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ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY. 
 
ARCHITECTURAL 
 
 PHOTOGRAPHY. 
 
 PRACTICAL LESSONS AND SUGGESTIONS 
 FOR AMATEURS. 
 
 BY 
 
 G. A. T. MIDDLETON, 
 
 Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects; Author of "Surveying 
 and Surveying Instruments," "Stresses and Thrusts," "House 
 'Drainage," "Linear Perspective," etc. 
 
 [Amateur Photographers Library, No. 15.] 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 HAZELL, WATSON, & VINEY, Ld, 
 1, CREED LANE, LUDGATE HILL, E.C. 
 1898. 
 
PEE FACE . 
 
 HE chapters of which this little book consists 
 
 were originally contributed to The Amateur 
 Photographer, appearing at various intervals of time, 
 and if therefore somewhat disjointed, their intention 
 is rather to show how architecture should be studied 
 from a pictorial point of view than as a science. 
 Believing that there is a distinct need for help in 
 this direction amongst amateur photographers, these 
 articles have now been collected into book form. 
 
 G. A. T. MIDDLETON. 
 
 January, 1898. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. Hints to Beginners 9 
 
 II. The Effect Sought 17 
 
 III. Distant Views 25 
 
 IV. Exteriors 31 
 
 V. Interiors 47 
 
 VI. Detail and Ornament . . . . . . .57 
 
 VII. Street Views 64 
 
 VIII. The Influence of Material 69 
 
 IX. Lantern Slides 73 
 
ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HINTS TO BEGINNERS. 
 
 Pilgrims' Steps, Canterbury 
 Cathedral. 
 (Camera both tilted and out of Level.) 
 
 9 
 
 THE beginner in photo- 
 graphy, Like the be- 
 ginner in other things 
 is usually ambitious, and 
 thinks that he will achieve 
 the best possible re- 
 sults during his first few 
 weeks. 
 
 He generally starts off 
 with portraiture, or some 
 other different branch of 
 the subject ; but he will be 
 wise to confine his earlier 
 attempts to buildings, which 
 are perfectly steady during 
 the period of exposure, are 
 always to be found when 
 wanted, and, again, do not 
 give a man a black eye for 
 producing a caricature in 
 place of a portrait. 
 
 Even so, however, it is 
 not to be expected that 
 very high class work will 
 
10 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 be done at first, for there are certainly several difficulties 
 to be overcome, which, however, are of such a character as 
 to give the beginner an ample insight into the uses of 
 the different parts of his apparatus, and consequently a 
 control over future results, whatever be the branch of 
 photography he may ultimately take up specially. 
 
 Farm 'House, Bidborough. 
 {Camera not level.) 
 
 The first difficulty encountered is always that of a selec- 
 tion of apparatus, and it is scarcely possible to denounce 
 too strongly the prevalent idea that a small hand-camera is 
 the right thing to start with. It is indeed a capital idea for 
 the plate makers, for it leads to numberless mistakes and 
 waste of plates. It is far better to have a stand-camera of 
 somewhat solid make, which, if blown over by a gust [of 
 
Hints to Beginners. 
 
 11 
 
 wind on to a hard pavement, will not necessarily fall into 
 "'ickle, 'ickle bits." The first camera should certainly be 
 a small one, either a quarter-plate or 5 by 4, both for 
 economy and ease of carrying, and because the results are 
 sufficient for most purposes ; in fact, the experienced worker 
 
 Notre Dame, Chalons-sur-Marne. 
 (Camera tilted.) 
 
 possessing several cameras will more often use the small 
 one than the large, especially if he is travelling about much. 
 
 The camera, besides being strong, should be of the square 
 bellows type, and provided with all the usual movements 
 to rather an exaggerated extent. 
 
12 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 For instance, it is necessary to have a very considerable 
 rise to the front, so that the lens can be lifted high when 
 a view of a tall building is desired. Otherwise, with the 
 lens centrally placed, it is possible to obtain a picture of 
 which three-fourths are roadway and the odd one-fourth 
 just the low portion of the building. A slight fall to the 
 front is also useful at times, for a small camera can be 
 carried readily to the top of a building, and photographs 
 taken from a height are, of course, subject to contrary 
 conditions to those taken from below. Occasionally it is 
 useful to have side slides also, as when cramped in a 
 confined place in a narrow courtyard, where it is impossible 
 to plant the camera quite opposite the feature which is 
 being aimed at. 
 
 It will be said by the beginner that it is quite easy to do 
 all this by means of tilting the camera up or down, or side- 
 ways ; but if he tries the experiment he will find that dis- 
 torted perspective is the result, as buildings will then appear 
 to be leaning forward or falling on their backs, or pressing 
 lovingly against one another. Many workers prefer to over- 
 come this difficulty by means of a swing-back rather than a 
 sliding front, for the object sought is that the back, and the 
 plate which it carries, shall be absolutely vertical during 
 exposure, and the lens may be tilted to any extent if the 
 back be kept to the vertical ; but with the swing-back it is 
 quite impossible to have focus all over the plate, and though 
 the experienced worker may take advantage of this and use 
 it with good effect, it is not well for the beginner to try to 
 do so. 
 
 Whichever means be adopted it will be seen that a lens is 
 needed which will cover a much larger plate than the one 
 used. Thus for architectural work a half -plate lens should 
 be used for a quarter-plate camera. The lens, too, must 
 
Hints to Beginners. 
 
 13 
 
 be a really good one, showing no curvature of lines at the 
 edges of the plates. Occasionally quite cheap lenses are to 
 be met with which meet these requirements, and one of the 
 best the writer ever had belonged to a guinea set ; but this 
 is not to be depended upon. Trial is the only way of 
 ascertaining whether a lens is good in this respect or not. 
 
 It is best to have two or three interchangeable lenses of 
 different focus, for while the wide-angle and short-focus 
 lenses are absolutely necessary in small rooms and other 
 cramped positions, they should not be used if one with 
 longer focus will meet the case. A wide-angle view, though 
 optically correct, is always visually faulty, as the human 
 eye can only see clearly when the view is included within 
 quite a narrow angle, and a picture does not look right 
 which takes in a wider one. 
 
 The tripod, like the camera, should be strong, and for 
 convenience of carrying must have folding legs, and should 
 certainly be provided with a turn-table. 
 
 A wise selection of plates will save many disappointments, 
 and the advantage of having a steady object to photograph 
 is here of considerable assistance to the beginner, as he is 
 not compelled to use plates of great rapidity. On the 
 whole, the writer has found that plates of " ordinary " speed 
 have produced the best results, more rapid ones having only 
 been required in order to save time in very dark interiors 
 and upon the few occasions when there have been moving 
 figures loitering about in Continental churches. These, if 
 slow plates were used, would probably not have been seen 
 at all, or if they stayed still in the same position for a few 
 moments and then moved to another place, there would be a 
 blur ; the choice, therefore, rests between very slow plates 
 and extremely rapid ones, such as will obtain good photo- 
 graphs of a fairly well-lit interior with an exposure measured 
 
14 
 
 Architectural Photography, 
 
 by seconds only. These rapid plates are extremely difficult 
 to manipulate to the beginner, especially when travelling 
 about, as it is difficult to find a perfectly dark room for 
 changing, and he had better avoid them altogether. There 
 is also greater range of exposure in the slower plates, so 
 that he is not so liable to mistakes in this important respect. 
 On the whole, the writer has found that multiple-film plates 
 have been the most satisfactory, and as they are easy to 
 manipulate he advocates their use, although they are a trifle 
 expensive. They have a great range of exposure, and the 
 thing to be done is to expose sufficiently long without being 
 frightened about going too far ; while the results are good 
 in all respects, with good gradation of tone and almost 
 entire absence of halation, and this under the most trying 
 circumstances and without the trouble of " backing." 
 
