Jonathan Hillyer Photography, Inc.

Name: Jonathan Hillyer Photography, Inc.
Address: Atlanta, GA, US
Telephone: +14044026676

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Jonathan Hillyer Photography, Inc.

Jonathan Hillyer captures iconic images of the built environment for national and international architectural and interior design firms.

03/17/2026

“Oak Row” at Davidson College: Such an interesting photoshoot, capturing this jewel of a restoration and an important piece of history along the way! This photograph shows the way in which Davidson College is reckoning with its past connections to slavery. The college created this memorial to the enslaved people who made the bricks and constructed Davidson College’s first buildings, one of which is the former dormitory seen in this photograph, now serving as a museum to honor those whose labor helped construct and sustain the institution.

Project: Oak Row, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
Architect: Lord Aeck Sargent
Sculptor: With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited :: Hank Willis Thomas in Collaboration with
Perkins + Will.

12/17/2025

The Vulcan! So… I was in Birmingham photographing a large science building for Lord Aeck Sargent earlier this year when they asked me to photograph the city’s most visible piece of history, the Vulcan, a restoration project lead by LAS’ Historic Preservation Studio. I have made many trips to Birmingham to photograph a variety of projects and have seen the Vulcan off in the distance, in the daytime and at night. I’d never been anywhere near enough to see what this chap actually looks like. It took a drive up the mountain overlooking the city and a flight in my drone, Nadar, to get near enough to see this big guy really close up. And as it turns out, this Vulcan dude—who was named after the god of fire and forge to represent Birmingham’s industrial roots—is really really big. In fact, he is the largest cast iron statue in the world! Who knew? Well now you do!

Project: Vulcan Statue
Restoration:
Location: Birmingham, Alabama

11/19/2025

There was a time when I wondered, why on earth would I ever need a drone? Now I can’t live without one. Which is why I now have two!

Swipe to see some of my drone images.

Now for a little more of the story:

So that each drone really feels like part of the team, I’ve given them each a name. My original drone is Nadar, named after the first person to take photographs from the air—in a hot air balloon—in 1858. Which required making his photographs on a wet plate and processing them in the dark while in the air!

The newest addition to my team is named Amelia after legendary pilot Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to having my drone named after Amelia Earhart, she has been honored in almost every other imaginable way, including with a US Airmail stamp, in the naming of a main belt asteroid, a lunar crater, an airport, a museum, a bridge, a ship, a playhouse, a library, as well as multiple schools and roads. Welcome, Amelia!

And yes a bit of a juggling act seen here where I am flying both Nadar and Amelia while capturing a photograph of them in flight with one of my trusty cameras!

—

10/23/2025

The Cantilever House: Defying gravity and the laws of physics while creating a new style of home living.

I’ve always been fascinated with structures that incorporate the cantilever into their design. So as you might imagine, photographing The Cantilever House, designed by Sheila Lee Davies, was a thrill and a great opportunity to capture dramatic images of this house for Sheila and for my portfolio!

- Architect:
- 2024 AIA Georgia Honor Award
- 2023 AIA Atlanta Residential & Hospitality Design Award Finalist

10/01/2025

Shimmering reflections of inspired, sustainable design one Fall afternoon at Clemson University. The Daniel Hall Renovation & Expansion: New and old blended seamlessly into one.

Architect:
Project: The Daniel Hall Renovation & Expansion / ,

09/04/2025

Endless views and endless opportunities to capture dramatic images of the Renaissance Daytona Beach Hotel which overlooks this vast ocean. More photographs to come of this project in future posts!

Project:
Architect:
Location: Daytona Beach, FL

04/25/2024

Congratulations to the gifted architect, Sheila Lee Davies, for winning a prestigious American Institute of Architects award for the design of the Cantilever House! What a wonderful project to have collaborated with her on.

I’m so grateful for Sheila’s thoughtful words about the photographs that I made of this project: “Jonathan's photography beautifully captures the essence of the Cantilever House and its unique design, highlighted by a striking 20-foot cantilever. His photos emphasize the thoughtful use of space and light, enhancing the sense of well-being within the home. Through his lens, we see more than just a building; we experience a living space designed to elevate everyday life.”

