Will Scott

Will Scott is a British photographer and filmmaker, capturing the relationships between the built environment, its surrounding landscapes, and the people who inhabit them. Drawing parallels between film and stills, his work blends documentary-style storytelling with cinematic aesthetics. Imbued with emotional resonance, Scott’s immersive photographs suggest the stories, histories, and life of the buildings around us.

Born in 1985 in North Berwick, Scott grew up on the Cornish coast – a landscape that continues to have deep resonance in his work. Influenced by his early connection to the seaside architecture and urban builds of his childhood, he sees the built environment as ever-evolving, as he captures its flux through film and photography.

For Scott, his distinctive perspective stems from his unconventional path, approaching his subject without traditional architectural training. Avoiding the clinical cliches of architectural photography, his photographs highlight the echoes of human life within the built environments: the warm glow of light from a house at dusk, doors left ajar, as if just passed through, and scaffolding-clad buildings suggesting work only recently paused. Scott’s buildings are presented in-use and inhabited, providing a distinctly personal outlook on the built environment.

Inspired by the nostalgic landscapes of his childhood, Scott produced his first book and exhibition in 2018, a tribute to his series titled ‘Seaside Shelter’, capturing the regeneration of forgotten shelters and relics in old coastal towns. Serving as a visual journey through decades of architectural development, the resulting works explore the emotional, cultural, and historic resonance of these often neglected structures.

This forms a recurring thread in Scott’s personal work, as he focuses the viewer’s attention on the easily overlooked architecture that surrounds us, typically isolating particular building types. In 2015, for example, the distinctive character of underground stations in London became the inspiration for the series ‘The Architecture of the Underground’ (2015-2018). While between 2016 and 2017, he turned to photographing ‘Sacred Spaces’. Spanning various periods and styles, these series invite viewers to contemplate themes of use, obsolescence, and human creation.

Based between Edinburgh and London, Scott's photography takes him to various locations across the United Kingdom and internationally. His portfolio encompasses a wide array of clients across architecture and design, including Stanton Williams, Hawkins\Brown, Inigo House, New Practice, PLP Architects, VPPR, London Projects, Hilton Hotels, and others.

Shortlisted for the Arcaid Architectural Photographer of the Year award in 2016, his photography and filmmaking continue to offer a captivating glimpse into our surroundings. Capturing the essence of the built environment, Scott’s work not only documents the structures and spaces that shape our lives but suggests the connections between architecture, history, and human experience.