He has challenged a long-standing tradition of depicting buildings as isolated and static by representing people in architecture and showing the building's environment,[2] trying "to produce more of a story or a feel for a project"[3] and "to communicate how people use the space".

[4] He has photographed buildings by many of the world's most prominent architects, including Rem Koolhaas[5] and Toyo Ito.

In 2010, he won the first annual Julius Shulman Photography Award, named after the most famous architectural photographer of the 20th century.

In 2012, he took the image of Manhattan after Hurricane Sandy that made the cover of New York City magazine—showing light above 42nd St. and darkness below that line—illustrating vividly the storm's disparate impact.

In April 2016, Baan received the AIA New York's Stephen A. Kliment Oculus Award.