Architectural photography are pictures of man-made structures, especially buildings. These pictures may be made for planning, construction progress, illustrative purposes, inspection and survey, and other similar purposes.

PLANNING PHOTOGRAPHY

Architectural pictures made for planning purposes may fall into several categories. For example, the civil engineer working with an architect on design plans for a new commissary store at the naval air station may need a picture of the commissary store at the naval shipyard to show the architect the general concept of how the new store is to look The engineer may also need the same picture plus pictures of other buildings near the proposed construction site to be included in the contract bids. These planning pictures may have to show obstructions to heavy equipment, or where the new store will be located in relation to other buildings, proposed and existing. The architectural pictures you make may be presented to the U.S. Congress for allocation of new-construction funds.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY

Construction progress architectural pictures, (fig. 6-20A and fig. 6-20B) or simply construction progress pictures, are used as proof of construction progress from architect-to-builder-to-Navy. Whenever buildings or facilities are being built, a photographic record of the project should be made. These pictures may show whether the contractor did or did not follow specifications as written in the contract. They can also serve as a visual record of the material used in construction. In addition to their normal preservation as part of the construction contract record, they form the basis for periodic reports to higher echelons, including Congressional Armed Services Committees. Some of these pictures may be of great historical value, but their most important function is to serve as documentation for construction work

For a complete record, pictures must be taken at intervals throughout the construction period. Excavation, foundation work, and the roughing-in process progress slowly; pictures made every 7 to 14 days, starting at day one, may be adequate to show this

phase of the work. The rest of the work may go more quickly and require pictures every day or so.

For an accurate record of construction, the pictures are usually made from the same camera position from day to day. However, as construction progresses, it may be necessary to make additional views, both exterior and interior.

The person for whom you are doing the photography should explain any special effect desired in the pictures; for example, accenting structural texture, highlighting a specific construction detail, pinpointing an architectural feature, or concentrating on an exceptional landscape view. And do not forget to make the last picture-the one that shows the completed project. We do not mean the one made the day the contractor removed his last hammer from the jobsite. Of course, you made that picture. We mean take a picture several months after the project is finished, when the grass is green and the trees are planted.

The same care you give to other types of photography should be given to construction progress photography. Do use good composition and lighting techniques and other similar applications of professional photographic skill. Take particular care with shadow areas that may contain important details.