Richard Payne, FAIA, iconic Texas architectural photographer, died recently. Payne became a registered architect in 1964. He was commissioned to photograph work by renowned architects such as Philip Johnson, I. M. Pei, Charles Gwathmey, and Ricardo Bofill and worked all over the world — Spain, France, Germany, the Middle East, Australia, and across North America. But he also kept himself deeply rooted in Texas with five beautiful portfolio books that focused solely on the architecture of his home state.

Learn more about Payne in our 2013 “Behind the Lens” profile and read his 2017 photo essay “Architecture Seen.” 

Payne and his monumental contributions to the profession will be greatly missed.

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Such sad news. A great mentor and friend, Just talked to him a few weeks ago as we were trying to schedule a photo shoot…he will be missed!

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That is sad news and my condolences to his family and friends. I had the great pleasure of attending an architectural photography workshop Richard hosted a few years ago in Houston. What a wonderful experience it was to spend a few days with him and Amy and have him share his knowledge, technique and thoughts with us. I hoped to visit him when I attended the Architectural Design Conference earlier this year in Houston but he was leaving town the day I arrived. I’ve thought of him every time I’ve photographed a work of architecture since then and count it a privilege to have learned from a master photographer such as he.

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When working with with Richard Fitzgerald, FAIA, my last job when going out on my own, Richard put me in touch with Richard Payne to photograph Associated Credit Bureaus. We met at the site, and I had not heard of him before. I was thirty something. He wore a distinctive hat to shade him from the sun. He wanted to know how I wished the building to look inside and out. It was a while before I knew who he was. He was respcestful in spite of my youth. He was a kind and a truly creative man .

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Richard Payne was more than just a wonderful architectural photographer. It was due to an exhibit of his work in the 70’s that created the aura of Houston as a center for new architecture. Fortunately Richard was videotaped for the Houston Chapter of the ​​​American Institute of Architects Oral History Project on August 30, 2017. This is an ​online collection in partnership between the William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library ​at the University of Houston ​School of Architecture and the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. It includes the oral histories of people who ​have ​strongly impacted the built environment in the Houston Area.and archived at the University of Houston’s Architectural Library, The web site for the Oral History Archive is
https://av.lib.uh.edu/?f%5Bcollection_ssim%5D%5B%5D=Building+Houston
and/or
http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/aahoh/item/20 .
The two sites are being consolidated and Richard’s interview should be posted soon.
He was a very special talent. We will not see his like again.

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Richard Payne was my mentor and dear friend, and always will be in my heart and spirit for photography. He was creating images of downtown scenes very recent and we had many conversations about his upcoming book. I love him and have never met anyone that lived life as adventurous as he has. He was always working on a setting up a show, a painting, teaching, a book or out of the country for his photography work.. He loved his family very much and treasured them. I am sorry for their loss. Richard’s work is the finest photography, from his heart, with purpose, studying his own eye, creating his own style. I had the pleasure of going on several projects with him and he was amazing to watch at work. He was very confident of his work and very much into the artistic aspects, using the camera only as a tool.

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Richard was also an excellent fly fisherman, musician, carpenter and most of all a really terrific father.

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He was a great photographer who knew how to capture the essence of your project. . He will be greatly misse

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I just finished looking at Mr. Payne’s book “Towns & the Art of Architecture, I decided to visit the courthouses of Texas and picked up this book at my local library; I loved the book and the pasión he shown throughout, I then proceeded to look him up to let him know how much I enjoyed the book, and found out that I am a little late.
Rest in Peace Richard Payne.

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