It feels good to hear that my photographs have achieved their goal; capturing the elements of design that make this project so unique and too, capturing the spirit of this stunning piece of architecture.

03/20/2024

The Cantilever House. A 2024 AIA GA Finalist. Not only does this beautifully conceived house defy gravity but it also defines extraordinary residential architecture. Designed by the gifted architect, Sheila Lee Davies.

02/28/2024

The A.G. Gaston Motel

As comes to a close, I thought I'd share my photographs of the in Birmingham, Alabama. Lord Aeck Sargent was the architect for the historic preservation of the site, built in 1954 by A.G. Gaston, a local African-American entrepreneur.

Listed in the —a guide for African-Americans travelers in the days of segregation—the A.G. Gaston Motel was a place of refuge for the weary roadtripper. It was also the 1963 headquarters for the Civil Rights Campaign to desegregate restaurants and hotels in Birmingham, lead by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Before I began photographing this project, I was sent a photograph—which you can see here—of a news conference that took place at the A.G. Gaston Motel. In this photograph one can immediately see Civil Rights Icons Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph David Abernathy and a youthful Andrew Young in overalls, along with legendary broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite. What an historic photograph!

Right after photographing the motel, I went to a small gathering at some friends’ house and one of the guests turned out to be Andrew Young. What a moment of serendipity, right after having been at this important historic site for the Civil Rights Movement, to then to see Andrew Young in person!

So I went over and introduced myself and told Mr. Young about having just photographed the A.G. Gaston Motel – hence the last photograph in this series; Andrew Young and me. He proceeded to speak rhapsodically about how he and his wife had been living in Chicago and his wife read about the demonstrations going on in the South in the newspaper. She said that is where they needed to be, and so they headed to the center of the movement. He referred to this time in his life and the work he did as being one of the most meaningful and happiest times of his life.

The A.G. Gaston Motel is now part of the National Park Service and is a Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. I’m humbled and honored to have photographed such an important piece of history.

02/22/2024

The Trinity School (now the ):

This was my first important project for Lord Aeck Sargent, designed by the late Terry Sargent. One of my favorite aspects of working with Terry was that I got to walk through every project to be photographed with him. There was always a story behind every project, always with a sense of whimsy, always brilliant.

In this first photo, you can see an elevation of the school with a tower that is like a giant kids’ castle. It features a large window that almost invites you to climb in.

And - about the window, which you can see in the second photo - I was asked to photograph the room it is in, but there was nothing in it! What was I supposed to do with an empty room? But when I walked past this space and saw the light streaming through the window, I knew that was the moment to capture this photograph. So I ran and borrowed a bunch of kids from a classroom and asked them to pose any way they liked. Their spontaneity made this photograph work, and it’s this kind of spontaneity that makes me love to photograph K-12 schools.

In the last two photos, you can see that the columns at the entrance to the school are a series of giant toy blocks, stacked with a twist that makes for an amazing profile in every kind of light.

These photographs are a tribute to the amazing artistry and architecture of Terry Sargent, my client and friend. Darn, I miss that guy…

Aeck Sargent

01/17/2024

Today's post is about one of my favorite pieces of photo gear - and for the photographers out there, let me know in the comments about your favorite gear!

In honor of the photographer that inspired this etching by Honoré Daumier, I’ve named my DJI drone “Nadar,” who was the first person ever to capture photographs from the air. My “camera-in-the-sky,” seen in the 2nd image in this post, has to be one of my favorite pieces of gear. Seen in the last image of this post, from Nadar’s point of view, is Daniel and Humanities Halls, photographed for architecture and design firm Lord Aeck Sargent.

On all my photoshoots, Nadar is always close at hand, ready to leap into the sky to capture views that no one has ever seen before. Up, up and away, Nadar!

Now it's your turn - what is your favorite piece of gear?

01/09/2024

As we step into this New Year I’m thinking a lot about beginnings, so today I am sharing an image that suggests our transition from 2023 into 2024.

As for beginnings, I am really looking forward to the year ahead and the photos it will bring. And this year, I plan to share a lot more with you here. I hope you’ll join me. Happy 2024!

Address

Atlanta, GA

Telephone

+14044026676

Website

http://www.hillyerphoto.com/

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