I recently had the privilege of photographing a beautiful residential home designed by Julianne McAlloon Architects. Sitting atop a hillside overlooking Cairns, the striking facade features cascading, irregular concrete steps through a landscaped garden. At night these steps illuminate, creating a sense of a staircase floating on light. An enlarged foyer walkway leads through to an open plan living, dining and kitchen area which opens out to expansive outdoor areas with city views. Other great touches include an upper living room which flows into the master bedroom & ensuite, and a floating timber staircase linking the two levels.

Photography-wise, the elegant, minimalist design provides plenty of great angles and perspectives, as well as challenges trying to capture the scale and relationship between the levels. A late afternoon architecture shoot going into twilight allowed me to use the existing ambient light, as well as to showcase the interior / exterior lighting when the sun went down.