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Taking Archival Photographs of Buildings & Rooms
Photographing Rooms
The purpose of this exercise is to take archival /documentary photographs. They are not meant to be aesthetic, filters are not required.
Archival photography is part of the conservation process, creating a permanent record, in visual form, of a building and place. Photos should provide context to the building and spaces within, as well as capturing the unique qualities of the place.
Establishing Shots
External views should provide context to the building within its streetscape and neighbouring properties (taken from the street), and in relation to out buildings, utilities (water tanks, hot water systems, etc.), gardens, and access points within the property boundaries of the yard. Elevations from all sides should be taken, if possible.
Photographing a Room
Photograph the room systematically, from all angles. Regardless of where the entry to the room is, it can be helpful to use compass directions and work around the room clockwise.
In the example above, the camera angles you would take are:
- Northern wall, taken from the centre of the southern wall
- North east corner of the room, taken from the south east corner
- Eastern wall, taken from the centre of the western wall
- South east corner, taken from the north west corner
- Southern wall, taken from the northern wall
- South west corner, taken from the north east corner
- Western wall, taken from the centre of the eastern wall
- North west corner, taken from the south east corner
- Ceiling, taken from the centre of the room
- Floor, taken from the centre of the room (this can be a little harder to achieve)
When photographing a wall that has a door, photograph the wall with the door open and again with the door closed.
When photographing a wall with a window, also take photos of the views from the window.
Wide-Angles & Landscape
If you are using an SLR/camera, use a wide-angle lens (14mm - 16mm). If you are using a phone camera, use the wide-angle lens option, if available. This enables you to capture the whole room in one photo, with minimal distortion, including floor and ceiling finishes. If you do not have access to a wide-angle lens the compass point technique will help to capture an overall view of the room.
Rooms should also be photographed with the camera in landscape (horizontal) position, not portrait (vertical).
Close-ups
Once you have taken the overall establishing shots of the room, start to photograph the details of doors, door knobs and hinges, key holes, windows, window hardware, skirting boards, architraves, cornices, picture rails, dado rails, etc. Look for and photograph electrical fittings.
If there is evidence of walls that have been moved, windows or doors filled in, features removed or painted over, photograph this in detail as well.
Use a tape measure, ruler, or scale stick against these details to indicate height, width, and depth of these features.
Camera Height
Be aware of the height of the camera. Try to take them from the halfway point of the room height (e.g. for a 2.4 meter / 8 foot high ceiling, position the camera at a height of 2.2 meters / 4 foot). This will capture an even amount of floor and ceiling. Use a tripod, if available, to ensure consistent heights.
Camera Angles
Try and keep the camera straight. If available on your phone or camera, turn on grid lines and line these up to straight lines in the room. If available, use a tripod.
Holding the camera at a slight angle can distort the room in the photographs.
Lighting & White Balance
Natural light for exteriors is preferred. Interiors should be illuminated to reveal detail in shadows. If artificial lighting in a room is not adequate, use a flash or speedlight on your camera. If the room lights are throwing a colour cast, adjust the white balance on your camera.