 In the matter of focussing there is often difficulty, owing 
 to the darkness of stone and of the positions in which many 
 beautiful architectural features are placed ; and it is by no 
 means infrequent to have to focus a lighted match held by 
 a friend, who would be standing where the greatest sharp- 
 ness was required. 
 
 The exposure needed in different positions varies so 
 greatly that it is difficult to lay down rules. Possibly the 
 best plan is to follow the exposure tables issued by the 
 makers with many brands of plates, increasing the 
 exposure, however, rather than diminishing it, if there is 
 any doubt. The interiors of churches, according to their 
 lighting, will need exposure varying so greatly as from 
 five minutes to an hour and a half with the same plates 
 and the same stop. Many Continental churches, for in- 
 stance, with their whitewashed walls, can be taken in quite 
 short time, whilst the crypt, say, of Canterbury Cathedral 
 would need all that could be given to it ; an exposure of 
 
Hints to Beginners. 
 
 15 
 
 two days even has been known. It is in these very dark 
 places, too, where the greatest contrasts of light and shade 
 often occur, and as it is the shade that has to be exposed 
 for, a plate should be used that will stand these violent con- 
 trasts without the resulting picture being of the soot and 
 chalk type. 
 
 The architectural photographer is necessarily one who 
 travels much, for, as he cannot bring his buildings to his 
 camera, he must, of course, take his camera to his build- 
 ings. He therefore wants a compact travelling outfit, with 
 a good strong waterproof bag to carry everything in ; and 
 he will find that a piece of black mackintosh will serve 
 both to protect his camera from wet and, as a focussing 
 cloth, be quite as useful as the usual piece of black velvet. 
 A changing bag is also extremely useful, especially as you 
 cannot depend upon a good dark-room for changing in 
 an hotel, for even a bedroom may be provided only with 
 Venetian blinds, and have an electric arc lamp opposite 
 the window. Films are lighter to carry, and for this reason 
 more convenient than plates, but there is more 
 difficulty with them at some foreign customs stations. 
 A good many photographers carry developers with them 
 in tabloid form, in order to see from time to time that 
 all is going on right by developing an occasional plate ; 
 but although this may be handy, the development is 
 generally difficult and done at great inconvenience, and the 
 developer used not being that which would be employed at 
 home, the result is rarely a thorough success. It is better, 
 therefore, to pack the plates after their exposure in the 
 boxes and in the manner in which they were packed before, 
 and to defer development until the home dark-room is 
 reached. Of course, for this to be successful, it is necessary 
 to keep a careful record of every plate used, giving the time 
 
i 
 
 16 Architectural Photography. 
 
 of exposure, date, subject, condition of light and stop, so 
 that when developing you have some idea as to v/hat to 
 expect. The writer's plan is to write index numbers on the 
 outside of each box, the plate at the bottom of each box 
 being numbered one, and so on up to twelve, whilst the 
 detailed particulars are kept in a reference book similarly- 
 numbered. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 THE EFFECT SOUGHT. 
 
 ROHITECTURE and photo- 
 graphy appear at first sight 
 to be arts of such utterly 
 diverse character as to have 
 no points in common what- 
 ever. But first impressions 
 are often mistaken ones. All 
 arts are one, in fact, and 
 though some are more closely 
 related than others — sculp- 
 ture, for instance, being more 
 closely akin to architecture 
 than is photography — the 
 family resemblance is always 
 to be found if sought after. 
 When it is intended to re- 
 present one art through the 
 medium of another, there must be this seeking, else a 
 wrong impression will probably be conveyed, and in the 
 photographing of architectural objects there is, or should 
 be, this representation. 
 
 Too often the result is a hard, unfeeling view, utterly 
 devoid of sentiment, however much there may be in the 
 building represented — a photograph has been taken, but 
 the camera has been treated as an exact scientific instru- 
 
 17 2 
 
18 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 ment, and not as a workman's tool capable of responding 
 to its master's touch. The difference is precisely that be- 
 tween architecture and mere building — the one instinct 
 with life and feeling, the other no more than a heap of 
 material scientifically pieced together to enclose a room 
 within four walls. 
 
 Here it is that the point of contact comes. Architecture 
 and photography are both reflective arts, and so he who 
 would photograph architecture aright, not for the purpose 
 of scientific diagram making, but to represent the effect 
 produced on the senses by the object illustrated, must have 
 at least some idea of what sentiment may naturally be ex- 
 pected in any given building, else, not knowing, he cannot 
 look for it or find it. Architecture has at all times reflected 
 the feelings and aspirations of the people amongst whom it 
 has flourished, and in some instances is the only index left 
 to us to show that the nations of antiquity were not com- 
 posed of dolls or automatons, but of living, thinking, loving, 
 hating human beings, like unto ourselves. 
 
 The Pyramids of Egypt, for instance, tell of a people to 
 whom stern simplicity, solidity, and mass, as representing 
 power, were more than that elaboration of detail which indi- 
 cates refinement, this being found in its highest perfection in 
 the Grecian work of a much later date, applied to hard and 
 rigid outlines mathematically corrected to produce the effect 
 sought after — indicating cultivation of mind, but little soul. 
 Then Rome, with its aggressive militarism and its sensuous 
 private life co-existent, is magnificently exemplified to us by 
 the stern remains of aqueducts, and roads, and forts, and 
 by its gorgeous carving and mosaics. 
 
 Then in England alone we have buildings which tell 
 aloud to him who cares to read of the life of our forefathers, 
 as nothing else can do. There is the stern work of the 
 
Nave Arcade, Whitby Abbey, 
 
The Effect Sought. 21 
 
 Norman feudal lord, followed after but a short interval by the 
 elaborate soul-elevating Early Gothic of the days of chivalry. 
 The Norman buildings of the twelfth century, with then- 
 thick walls, massive construction, semi-circular arches and 
 flat proportions, all, whether castles or churches, speak out 
 
 The Chateau, Dinan, Brittany 
 
 of the masterful repression by the mailed warrior of a sub- 
 ject people ; and the contrast is most marked with those of 
 the following period, having thin walls, lofty proportions, 
 and elegance both of general form and detail, all combined 
 
22 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 with perfect workmanship. It was an age whose spirit is 
 best appreciated in its architecture— an age of lofty aspira- 
 tion, true nobility, and manliness, when the armed men 
 lived for honour. It was the time of the Crusades, when 
 every one, and all they did, was inspired by a noble, even 
 if we now think in some respects a mistaken, Christianity ; 
 and our great cathedrals and abbeys, as well as our village 
 
 Hotel Notke Dame, Dol, Brittany. 
 
 churches are, all alike, the monuments of the age, reflecting 
 its glorious energy and its high ideals. 
 
