Photography and ﬁlm in model making

Our visual experience of space and form relies uponour optical contact with the real world. Therefore,when a two-dimensional image is compared witha physical model, the latter – by displaying actual,visual, physical space and depth cues – appears closerto reality. Additional information collected throughour other senses, such as touch and smell, enhanceour relationship with a three-dimensional object.Indeed, it is the physicality of the model and ourability to move around, touch and handle it thatdesigners typically see as the primary advantage whenusing its form to communicate their ideas to others.Bearing all this in mind, why photograph a modeland potentially lose so many of these advantagesof its physical, three-dimensional presence?The photographing of a model is a transformationinto another medium that in some ways is even morecritical than the physical construction itself. Ourfamiliarity with two-dimensional images means wehave a tendency to accept them as ‘real’, whether via the media screen or printed page. Therefore, awell-conceived and carefully taken photograph canenhance a model and translate it into a more ‘realistic’experience. In addition, sequential photographs canreveal characteristics of the design beyond those offeredin the holistic overview that a physical model mightcommunicate to the eye. Considered in this manner,the modelmaker becomes a ﬁlm director, controllingand editing the views of the model and its spaces. Theuse of different lighting techniques, camera anglesand framing permits speciﬁc images to be taken, andcan have a powerful inﬂuence on how the project iscommunicated to others. Such processes do, of course,come with some responsibility – as images of a model candeceive and seduce as much as they can communicatedesign ideas clearly. When used properly, photographycan facilitate a coherent understanding of a project,and care should be taken to ensure that images thatallow for interpretation do not deliberately mislead.

One signiﬁcant application of photography isits ability to produce large images of what may be acomparatively small model. Models are usually seen frombelow eye level, and the use of photography enables themodelmaker to orchestrate how a model is seen and mayenhance the perception of it. Through the productionof large-format images the model is translated intosomething more visually ‘realistic’, as issues of scale andinformation can then be added to the image – either byhand or via computer techniques, such as collage and montage – enriching the composition as desired. Earlymodel photography encountered signiﬁcant problemswhen it attempted to overcome depth-of-ﬁeld issues in model images, but this has since been resolved throughtechnical developments in the medium.

Photographing models is an important part of documenting the design process through which a project has evolved. In both a professional and educationalcontext, such images can be included in a portfolio orfurther manipulated as an element in photomontages andcollages, or combined with CAD information. Therefore,it can often be useful to photograph the various stagesof making a architectural model, which will reveal the designdevelopment and will also provide images of differentelements as they are constructed – for example, theprimary structure. The angle or viewpoint of the cameracan play a crucial role in convincing the viewer that thescale of a small model is closer to reality. Photographstaken directly above a architectural model should be avoided unlessit is a city or urban model – as this is a bird’s-eyeperspective, through which humans do not usuallyperceive buildings. The availability of digital camerasmeans that many photographs can be taken, and theresults instantly evaluated and deleted where necessary.Therefore, the photographer should take the opportunityto get a range of viewpoints and close-up shots that canbe used to communicate the different qualities of thedesign. Remember that, although there may be a required deﬁnitive image of the design, it is unlikelythat all the building’s characteristics can be conveyed ina single photograph.

Lighting a simple cardboard modelwith two highly contrasting lightsources (see tip below) allowsthe viewer to easily distinguishdifferent moods and spatialcharacteristics within adesign proposal.

montage – enriching the composition as desired. Earlymodel photography encountered signiﬁcant problemswhen it attempted to overcome depth-of-ﬁeld issues inmodel images, but this has since been resolved throughtechnical developments in the medium.Photographing architectural models is an important part ofdocumenting the design process through which a projecthas evolved. In both a professional and educationalcontext, such images can be included in a portfolio orfurther manipulated as an element in photomontages andcollages, or combined with CAD information. Therefore,it can often be useful to photograph the various stagesof making a model, which will reveal the designdevelopment and will also provide images of differentelements as they are constructed – for example, theprimary structure. The angle or viewpoint of the cameracan play a crucial role in convincing the viewer that thescale of a small model is closer to reality. Photographstaken directly above a model should be avoided unlessit is a city or urban model – as this is a bird’s-eyeperspective, through which humans do not usuallyperceive buildings. The availability of digital camerasmeans that many photographs can be taken, and theresults instantly evaluated and deleted where necessary.

Therefore, the photographer should take the opportunityto get a range of viewpoints and close-up shots that canbe used to communicate the different qualities of thedesign. Remember that, although there may be a required deﬁnitive image of the design, it is unlikelythat all the building’s characteristics can be conveyed ina single photograph.Further communication possibilities are achievablethrough the application of ﬁlm or slide projection. Theuse of projection technology brings a new dimensionto the experience of viewing a architectural model – time. Movingimages depicting events, changes in colour and lightingconditions, etc., extend the spatial properties of a modeland may be used to reinforce concepts behind the design.In addition to furnishing photographs with even moreinformation than those using a model in isolation,these techniques afford the modelmaker the capacity toexperiment with a range of temporal design possibilitieswithout physically altering a architectural model making.