Architectural photography by Xavier Manuel in Mexico
Founder and lead photographer

Xavier Manuel — Architectural Photographer in Mexico

Architecture, hospitality and design photography with technical precision and a feel for natural light.

Portrait of Xavier Manuel, architectural photographer
Foto de Arquitectura

How I see

Xavier Manuel is a professional photographer specializing in architecture, interior design Hotels. Articulate, diligent, hardworking professional photographer with more than 15 years of experience in Architectural photography. Xavier Manuel's photography combines technical proficiency, intuition, and his artistic sensibility. capturing the essence of the early morning sun peering through the living room window, of a Hotel or an Exclusive Villa. Includes shooting major projects on the Mexican Riviera: La Paz, Los Cabos, Puerto Peñasco, Punta Mita, Careyes, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa Zhihuatanejo as well as Guadalajara. Graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California, His architectural photography is rooted in bringing the ordinary to life.

My photography rests on interpreting function within space. I approach every project with a sense of exploration and discovery, emphasising color, interior design, and lines, textures, shapes and volumes I perceive and record in each house, apartment, hotel or building.

The story

From apprenticeship to agency

1994

Learning the craft with Mito Covarrubias

Xavier started as a photographic assistant in architect Mito Covarrubias’s studio. Over four years he built the technical rigour architectural photography demands and an eye for natural light, learning to treat descriptive geometry as the foundation of every composition, alongside colour theory, the physical properties of light and correct exposure using the sun as the main source.

1998–2001

Training in San Francisco

Three years at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California, sharpening his architectural photography technique. There he learned to work with 4×5-inch view cameras and made the transition from film to digital.

2001

Founding Foto de Arquitectura

Back in Mexico, Xavier set up his own photography agency with a clear technical philosophy: a solid, precise digital image, produced with a deliberate combination of professional bodies and specialist Nikon optics.

Today

An agency built on trust

Foto de Arquitectura keeps a presence in Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Guadalajara and the Riviera Maya, documenting hotels, architectural projects and restaurants across Mexico for clients who expect technical quality and creative judgement in equal measure.

Technical approach

Built on Nikon precision

High-end Nikon cameras delivers the dynamic range needed for the best possible image quality; the Nikkor optics are chosen specifically for how they render luminosity.

This is not gear fetishism: in architectural photography, the difference between a backlit façade that survives and one that is lost lies precisely in the sensor’s dynamic range and the optical quality of the lens. That is why the choice of tool is a technical decision and not a preference.

Listening comes first

Every project starts by listening: understanding what the client wants to communicate before turning it into an advertising photography concept that goes beyond the brief. That consistency, built shoot after shoot, is what has formed the agency’s reputation over the years.

Our clients’ satisfaction is the strongest reference we have.

Where we work

Foto de Arquitectura operates out of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, with a presence in Los Cabos and the Riviera Maya and standing coverage across the Bajío. We work on hotels and resorts, architectural projects, interior design and vacation rentals.

My images have been published in print and digital media in Mexico and abroad. If you want to know what it costs to work with me, the 2026 pricing is published.

Services

Services I lead personally

🏨

Hotel Photographer

Rooms, amenities and dining that hold up your rate on Booking, Expedia and paid campaigns.

🏛️

Architectural Photographer

Corrected perspective: the project you publish, enter into competitions and keep in your portfolio.

🛋️

Interior Photographer

Materials, natural light and styling, so your work reads as well on screen as it does on site.

🔑

Airbnb Photographer

The first photograph decides the click. Images ready for Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO.

Let’s talk about your project

Let’s work together on the best image of your project

Send me an email or a message and let’s talk about what you need.

Go to contact

hola@fotodearquitectura.com · +52 33 2582 1177