 But, as at all times, excessive zeal soon wore itself out, 
 and the brilliant early Gothic period in France and England 
 was as evanescent as had been the brilliant age of intellect 
 in Greece. First came development and then deterioration 
 in the objects and in the lives of the people, reflected, as 
 it was bound to be, by the architecture. The ecclesiastical 
 
The Effect Sought. 
 
 23 
 
 work showed the change most plainly, as the simply living, 
 holy men of early monastic times were succeeded by those 
 who put ostentatious display first. There is always some- 
 thing substantial, however, in English architecture, re- 
 deeming and often obliterating the defects of even the 
 most luxurious times, and rendering in stone the difference 
 
 of character between the English and the Continental 
 nations. 
 
 So the tale goes on, and could be elaborated with many 
 a side issue and continued down to the present day — 
 another age of excessive energy, more cosmopolitan and 
 more scientific than any previous, and telling its tale of 
 great diversity in the many buildings for many different 
 
24 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 purposes and with different architectural expression rising 
 around us everywhere. 
 
 And if it is all this which architecture tells, it is this 
 likewise which photographs of architectural subjects should 
 reflect. Find out what your building means, and endeavour 
 to represent that rather than the dry-as-dust archaeology of 
 moulding and of date; unless, indeed, you be making a 
 photographic survey for the purpose of precise record, or 
 for the benefit of an architectural student who needs to 
 know "how it is done." Even he, however, must first 
 understand what is done; and much more so must the 
 general onlooker. 
 
 Considering our illustrations, then, it will be seen that 
 the massive walls of the Chateau at Din an, representing 
 sheer weight and passive resistance, demanded the greatest 
 breadth of treatment and delicate tone gradation, while the 
 nave arcade of ruined Whitby Abbey, an example of great 
 beauty, symbolising beautiful and holy lives of high aspira- 
 tion in lines of the simplest character, sharply defined 
 originally, now mellowed by neglect but still most beautiful, 
 called for a combination difficult to get and only partially 
 obtained. 
 
 The courtyard of the inn at Dol tells of nothing more 
 than rough and simple country life— an effect somewhat 
 spoilt by the presence of the visitors on the gallery ; while 
 the house at Balham speaks only of the trim respectability 
 of fifty years ago or thereabouts. Thus the former calls 
 for a little artistic treatment in selection of the point of view, 
 and the introduction of some suggestive detail, such as the 
 horse omnibus, while the most ordinary of commercial 
 photographs exactly hits off the character of the latter. 
 
Chateau Kingot, Dol, Brittany. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 DISTANT VIEWS. 
 
 IN spite of the apparently contradictory assertion at the 
 commencement of the previous chapter, we all know 
 that first impressions are of importance. They establish 
 prejudices, likes, or dislikes, which are difficult to overcome 
 and in the case of buildings, at any rate, the first im- 
 pression, usually that imparted by a general, comprehensive 
 view, is frequently a more correct one, even to the trained 
 architect, than is that acquired after long and careful study 
 of the details ; the points which appeal to us most strongly 
 at first sight being always the obvious and the powerful — 
 the general massing of the whole, the outline, and the 
 agreement between the building and its surroundings. 
 
 These are the things, then, which have to be kept in 
 mind when taking photographs of distant buildings. A 
 topographical view of a whole city from the cathedral tower 
 has its uses as a geographical record, but it is not that 
 which is intended here — but rather a distant view of some 
 
 25 
 
26 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 one building, or group of buildings, | such as to bring out 
 its general characteristics of majesty or weakness, size or 
 insignificance, as considered broadly, and without more than 
 passing attention to date, or style, or detail. The difficulties 
 are great, and if at the same time it is desired to produce 
 a picture they are considerably enhanced, and to the writer 
 at least it has proved easier to obtain the desired effect by 
 
 On the Pegnitz, Nuremberg. 
 
 means of the pencil than with the camera. This may, to 
 some extent, be due to laziness, for it is easier to carry a 
 sketch-block than a stand-camera, an outline showing 
 general mass is made as rapidly as is a plate exposed (with 
 the necessary erecting of the tripod, focussing, etc.), and 
 all further trouble is avoided; while the finished result is 
 produced on the spot. Still, the work can be done with 
 the camera if sufficient pains be taken, quite as well, and 
 
Distant Views. 
 
 29 
 
 in some respects better than by any other means, though 
 the way in which the lens absolutely refuses to ignore an 
 undesirable interposed object is often annoying. 
 
 After selecting a point of view, the most important con- 
 sideration is that of the light and prevailing atmosphere. 
 A crisp, well-broken sky-line, like that exhibited by the 
 roofs of Chateau Kingot, at Dol, with no great tale to tell, 
 which to English eyes is pretty, quaint, and worth recording 
 for that reason only, needs sharp focus and clear lights. 
 Bright morning sunshine, exact exposure, sharp focus, and 
 small stop will render such a view most accurately, and 
 probably a highly glazed gelatino-chloride paper would prove 
 the most suitable printing medium. Its very essence is 
 brightness, vivacity, and activity, even the simplicity of 
 the circular cider-press in the foreground only assisting in 
 emphasising these qualities. 
 
 Quite different is it with the general view of Cologne 
 from across the river, where the impression to be conveyed 
 is that of a mighty pile rising in mystic grandeur, and 
 dominating both the great city and its noble river too. This 
 is such a subject as is frequently attempted, and generally 
 badly done. The cathedral itself requires to be no more 
 than a misty, hazy outline, that the imagination may have 
 full play as to its vastness and its beauty. The impression 
 of size can be easily added to or detracted from, also, by 
 means of the accessories, and is here greatly helped by the 
 inclusion in the view of the tower of the Romanesque 
 Church of St. Martin, a trifle nearer and more distinct, 
 while the bridge of boats, and the strip of nearer river-bank, 
 with the figure standing against the railing, assist in render- 
 ing the distance, helped with the aid of sharp focus of the 
 foreground, and the use of a large stop— a diffused light 
 being best, with a slight haze. A real mist, however, would 
 
30 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 spoil everything, by blotting out the cathedral and even the 
 further river-bank from view. 
 
 What is usually called bad photographic weather was 
 used, not from choice so much as from its occurrence 
 when Nuremberg was visited, when the view upon the 
 Pegnitz was obtained; for the sky was overcast, and a 
 slight mist falling. Yet the result is a picture in low 
 tone representing well the quiet mediaeval character of this 
 wonderful town, than which no other of its size succeeds 
 better in putting back the hand of time to the period of 
 the later Middle Ages. 
 
 Sombre, weird, and yet romantic, this city stirs the 
 imagination in a fascinating, curious manner ; and is best 
 rendered photographically in low tones, and doubtful focus. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EXTERIORS. 
 
 S one approaches 
 more nearly to a 
 building, the parts 
 begin to stand out 
 from one another and 
 the detail is more 
 clearly seen. 
 
