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Exterior Scenes Part 1 – Composition & Cameras

Software: ACAD/Revit/SketchUp/3dsMax

Author: Lon Grohs & Rodrigo Lopez

http://www.neoscape.com/

Responsible for some of the most iconic architectural photographs of all time, Julius Shulman once described that in order to teach his photography students to photograph a subject, he asked them to first put their cameras down and learn to “see” the subject first.

Developing an understanding of the subject and discovering how to best portray its character is a crucial step in composing your image. Is the subject contemporary, modern, classic, historic, minimal, and so on? Depending on the design of the structure, different sensibilities may apply. And while we don’t have the capability to put down our cameras and walk around the space, we do have an extraordinary freedom to place any number of cameras in our virtual space. Additionally, the new Walk Through Camera is a useful tool for taking a quick, informal virtual walk around the model to discover potential views and photogenic elements.

Using the Walkthrough Camera is a great way to “discover” the virtual space.

Below are the shortcuts for using the Walkthrough Camera.

(Note: the Level Command is very useful, especially for straightening verticals.)

It is also useful to set up a quick Sunlight System to light the scene in a quick but realistic way, even if the materials are simple colors and shades. The interaction of the light with the scene is an important aspect of the composition. Sometimes the patterns and dynamic lines created by light and shadow can be more interesting than the structure itself.

Keeping in mind our Rule of Thirds and Diagonal Rule from our earlier tutorial, we see that the same notions apply with exteriors.

Rule of Thirds

Diagonal Rule

Experimenting with various camera lenses and aspect ratios can also create engaging compositions.

Exaggerated Aerial

Dutch Angle (Rotated Horizon)