My philosophy on architectural photography is fairly simple. First, I follow the lead of the architect, developer, or business owner of the building I am capturing. When photographing for the architect, I try to get the story behind the design before I even take one photograph. The key is understanding the elements - the symbolism of a certain line here or there, or why they built a structure the way they did. Once I understand the architectural story, I can then begin the photography and lighting to pull the story out in photos.
With interior photography, the lighting choice is typically something I pick based on what the overall look should convey, as well as what available light is there in the room. Sometimes its best to photograph a room with the ambient available light to give the most natural look to the room as possible. Other times, I can add up to four lights in the space to properly photograph it and give light and shadows to the areas needed.
Shooting the exterior of a building is sometimes best at dusk, or even multiple times of the day. Depending on what the client (ie: architect or builder) wants to see, we may photograph it at morning, noon and again at dusk. The shadow lines on the building from early morning sun will give a completely opposite but necessary look than an evening shot with the interior lights glowing through windows and uplighting from the front lawn.