 In the' place of one 
 general mass expres- 
 sing one simple 
 emotion, all that goes 
 to compose that mass 
 and that emotion is 
 discovered, bit by bit, 
 by slow degrees. Con- 
 sequently a slowly 
 changing difference of 
 treatment is required 
 in the photograph, if 
 the effect is to be 
 rendered suitably. 
 There have been 
 
 From Photograph by the Author. i mj- i • i 
 
 J buildings which were 
 
 erected to express some one simple idea, the same pervading 
 mass and detail alike, and amongst them were some of the 
 
 31 
 
32 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 greatest buildings which the world has seen, notably those 
 of the Doric order in ancient Greece ; and when dealing 
 with such the photographer cannot easily go wrong. The 
 
 St. Gudule, Brussels. 
 
 whole of the building is to be seen from almost any point 
 of view — composition is out of the question, everything has 
 already been done for him by the original builder except 
 the actual taking of the photograph ; and he can probably 
 
Exteriors. 
 
 33 
 
 best render its beauty and its effect by skilful craftsman- 
 ship, by correct exposure and careful choice of stop, to give 
 a clear and crisp result, trusting to the extreme loveliness 
 of his subject alone for the production of a fine photograph 
 — for such buildings are rarely to be found save in countries 
 having a clear atmosphere and cloudless sky. 
 
 Very different is it with any building having even the 
 slightest Gothic feeling. Instead of one simple emotion 
 there are many complex emotions expressed in a complex 
 building, and as the emotion of mystery is always one of 
 those excited, with the evident intention on the part of the 
 builder to lead a spectator onward to search for hidden 
 beauties, therefore is the whole never to be seen at once 
 or from one single point of view. Consequently any 
 attempt to obtain such a general comprehensive view is 
 almost invariably doomed to failure, both artistically and 
 emotionally. 
 
 It is almost impossible to over-emphasise this point. 
 Nearly all the photographs of architectural objects which 
 one sees are spoilt by this effort to show too much — to show 
 at once all that there is in a building of many parts built 
 to serve different purposes and at different dates. Some 
 dominant feature or emotion needs to be seized, and any 
 others which may be permitted to be present should be 
 subordinate to that one and lead up to it. There must, in 
 fact, be focus in the pictorial and not the photographic 
 sense to produce unity, the ordinary laws of pictorial com- 
 position holding good just as much as in a landscape, while 
 they have possibly more to tell. 
 
 As an example of what is meant, two views are given of 
 Dol Cathedral, being two portions of the same print from the 
 same negative. Somehow, before being cut in two, the print 
 was unsatisfactory, and a little consideration showed that, 
 
 3 
 
34 Architectural Photography. 
 
 artistically, there were two foci and conflicting lines, one 
 focus being in the brightly lit windows of the transept 
 clerestory, and the other in the light patch over the 
 western door, while the lines of the west front, vanishing 
 towards the right, clashed badly with those tending to- 
 wards the other focus. Then, emotionally, the transept 
 
 West Front, Dol Cathedral. 
 
 view, with the vertical lines of the buttresses and the 
 tracery of the windows, tells of aspiration and delicate 
 perception of the refined and beautiful, while the k plain 
 west front, with its massive flanking towers of a much later 
 date, gives an i impression of awe-inspiring solidity. In 
 both portions there is peace, with present neglect and 
 desolation expressed as a subsidiary emotion, but not 
 
West Front, Amiens Cathedral. 
 
Exteriors 37 
 
 obtruded so strongly as to interfere with those which are 
 dominant, and which, in fact, it assists by contrast. 
 
 Flying Buttresses over Choir 
 Aisle, Amiens Cathedral. 
 
 Another common mistake is that of taking a view of 
 a front dead-on. All mystery immediately vanishes, and 
 
38 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 an architectural diagram of an elevational character is 
 obtained in place of a picture, with all the educational 
 value of a measured elevation drawing lost through the 
 foreshortening due to perspective, which there are yet no 
 vanishing lines to discount. It is much better, therefore, 
 to get sufficiently to one side to show the flank slightly as 
 well as the front, and so to point the camera that even the 
 
 South Porch, Dol Cathedral. 
 
 lines of the main front have a vanishing point, though it 
 may be a distant one. As an example of what is meant, 
 the west front of Amiens Cathedral is illustrated — one of 
 the very finest Gothic facades in Europe, and one which 
 would make a fine 'elevational drawing ; but a photograph 
 taken from a point precisely opposite the central door 
 would not look well, nor give the raison d'etre of the front 
 
South Door, Beauvais Cathedral. 
 
Exteriors. 
 
 41 
 
 so well as does the view showing the flanking buttresses 
 of the nave. 
 
 The view of Brussels Cathedral illustrates another and a 
 less common difficulty. Standing upon a steep hill, the ex- 
 terior is exceedingly difficult to photograph, the views gene- 
 rally obtained of the west end being eminently unsatisfactory. 
 It is also late in style, flat in surface, and wire-drawn in 
 detail. There is much, therefore, that has to be controlled 
 if a pleasing result is to be obtained, rendering the general 
 massing of the parts in light and shade at all correctly, 
 obliterating detail in the shadows, and adding emphasis and 
 force to those exposed to light — in fact, strengthening the 
 good points of the building and keeping the bad ones in 
 subjection. 
 
 Just as every building differs from all other buildings, 
 both in design and in expression, so does each feature differ 
 from all other features, with the family resemblance of 
 similarity of general intention apparent in all of the same 
 class. And this general intention is always an obvious and 
 generally an utilitarian one. Windows are intended to 
 give light, doors signify welcome, buttresses are for support, 
 and so on. Yet there is a great difference between the 
 thirteenth century narrow slit of a window, intended for 
 nearly clear glass, and the large traceried opening of the 
 fifteenth century, filled with richly coloured designs, and 
 admitting, in spite of its size, but little more light. Simi- 
 larly the great welcoming portals of the thirteenth century, 
 such as those of Peterborough and Amiens Cathedrals, are 
 by no means the same things as the sheltering porches of 
 two hundred years afterwards. And again, so on, and so 
 on. Thus it will be seen that, on close approach to a build- 
 ing, as each feature is observed by itself and apart from its 
 relation to the whole, each has its tale to tell, each is worthy 
 
42 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 of separate study, and each will make a photographic 
 picture. 
 
 Here particularly it is necessary to repeat a word of 
 warning, already uttered once at least. When dealing with 
 separate features, the temptation is a great one to place the 
 camera exactly opposite the object to be photographed, and 
 focus sharply. The result is an architectural elevation, a 
 diagram fitted to illustrate a book or lecture upon architec- 
 ture intended for architectural students, or to serve as a 
 " crib " for an incompetent designer ; yet, even in these 
 respects, far behind a carefully-made outline drawing with 
 all the parts to scale, and proper sections of the enrich- 
 ments given. Granting that there are times when such a 
 view is not only permissible but right — when, for instance, 
 an exact elevational record is required, pressure of time not 
 allowing a drawing to be made, or the person requiring the 
 record not having the necessary training and skill for the 
 making of such a drawing ; granting this, it yet remains 
 that the correct use of photography is to show the compo- 
 sition in perspective, as a composition, as it was intended to 
 be seen, with light and shadows, projections and recesses, all 
 holding their right and intended relations to one another. 
 
 In this manner, in representing at once the utilitarian 
 function of the feature considered, its history, and the in- 
 tention of the architect who designed it, photography can 
 do more than the pencil or the brush — to the generality of 
 mankind the photographic representation properly and feel- 
 ingly made, tells more than the diagram, to which it is a 
 most valuable supplement from the archaeologist's point of 
 view. Every one can understand a photograph, but it needs 
 long training to comprehend a diagram drawing, and in the 
 mind transform plan and elevation into mass and form. 
 And it is not merely a matter of mechanical understanding. 
 
