ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY In photographing architectural subjects, whether for pictorial or record purposes, regard must be paid to the fact that technical correct ness is absolutely essential. Many technical points that can be ignored without any serious disadvantage in landscapes become important in architecture, and disregarding them would involve serious loss of quality. The camera back must be kept upright so as to secure vertical lines in the photograph ; it should be tested with a level or a plumb indicator. The one exception to this rule is that in many old buildings the walls lean outwards, the heavy pressure of the roof, acting for centuries, having forced them into that position. In that case, the camera may be tilted slightly, the back leaning back wards, so as to bring the walls or columns vertical in the photograph. Wide-angle lenses, or those that include a large expanse of view, become a necessity in most architectural work. In exteriors as well as interiors, the space is frequently too limited to allow a distant point of view to be taken, and a lens that will include sufficient of the subject from a very short distance becomes necessary. Although this is by some regarded as a disadvantage, it cannot in every respect be so considered. Photographing a subject from a near point of view possesses one distinct advantage. It conveys the impression of looking upwards in a manner that cannot be attained by any other means ; and this frequently adds impressiveness to the picture. Small portions or details can be effectively taken with a lens that would be suit able for general landscape work, but larger sub jects require the shorter focus instrument. The most useful wide-angle lens will have its focus about four-fifths of the longer side of the plate ; and if the worker has a second lens, its focus should be about the same as the longer side of the plate. And the ordinary landscape lens— one and one-third the length of the plate—will be useful for those subjects that provide suffi cient space. The lens, may be its focus, should be capable of covering a much larger area than the plate in use. In many sub jects the lens has to be raised considerably above the centre of the plate, and, unless the lens will cover when it is so raised, dark empty corners will appear on the negative. Tilting the camera to accommodate a lens of limited covering capacity is very undesirable ; the front and back not being parallel necessitates the use of a very small stop to secure sharp definition.
The camera should be simple and rigid, so that long exposures may be given without any risk of vibration. The rising front should allow
the lens to be raised well above the centre ; almost as far as the top edge of the plate is occasionally required. Within reasonable limits, the greater the rise obtainable, and the greater the covering power of the lens, the more useful and adaptable will be the apparatus for archi tectural subjects. An anastigmat possesses so many advantages that no other type of lens should be employed.
In all subjects an oblique position rather than a full front view should be chosen. The latter destroys the effect of relief, whereas the former shows it effectively. It is very rare that a full front view of any subject is effective ; the result is almost always flat and lacking in interest, as the projection of one part of a subject beyond another is lost in the picture. A wide-angle lens is frequently valuable in enabling the photo grapher to select a more oblique position than would otherwise be obtainable.
A liberal proportion of foreground should always be included in front of the nearest import ant vertical object ; it assists in conveying the impression of space. The normal height of vision-5 ft. from the ground—is the best for all large or high subjects ; it conveys the most natural impression of size. Photographing from a height dwarfs the effect of the building, and should be adopted only for special purposes. At times the camera may be much lower than 5 ft., especially for small subjects taken with a wide angle lens. (See "Interiors, Photographing.") Symmetry in the arrangement of the subject on the plate should be studiously avoided ; and, equally, an arch, a column, or a doorway that may form an important part of the subject should never be shown almost but not quite completed, broken by the boundary line of the picture. It conveys the sense of incompleteness and absence of support. Sunlight is very effec tive in some exterior work, especially in compre hensive views of large buildings. In smaller subjects, too, it is frequently a valuable aid to picturesque quality. At times, the sun shining almost along the principal face of the building photographed will produce exceptionally good effect by throwing very long shadows of all pro jecting details. In many small details, direct sunshine is best avoided in order to show the form and surface of the details free from cast shadows. When photographing in sunshine a full exposure is absolutely necessary in order to secure transparency and full detail in the shadows. (See also "Interiors, Photographing " and " Exteriors, Photographing.")