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The
purpose of these guidelines is to encourage slide and photograph
documentation to be of consistent quality and to be accurately identified.
In
Preparation
| General Consideration
| Systematic Architectural
Photodocumentation
IN
PREPARATION
Determine
Goals
- Decide
why you want to photograph (for teaching, research; personal
reference collection; travelogue of your trip)
- Decide
what you want to photograph
- Buildings
by a particular architect
- Buildings
from a particular period or in a particular style;
- Buildings
in a city or country
- Urban
environment (piazze, streets, etc.) —— ambiance &
sense of place
- Sights
which capture your interest at the moment
Conduct
Preliminary Research
- Consult
architectural monographs, survey books, city guides, maps
- Which
buildings are historically significant?
- Which
details of buildings are of particular importance?
- Are
buildings still extant?
- Location
of buildings/sites; orientation of buildings
- Compositional
ideas from published photographs
- Practical
advice on transportation
- Information
about access/permission for photography in sensitive/restricted/non-public
areas.
Equipment
Camera:
Use a reliable 35mm SLR camera (such as Nikon, Minolta, Canon, Pentax).
Make certain the camera is checked and/or cleaned and replace batteries
as needed before any photography trip. Test your camera by shooting
a sample roll and have it developed before you travel and at intervals
during your trip if necessary to be sure that you are getting the
desired results.
Film: Use color or B&W film appropriate
for the intended kind of photography and lighting conditions,
daylight, nighttime, outdoors, indoors, slow motion, fast action,
etc.
Suggested
Accessories:
- Flash
attachment, especially useful for interior photography
- Good
quality wide-angle lens
- Lens
filters: polarizing filter or UV filter reduces glare
- Extra
lens cap & camera batteries
- Light
meter
- Tripod
- Timer,
shutter-release
- Film
shield bag: protects (to a degree) exposed rolls of film from
airline's x-ray searching equipment. Tape film together to pack
flat
- Compass
GENERAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Recommendations
for keeping accurate records of your photography:
- Record
everything systematically and promptly before you forget.
- Keep
track of film rolls by numbering all film cartridges. Request
film processors to retain the film roll numbers you assign to
each roll to assist you in your film identification.
- Keep
field notebook for recording shots using roll # and shot/frame
#.
- Maps
and plans are most helpful.
Identification
of Images:
- Use
a compass to orient view north, east, south, and west. Shooting
direction should be noted using "v.t." (view toward)
and "v.f." (view from). A marginal diagram or sketch
can help to clarify the location and direction of views.
- Give
specific names for streets, markets, neighborhoods, villages,
etc.
- Note
additional information, such as variant or local names for buildings
or places; the name of a patron or founder of a building, as needed.
- Use
standard abbreviations for architecture.
Typical
Photography Problems:
- Camera
set at wrong ASA setting. Confirm ASA setting before shooting.
- Camera
not working (not tested or checked before departure).
- Interior
views: too dark or reddish/yellow tint. Use appropriate film for
interior photography, consider all types of interior light (incandescent,
fluorescent, etc.), confirm ASA setting, and use flash as needed.
- Weather
considerations.
SYSTEMATIC
ARCHITECTURAL PHOTODOCUMENTATION
General
Composition
Show
context: imagine that you are trying to explain the building/site
to someone; use people for scale and distance, when appropriate,
but appreciate that people in the image can also be a distraction.
Consider logical sequence of documentation from overall views to
individual details.
For
an individual building, include:
- Overall
view(s) to show the building in its present-day context. Include
adjacent buildings, streets, parks or other open spaces, pedestrian
or vehicle traffic.
- Overviews
of all exterior sides; detailed views of parts of multi-level
structures; significant exterior details; windows, stairs, balconies,
decoration, inscriptions, tile work, and construction materials.
- Interior
access areas, main public and private rooms/spaces. For courtyards,
shoot all sides, recording direction.
For
a complex of related buildings (religious complex, residential
area, university, market area, etc.) include:
- Overviews
of the complex, showing people and their activities.
- Views
showing the spatial relationship of the buildings to each other.
- The
major/unique buildings, overview and details.
- Views
showing examples of typical buildings.
For
a section of a town include:
- Overall
views, showing people and their activities.
- Civic/public
buildings; market/commercial areas; characteristic residential
quarters, old and new; typical streets; unique features of the
natural and built environment which give the section its unique
sense of place.
- Selected
individual buildings and building complexes, as above.
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