Exteriors. 
 
 45 
 
 Carefully sought, each well-designed feature will be found 
 to possess all the essentials of a picture. Line, tone, focus, 
 gradation, and all the rest are there, and the photographer 
 can bring them out and emphasise them, and even negative 
 or suppress much of what clashes and is bad. 
 
 The accompanying illustrations are all from negatives 
 taken primarily for the architectural student, but to supple- 
 ment rather than to supplant the line drawing, and they 
 possess qualities which no line drawing could have, combined 
 with an exactitude of proportion and perspective which a 
 drawing in wash could feebly represent. Whatever has 
 been attained, there has been a striving after the pictorial 
 also, and the representation of the sensation inspired by the 
 building. 
 
 The leading note of the porch at Dol is rest, of shelter 
 and repose after exposure, but it is combined with desola- 
 tion. On the other hand, the photograph of the door at 
 Beauvais was made for quite a different purpose, awaking 
 no emotion which can be named, but representing the tone 
 contrast between the dark oak doors and the light -coloured 
 stone-work in which they are set. Emphasis is also given 
 to the vertical lines ; and, while there are several interest- 
 ing points of detail, the lesson for the architect is that the 
 close juxtaposition of work in such different styles as those 
 of the door (Renaissance) and the doorway (Flamboyant 
 Gothic) is by no means necessarily inharmonious. 
 
 The other two views were taken from positions to which 
 few people care to carry stand-cameras, yet many a good 
 thing, photographically, is to be got by toiling with one on 
 to roofs, and up turret stairs. The flying buttresses over 
 the choir aisle at Amiens were, of course, photographed to 
 show their construction, which, with the supporting columns, 
 is a trifle peculiar to English ideas, and is an example of 
 
40 
 
 A rchitectural Photography. 
 
 either wonderful temerity or wonderful scientific knowledge 
 (for the science is exact) upon the part of its builders. The 
 tower of St. Paul's, on the contrary, was not taken for its 
 own sake, but in order to show the deep well curiously, and 
 many think wrongly, left between the nave and the flank- 
 ing wall over the aisle ; yet it forms the central object in 
 the picture, and, being thrown out of focus, rises out of the 
 misty, mighty city beyond, presided over by its great 
 cathedral. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 South Choib Aisle, Notre 
 Dame, Lamballe, Brittany. 
 
 HERE is no branch of archi- 
 tectural photography to be 
 compared in difficulty with 
 the ecclesiastical interior ; yet 
 none is more frequently at- 
 tempted, or with so light a 
 heart. There are, to begin 
 with, certain technical diffi- 
 culties to be overcome, which 
 may almost be called traps to 
 the unwary, so likely is atten- 
 tion to them to absorb the 
 photographer's interest to the 
 exclusion of all else. Halation 
 is provided against — a point 
 of view selected to avoid bril- 
 liantly lit windows, and yet 
 include as much as possible 
 of the great cathedral nave — 
 the camera is carefully levelled 
 and the front raised, a wide- 
 angle lens is used to get in 
 all the vaulting possible, a 
 small stop is employed for 
 definition, and a long expo- 
 
48 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 sure is given after careful focussing to a distant window. 
 This is the usual and only procedure, with the natural re- 
 sult, as recently expressed in the Amateur Photographer, 
 that all interiors are alike ! 
 
 One thing, and one thing only, is lacking — a sense of 
 the purpose for which the building was designed. Yet 
 
 clearly this should go- 
 vern all other considera- 
 tions, not necessarily to 
 exclude them, but to 
 control and bring them 
 into subjection. Prima- 
 rily, a church is intended 
 for worship, and it is 
 therefore incumbent upon 
 the photographer to sug- 
 gest, in his picture, holi- 
 ness, peace, sublimity, 
 mystery, with other emo- 
 tions. These are difficult 
 things indeed to represent 
 — how difficult is well 
 shown by the almost uni- 
 versal avoidance of church 
 
 St. Mary's Church, Dover. interiors by the painter, 
 
 who, with colour at his 
 command, has possibly greater facilities for expressing them 
 than has the photographer. 
 
 Let us; see how they influence the technical points already 
 mentioned. 
 
 Halation, to a minor extent, is often useful as giving 
 distance and suggesting mystery. Generally better avoided, 
 it may be used with care. 
 
Interim's. 
 
 49 
 
 The point of view should certainly be carefully chosen, 
 but not of necessity to include as much as possible. A 
 diagonal view is frequently most interesting and suggestive 
 — it is rare, indeed, that one introducing parallel per- 
 spective, by pointing the camera 
 axially down a nave, is suc- 
 cessful pictorially, though the 
 English system of pew seating 
 occasionally forces one's hand. 
 If attempted, the parallelism 
 must be absolutely true, or 
 the effect will be unhappy. 
 Brilliantly lit windows, in spite 
 of their liability to halation, are 
 frequently great aids to solemnity 
 of effect. Perfect levelling is 
 essential to avoid distortion, and 
 the front must certainly be raised, 
 to cut off unnecessary fore- 
 ground; but a wide-angle lens 
 is most frequently a mistake. 
 There is almost invariably want 
 of visual truth in a wide-angle 
 view, so that what is gained in 
 amount is more than lost in 
 quality. 
 
 A small stop is also at times 
 a mistake. It has the effect of 
 
 rendering foreground and distance with equal clearness, and 
 so destroys the impression of distance, and likewise that 
 of mystery, unless these are obtained by more than" 
 usually careful tone gradations. If a large stop, how- 
 ever, be used to give distance, obviously it must be a 
 
 4 
 
 South Transept, Soissons 
 Cathedral. 
 
50 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 near object and not a distant one which must be in sharp 
 focus. 
 
 As to exposure there is room for much difference of 
 opinion. If you want to discover, by photography, details 
 of dark places which the human eye cannot see, expose for 
 weeks if necessary ; but if you wish to convey the general 
 
 impression to others 
 which a sombre interior 
 conveys to you, expose 
 accordingly, and be con- 
 tent that detail shall 
 remain hidden away in 
 deep shadow. Taking 
 the illustrations as ex- 
 amples, the well lit and 
 consequently distinct 
 vaulting of St. Loup, . at 
 Namur, by no means 
 appeals to one's higher 
 nature so well as does 
 the impressively dark 
 vaulting of Brussels 
 Cathedral. 
 
 Churches, like land- 
 scapes, will appeal to 
 different people in dif- 
 ferent ways, and each 
 man must exercise his art to discover and show to others 
 the impression he himself receives. To the writer, St. 
 Gudule, at Brussels, was particularly solemn, the church 
 at Lamballe full of peace, while St. Loup, at Namur, 
 seemed eminently suited to the gorgeous pageantry of 
 the Roman ritual. Soissons, recently restored (and well 
 
 St. Loup, Namur. 
 
Interiors. 
 
 51 
 
 done too) needed toning down, being staringly black and 
 white at present, but yet extremely elegant; while the 
 homely little Norman (or pre-Norman) church at Dover 
 would have been pictoriallyi impossible but for the modern 
 fresco, giving texture 
 to but not destroying 
 the breadth of the 
 blank western wall. 
 
