NEW HOPE, N.Y.—“If you sing the perfect note right in the center stage, the person at the back of the amphitheater can hear it just as well as a person in the front,” says James H. Smith, educator and founder of Cartio, an architectural photography and design atelier. The ancient Greek amphitheaters “aren’t something that just happened by mistake. This was highly advanced design.” Smith now designs homes in New York, but he grew up in Australia. His father was a pilot, so they visited many places in his youth. He’ll always remember his trip to Greece as a boy. Walking around Athens, he noticed the beautiful sculptures and architectural ornamentation. He recalls the public squares that dropped 10 feet below street level, revealing ancient ruins. The architecture, nestled into the fabric of the city, created a lasting impression on him. “This whole art form and ancient wisdom was right …