Photographing architectural models

[dig_it]

I’d like start a thread on photographing architectural models with digital cameras, in particular for showing off ground level perspectives. I’ll start with my own recommendations and a couple of examples.

Firstly, the camera

I would say this is the one instance where an ordinary digital compact with good manual control is better than a digital SLR. These are my reasons why:

- Much greater depth of field.
- Smaller minimum focusing distance.
- Their physical size makes them more able to fit into nooks etc, to take photos.

When shopping for a new camera look for wide-angle macro ability and manual control which is especially important. Various camera sites on the web have this info in their reviews. It’s also very important that the camera is still when taking photos, either with a tripod or by resting it on the model.

[dig_it]

I use this as a checklist (using Canon S70 as point of reference) when taking night shots on a tripod. This is where manual control becomes important:

1. Set camera to either Manual (M) or Aperture Priority (Av) mode. I usually select M, as Av doesn’t allow exposures over 1 second.

2. Set white balance (WB) to tungsten (auto is fine in daylight).

3. Use the self-timer function (either two or ten seconds) to stop camera shake caused by pressing the button.

4. Set ISO to lowest setting (probably 50 or 100).

5. Select a small aperture to maximise depth of field (F8 is usually ideal on compacts). A higher f-number means a smaller aperture.

6. If in M mode adjust shutter speed until exposure is correct. In Av mode this is done automatically.

7. Make sure focus is set correctly. Usually auto focus is OK until you start to focus on close objects. When doing this it’s best to use manual focus if the camera has this.

8. Take shots, download and edit in Photoshop.

[dig_it]

Technique

There aren’t really any rules for this. Most people prefer artificial lighting with a black background (either a bed sheet, paper or edit in Photoshop), but it depends on what feeling you want to convey, and what looks the best. When shooting at night, I usually have one hand holding a lamp and another controlling the settings on the camera. The key is to experiment, take lots of photos, and don’t use the flash.

Example, 1:200. Light placed behind model.

[dig_it]

1:500. Light placed inside model, original on right, inverted on left.

[dig_it]

1:50. Balsa model + Photoshop. That’s all for now.

[feigetl]

Wow. thanks so much for posting this, I think its very valuable. I never know how to photograph my models. Do you have some more photo's of your work?

[dig_it]

Hi feigetl, thanks for the comments. At the moment I'm still trying to finish off photographing my stuff, once I've finished I'll try to post some more.

[feigetl]

No problem, cool. Are you a student/ working?

[badja]

Dude thanks for all the tips you posted, just got a new digital camera...now i can make full use of some of its settings :cheers:
Gonna stuff around and try get some good pics!

[JesseJacob]

1:500. Light placed inside model, original on right, inverted on left.

Gday Dig_it, nice images.

These projects look good, are they uni work?, you should post them up.

[SWANK-E]

John, thanks for the thread. Nice pictures too

[dig_it]

No problem, cool. Are you a student/ working?

Just finished studying, plan to start job seeking in the next week.

[dig_it]

Gday Dig_it, nice images.

These projects look good, are they uni work?, you should post them up.

Thanks Jesse, you're right it's uni work. I'll definitely think about posting something later, for the moment I'm enjoying a break from having my work critiqued after 5 or so years of it as any archi student knows.

[dig_it]

page with another couple of views, project for national archive in canberra.

[badja]

Dude you should definately get some of your work up on PPB2...really keen to see some more, looks top notch ;)

[naught101]

brokenarts on sxc.hu has some good tutorials for photography http://www.sxc.hu/profile/brokenarts , including this backing curve, which would be useful if you don't want a dodgy looking background.

perhaps if your model is toob big, you could just pin a sheet to the wall, and down on to the floor, I think lots of photography studios do that.

another idea is to use big white bits of card board, or similar to softly reflect light on to the underside of the model, which reduces the contrast when the model is only lit by one lightsource.

[amirs]

great post. really good results... good hints about the camera settings too. thanks again...

[joHanneum Z]

Great, dig it! Nice works. Nice Tipps. Also naught101, thanks.

[igor]

valuable post...very nice. 10x