 Each of these in- 
 teriors, too, contains 
 some point of archaeo- 
 logical or architectural 
 interest. InSt.Gudule, 
 it is the plate tracery 
 in the triforium ; at 
 Lamballe the intro- 
 duction of tracery be- 
 tween the chapels off 
 the choir aisle ; at 
 Soissons the large, 
 well-lit chapel entered 
 off the triforium, and 
 also the stilting of 
 the arches ; at ISTa- 
 mur, the wonderful 
 cameo-like vaulting, 
 added as the crowning 
 feature to a Renais- 
 sance church of a rare 
 
 and noble type. St. Mary's Church, at Dover, is of greater 
 interest still, for in the nave lies buried Stephen the 
 Plantagenet, so it is believed ; and even of what the photo- 
 graph reveals the depressed horseshoe arch and outward 
 
 St. Gudule, Brussels. 
 
Architectural Photography. 
 
 leaning piers, built so and not the result of settlement, are 
 rarities for which it is difficult to account, especially if 
 they be, as is supposed, pre-Norman in date. 
 
 To illustrate such points is -one very proper use for 
 architectural photography, but to employ the art to 
 
 v - — '■ 
 
 Vaulting to North Aisle, St. Loup, Namur. 
 (From a photograph by Mr. W. Furley.) 
 
 rouse again the sentiments of the long-dead builders is 
 something much higher, and something, too, which can be 
 attempted even by those who are ignorant of architectural 
 styles. 
 
 A church, too, must be unusually devoid of interest which 
 
Interiors. 
 
 53 
 
 does not, internally as well as externally, possess features 
 which are worthy of consideration of themselves, apart from 
 the general effect which they assist in creating ; and this 
 not merely architecturally but pictorially also. Obviously, 
 
 Screen in Martyrdom, Canterbury Cathedral. 
 
 however, the purely architectural here claims more promi- 
 nence than in a general view. The detail is nearer to the 
 eye, and general effect depends more directly upon it ; how 
 much to show and how much to suppress is a matter of 
 individual taste and judgment in each case. One great 
 law alone is of universal application : that the purpose of 
 
54 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 the feature should in some way be suggested, even if, in 
 order to do so, a good deal of the surroundings should have 
 to be included in the picture. Fonts, pulpits, screens, 
 roofs, and in foreign churches confessionals also, come 
 within this category, with many other features of more 
 rare occurrence ; and each needs careful handling if, in 
 
 Parclose Screen, Ightham Church, Kent. 
 
 addition to showing off the architectural beauties, it is 
 intended to produce a picture. 
 
 Speaking generally, avoiding consideration of those 
 exceptions which frequently arise in a more or less pronounced 
 degree, and call for special treatment, it may be said that a 
 font should be represented as expressing welcome ; a pulpit, 
 declamation ; a screen, retirement ; a roof, protection ; and 
 a confessional, privacy. Usually the architectural treat- 
 
Interiors. 
 
 55 
 
 ment emphasises these obvious essentials, and the photo- 
 grapher has but to grasp and render truly the architect's 
 intention, with such light and shade, and tone and grouping 
 as will best contribute thereto. Even this is not easy — it 
 is a matter of skill and knowledge and experience, and 
 each man must work out his own salvation ; but in many 
 an instance the original meaning has been lost sight of in 
 subsequent alterations ; colours have faded, or colours added 
 where never meant, or the surroundings have been changed 
 and then the task becomes indeed a hard one. To the 
 original meaning the photographer has not merely to return, 
 but he has to suggest present and past at once, and awaken 
 that human sympathy to which all old buildings, good or 
 bad, necessarily appeal in more or less degree. 
 
 The parclose screen in Ightham Church is simple, to take 
 our illustrations as examples, and being contemporaneous, 
 or nearly so, with the church, shuts in a family pew, and 
 retirement is conveyed in the photograph by gloom and 
 under-exposure. 
 
 The other screen illustrated, that in the Martyrdom at 
 Canterbury Cathedral, while denoting privacy, yet at the 
 same time expresses definite invitation to enter within. It is 
 a well-known and beautiful example of fourteenth century 
 stonework. 
 
 Somewhat similar in intention is a chancel arch, marking 
 the distinction between chancel and nave. In small examples 
 such as this, it performs the function sufficiently without 
 a screen, but in greater churches a screen is almost in- 
 variably inserted also. 
 
 In the vaulting to the North Aisle of St. Loup, at Namur, 
 Mr. Furley has aimed at an architectural representation of 
 a piece of wonderful cameo-like ornament in different 
 coloured marbles, and to secure this has very wisely 
 
56 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 neglected to correct camera tilt. With other than a 
 pictorial object in view there had been different treatment, 
 but tone and distance have been well represented, besides 
 securing that sharpness which, under the circumstances, was 
 essential. 
 
 It will thus be seen that with interiors, as with exteriors, 
 each minor detail and feature has its own tale to tell, sub- 
 ordinate to and yet contributing towards the general effect, 
 which is therefore of necessity complex. Still there is 
 always some one sentiment which is predominant ; a feature 
 may be interesting, but it is rarely impressive ; and in 
 representing the whole it is that which is impressive which 
 must be first sought and expressed, and the merely interest- 
 ing kept in due subjection to it. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DETAIL AND ORNAMENT. 
 
 IT is now generally well understood that each different 
 form or kind of ornament has some one definite object, 
 and especially is this the case when applied to ornamen- 
 tation used, as it generally is, not for its own sake, but as 
 a means of enriching a wall or a building. Thus, high- 
 relief sculpture is usually employed to decorate massive 
 work, or, at least, work of large parts and demanding con- 
 siderable contrast of light and shade in its ornamentation, 
 and more particularly this is the case when it is placed far 
 away from the eye. Low-relief carving, on the contrary, 
 is intended to be seen quite close, and is not so much 
 employed for its own sake, as to serve as a background 
 for something more bold. Take heraldic devices, for ex- 
 ample : we frequently see that plain shields are placed 
 upon rich backgrounds of very fine work. Again, as quite 
 a different example, take the nave of Westminster Abbey, 
 , in which the strong main lines are softened by the wall 
 being almost covered with a small pattern in low relief, 
 which, too, serves the further purpose of giving texture 
 to the whole building. Now the photographer's treatment 
 necessarily depends upon the purpose which the detail he is 
 rendering was intended to serve. There is always a great 
 temptation to exaggerate the lights and shades, in order to 
 represent more perfectly the great beauty of this delicate 
 arabesque work or diaper carving as the case may be, 
 
 57 
 
58 Architectural Photography, 
 
 instead of which the obviously proper method of treatment 
 is to consider the subject photographed as a whole, and 
 to keep the low relief in proper subservience. Of course 
 this does not apply in all cases, and especially when a 
 
 Carved Oak Jug 
 
 (Formerly in the Author's possession, now in South Kensington Museum. J 
 
 photograph is required for some technical illustrative 
 purpose, while there are also some subjects which are 
 better treated in this way than as a whole. The wall 
 slabs in the Assyrian galleries of the British Museum 
 
Detail and Ornament. 
 
 59 
 
 are a case in point. These were arranged in much the 
 same position at Korsabad or Koujunjik as they now 
 occupy ; that is, they formed a series of pictures round 
 narrow rooms at the level of the eye, and were intended 
 to be examined in detail. Their relief, too, is wonder- 
 
 Arcade in Jamb of West Door, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris. 
 
 fully low, there being rarely more than half an inch 
 between the highest lights and darkest shades, and yet 
 within this small margin we have depicted every phase of 
 active life and most elaborate detail. 
 
