjust in the moment.

The night before I prepare and pack with care. Every battery charged, every card formatted. I clean sensors and glass. Cameras and lenses are ready, with a backup body just in case. Strobes and flashes with stands, modifiers, and triggers. Power cords set aside with extras to spare. My trusty tripod, microfiber cloths, a gray card, tape, and clamps. I keep the kit lean so I can move, but I keep it redundant so nothing fails.

Soft transitions reveal the home’s sense of movement and calm continuity.

The morning of the shoot I feel two things at once. Excited and steady. Confidence from years of work. A small line of nerves that keeps me sharp. On the drive I run the first frames in my head, the anchor angles, the rhythm I want to find based on the sun path I mapped the night before. On arrival I read the space fast. I listen. If the sky does not cooperate I shape the light to feel natural, then I start to build the story one clean photograph at a time.

Small details reveal how design and craftsmanship shape emotion.

As I begin, I’m always aware that a home is never just architecture or décor. It’s the result of someone’s vision and care. My job is to honor that. I work around their choices, their light, their lived energy, trying to translate what they felt when they created the space. That collaboration is what elevates the shoot beyond technical steps. It becomes a shared moment of clarity where the work clicks into place.

Being featured in Architectural Digest as a photographer is something I will always be proud of. Not because of where it appeared, but because of what it represents, collaboration, trust, and the shared pursuit of meaningful work.

A space designed to be lived in and felt, quiet but full of character.

Photography has always been a way for me to connect with the essence of what people create. This project was a reminder that art can exist in any form, sometimes it is painted on a wall, and sometimes it is captured in the way a space holds light, memory, and life.

📸 Photography by Topher Mack, Artist Couple, Texas

🎨 Interior Design by Sarah Rice Design

📰 Published in Architectural Digest