Models in Architecture
Empty spaces are pretty creepy. Buildings and parks are designed for people after all, so shouldn’t we include them in photographs? Sometimes. We’re wired to focus on faces and figures as people, which can naturally draw attention away from the design and to whatever imagined personality we’ll attribute to the model. So when I include a model it’s for a sense of scale or to bring some realism to the function of a space. Here are some things I consider about when to include people in a shot and where to set them in a scene to enhance the story.
Two factors to consider
There are two factors I consider when thinking about including a model in a photograph. The first is the visual depth of a shot, a vast space like a building lobby or an open floor plan are good places to use a model because they can be in the background for scale of the space around them. Tight spaces force the model closer to the camera, which can make the image end up reading as an environmental portrait instead of a design shot.
The second factor is the function of a space. If you’re checking into a hotel, it would be disconcerting if there was no one at the check-in desk, and you’d feel the same way looking at a photograph. For commercial projects I want to capture the realistic operations of a space, as though shooting from the perspective of a client or guest. For a residential shoot, the story might be more casual like friends having a chat at a kitchen island, or relaxing on the porch off an indoor-outdoor living space. The key is to be sure that any models highlight features of the space, rather than the space being a backdrop for the model.
Techniques for shooting models
On a closed set, shooting a private residence for example, I can decide where people would best fit in the scene, rearrange furniture, and provide direction. If I’m photographing at a university or a public park, I can’t realistically control how everyone occupies the space, but I can be patient and take multiple images as people move around the space and then select the best one or even merge a few together. The trick is to get a balance of filled and empty space, so that the design is still highlighted in its use.
My favorite technique for including a model in certain spaces is to slow the shutter speed while they walk through the frame, just enough to make them an unidentifiable blur. The easy way to do this to avoid making someone walk back and forth twenty times while I try to coordinate my shutter with their pace and position is to have them stand in one spot, and just shift their weight from the back foot to the front. This keeps their feet mostly crisp, but blurs the upper body and legs to create the look of movement, even art galleries do this to provide a sense of scale to the artwork.
The Design is the Star
At the end of the day, architecture photographs are about design, so when I include people in a shot it’s because they can bring something to the image without becoming the focus. We’re wired to focus on people whenever we see them even in an image, so the models should draw attention to the design or use of a space, instead of associating the design with the model.