 Here accentuation is right; nor is it greatly out of 
 place in photographing such an isolated object as the 
 
60 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 carved jug, of which an illustration is given; but in the 
 case of the arcade in Notre Dame it would have been 
 absurd to arrange the point of view, the focus, the ex- 
 posure, and the printing for the sake of the central incised 
 patterns which fill up the blank wall space behind the 
 arcading — or even for the renowned ironwork upon the 
 door — when it is the arcade itself, with its fine general 
 lines and bold work in the spandrils, which is the main 
 object it is sought to represent. Thus control and careful 
 self-restraint will generally secure more pleasing results 
 when dealing with low relief, as in many other branches 
 of photography, than will any attempt to obtain all that 
 is possible from the camera and its lens. 
 
 The photography of architectural detail has before now 
 been recommended to the tyro on the ground that it is 
 easy, the object to be photographed being absolutely still. 
 At the same time, this advantage is considerably discounted 
 by other disadvantages, and to obtain a satisfactory photo- 
 graphic representation of a piece of architectural ornament 
 is not the easy thing it appears to be at first sight. 
 
 From a technical standpoint the principal difficulty is the 
 lighting. The object cannot be moved — unless, indeed, it is 
 quite a small fragment in a museum. The proper timing 
 of. the exposure consequently demands much experience, 
 and the contrasts are often over-strong. Thickly coated 
 and tolerably slow plates are preferable, allowing con- 
 siderable latitude, and those with multiple films have 
 advantages which no others possess. Isochromatic plates 
 and coloured screens are sometimes advocated, especially 
 where there are traces of colour upon the ornament, or 
 where the stone has become weather-stained ; but the 
 effect is sufficiently well rendered by good thick films. 
 
 On the other hand, if the immovability of the subject 
 
Detail and Ornament. 
 
 61 
 
 presents difficulties of this sort, it is well to bear in mind 
 that its position is that which it was designed to occupy, 
 and that its lighting is that which was intended for it. 
 
 An architectural ornament is not always meant so much 
 to be a thing which is 
 beautiful in itself, but as 
 a piece of enrichment de- 
 liberately placed in a 
 certain position in order to 
 have a definite and pre- 
 determined effect upon the 
 building as a whole. Bear- 
 ing this in mind, it will 
 be readily understood that 
 false or artificial lighting 
 is rather to be avoided 
 than sought, and that 
 objects in museums are 
 thus more' difficult rather 
 than more easy to render 
 truly. 
 
 Beyond this, there are 
 further considerations to 
 bear in mind, due to the 
 peculiar feeling of the period 
 when the work was exe- 
 cuted, the individuality of 
 the artist designer, and the 
 
 material in which he wrought. The photographer, to be 
 thoroughly successful, must to some extent sink his own 
 individuality in that of his predecessor of possibly many 
 centuries ago, and strive to enter into the feelings and 
 aspirations of him who originally conceived the work 
 
 Doorway from a Place at Genoa 
 now in South Kensington Museum. 
 (From a photograph by Mr. W. Allport.) 
 
62 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 which it is intended to portray ; but Jhe has to add to 
 this, in most cases, those sensations of veneration which all 
 old work will produce. All this is difficult, and seemingly 
 contradictory, but it awakens the artist in a man — for 
 every man is an artist, in more or less degree — and makes 
 
 Square Capital of the Temple of Athene Polias at Priene, 
 now in the British Museum. 
 
 him, by feeling and inspiration rather than by logical 
 reasoning, produce good and artistic work. 
 
 The illustrations but faintly indicate what is meant. 
 They are illustrative each of one of the three greatest 
 periods of architecture, one being Grecian Classic, one 
 French Gothic, and the other Italian Renaissance ; and the 
 basic inspiration of all art was essentially distinct at each 
 
Detail and Ornament. 
 
 (53 
 
 of these times, neither being quite in harmony with our 
 own days. Two of the objects suffer considerably, also, 
 from being photographed in museums, amid totally 
 different surroundings from those which they were intended 
 to be amongst; and the capital at least is seen from a 
 different point of view, and with utterly different lighting 
 from that which was possible when it was in situ. On the 
 other hand, the Gothic arcade from Notre Dame, at Paris, 
 is represented as it was intended to be seen, even the figure, 
 placed there to give scale, being in harmony with its spirit. 
 The carving is shown in all its original vigorous roughness 
 (contrast it with the high finish of that on the Genoese door), 
 and the rich balance is enhanced by the soft ornamentation 
 of the background, giving " surface " and throwing the 
 more prominent parts into strong relief. Thus the Gothic 
 appeals to what is forceful in our nature ; but equally 
 admirable are the more delicate beauties of the other styles, 
 charming by display of perfect adornment and exact 
 workmanship. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 STREET VIEWS. 
 
 HE photography of street views is 
 a thing to itself, distinct from all 
 other branches of photography. 
 Here architectiire is met with, 
 not of a simple but of a complex 
 kind — it is not the architecture of 
 one building or even of a group of 
 buildings intentionally grouped tq 
 form one whole, but of a mis- 
 cellaneous collection of buildings, 
 arranged haphazard. Architectural 
 knowledge is consequently of little 
 avail in the production of a 
 Timbek house at St. Brieux, pleasing picture ; in fact, it may 
 well become an actual barrier, 
 tempting to the photography only of that which is archi- 
 tecturally good to the neglect of that which is plain or 
 commonplace, but which is quite essential, either as a foil 
 or for the sake of repose. 
 
 Such a view is more usually a study of line than of 
 anything else, the perspective being sharp and lending itself 
 both to very good and to very bad composition. Tone, too, 
 plays a prominent part. 
 
 Both these, however, have got something to express, and 
 that something must be the spirit of the place— and the 
 
 64 
 
Street Views. 
 
 65 
 
 architecture chosen to be represented must also be 
 subservient to this general idea. There are places which 
 were once busy cities whose prosperity has passed away, yet 
 some of whose buildings are yet apparently crisp and new 
 — to represent such places similarly to quiet " sleepy 
 
 Old Houses, Dinan, Brittany. 
 
 hollows " would be an evident mistake ; yet to include these 
 buildings even in a photograph taken as typical of the 
 town would itself be of doubtful wisdom. And of this sort 
 of incongruity there is no end. 
 
 With the great employment of the hand-camera there 
 seems to be a rage for snap-shots of busy streets crowded 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 St. Jacques' Tower, Antwerp. 
 
 with people, quite regardless of the 
 fitness of things or of the produc- 
 tion of pictures. Yet few things 
 are more difficult than the repre- 
 sentation of such scenes. When 
 snapshotting there is rarely time 
 to consider all points properly — 
 
 something or other is 
 almost sure to be in- 
 harmonious. 
 
 It is much easier 
 to represent " sleepy 
 hollow," and much 
 more satisfactory. It 
 may be taken in sun- 
 shine or in rain, in 
 morning or in even- 
 ing, and almost al- 
 ways it is charming, 
 so long as the lights 
 and shades are not 
 in too great contrast. 
 Rest is the key-note, 
 and rest is exactly 
 that which photo- 
 
Street Views. 
 
 67 
 
 graphy can best express, infinitely better than it can the 
 restless activity of modern life ; unless the photograph be of 
 
 A Street in Dinan, Brittany. 
 
 the " animated" kind, and then the result is a mechanical 
 rather than an artistic expression of activity. 
 
 To turn from generalities to particulars, it will usually 
 be found advisable to " close the view," as the technical 
 
68 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 phrase is, with some prominent object to which, whether it 
 be near or distant, all else leads, and this is particularly 
 necessary if both sides of the street are included in the 
 view. Three illustrations are given of this. St. Jacques' 
 Tower at Antwerp is in the foreground, and to have shown 
 both sides of the street would almost necessarily therefore 
 have been a mistake ; but the church in the street view at 
 Dinan is in the middle distance, and Antwerp Cathedral 
 spire is in the background. These pronounced features, 
 too, give an apparent reason for the picture— invaluable, 
 nay, absolutely imperative, in all cases. Sometimes streets 
 and groups of houses, which are fascinatingly pretty in their 
 colour and their light and shade, when seen on a bright 
 day, make most disappointing photographs solely for want 
 of some such feature. The writer remembers a striking 
 instance of this at Kamur, where the grouping seemed 
 perfect to look at, and yet no satisfactory picture was to be 
 got upon the screen. 
 
 Views including only one or two houses, yet taken along 
 the run of a street, as exemplified in the other two illustra- 
 tions, are also more than permissible — frequently the best 
 thing to be done. This is particularly the case when these 
 few houses are picturesque and group well in themselves, 
 but where the street, taken more nearly " end on," would 
 be unclosed, with vacant sky above and vacant road below, 
 forming two triangles, apex to apex, due to the vanishing 
 of the lines in perspective. 
 
 Vertical pictures of course result, in almost all cases, and 
 it is better to tilt and swing to include high objects and 
 cut off foreground, than to use a wide-angle lens, and so 
 necessitate much trimming of the prints at bottom and 
 at sides. 
 
Brick Vaulting to Market under Cloth Hall, Ypres. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF MATERIAL. 
 
 THE title of this chapter may sound dry and uninterest- 
 ing ; but the subject is one which has two sides. The 
 technicalities of building material, their strength, weather- 
 resisting properties, and the like are certainly not suit- 
 able for discussion here. On the other hand, the general 
 effect produced by a completed building is largely due to 
 the materials employed in its construction, and so likewise 
 
 69 
 
70 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 is any photograph of the building influenced thereby ; 
 and all this is of importance to the photographer, and 
 not without its interest. 
 
 Speaking broadly, the qualities which materials mainly 
 confer are texture and colour. As walling materials, 
 marble and brickwork may be each equally suitable, under 
 
 Timber Roof to the Boctcherie, Ghent. 
 
 certain given conditions, from a structural point of view ; 
 but how utterly different is the effect of their employment ! 
 And the photographer who seeks to represent this effect ; is 
 he to treat the marble and the brick alike ? Think wherein 
 the difference lies. The marble is in large blocks with fine 
 joints, highly polished, reflecting light in every shadow, 
 delicate and pure in tone. The brickwork, on the contrary, 
 
The Influence of Material. 
 
 71 
 
 is made up of many small blocks with coarse joints, is of 
 more or less rough surface, absorbs light even where most 
 exposed, and is irregular in tone. Thus the marble, with 
 its high finish, invites the record of every detailed beauty, 
 while the brickwork, consisting piecemeal of nothing much 
 else than an aggregation of faults, needs to be taken as an 
 entire mass, in which the fault's merge and mellow. 
 
 Iron Gate to Baptistery, Collegiale, Huy, Belgium. 
 
 from a purely technical standpoint there are also differ- 
 ence. The reflecting power of the one material and the 
 absorbing power of the other call for widely different expo- 
 sure under the same conditions of lighting. So great, in- 
 deec, is this that it is a matter for astonishment how easy it 
 is b over-expose on polished white marble and to under- 
 expse on bright red brickwork, the latter being the more 
 usuil, and, indeed, a very common fault. The cure, of 
 coubo, is to be found in careful observation ; but even this 
 
72 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 is frequently at fault, and every precaution should be taken 
 by the use of thickly coated or multiple-film plates, and by 
 ample exposure, to provide against the result of any mis- 
 calculation. 
 
 Although marble and brickwork have been considered as 
 forming an obvious example of great contrast, there are 
 many others almost if not quite as noticeable, and the 
 photographer must be constantly on the watch if he would/ 
 not have his picture marred. Roofs of tiles and of slates 
 will produce widely different results, especially if the sua 
 be shining on them, and the writer once had a picture 
 of a church, which would otherwise have been pleasing, 
 completely spoilt on account of the aisle roof being of leal, 
 which came out as a black patch on the negative and white 
 upon the eventual print. 
 
 Iron might reasonably be expected to be dark in collur 
 and need a long exposure, but it is by no means worse in 
 this respect than is old oak ; while a ceiling of old iak 
 beams and plaster filling presents contrasts which demand 
 much skill to render satisfactorily. 
 
 Thus, in architectural photography, it is needful to leep 
 careful watch upon the material of which the object ro be 
 
 photographed is constructed in all cases, but most 
 
 par- 
 
 ticularly in internal work where an apparently light cl ireh 
 may be photographically dark indeed, owing to the Lvish 
 use of gold and vermilion in the decoration, and ths in 
 contrast with stained-glass windows having some portic is of 
 almost transparent glass. 
 
 Of the illustrations, it may be remarked that the^ 
 from negatives taken upon plates of quite different nalires, 
 that used for the vaulting having been dry collodion, that 
 for the timber roof ordinary gelatine, and that for the iron 
 gate multiple gelatine. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LANTERN SLIDES. 
 
 P the various purposes for 
 which lantern slides are 
 commonly made, few can 
 be more exacting in their 
 requirements than is the 
 architectural lecture. Slides 
 exhibiting almost every 
 quality, from the purely 
 pictorial to the purely tech- 
 nical, are required in order 
 to illustrate such very diver- 
 gent points as general massing 
 and elaborate detail. Con- 
 sequently the end which each 
 particular slide is to serve has 
 to be kept in view from the 
 moment of selection of a 
 subject to the final binding 
 and naming ready for ex- 
 hibition, each one being 
 treated as for a set purpose throughout. 
 
 Of all matters in this connection, that of selection is 
 one of the most difficult. It can only be done satisfactorily 
 by the lecturer himself, knowing his needs and the voids in 
 his existing collection. One building may lend itself to 
 
 The Collegiale, Huy, Belgium. 
 
74 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 picturesque grouping from one particular point of view,, 
 while from another the effect is the reverse of happy ; and 
 he promptly takes photographs from both positions, to show 
 his students what should be striven for and what avoided. 
 Upon another occasion a point of view can be obtained 
 which, while giving an architectural picture, will at the 
 same time bring out several important points. Take the 
 nave of the Collegiale, at Huy, for instance, as seen from 
 the west end organ gallery. The exceptional points which 
 led to the photograph being taken at all were the elaborate 
 lierne vaulting at the crossing of nave and transepts and 
 the extraordinary length of the central mullion of the east 
 window. In order to emphasise this latter point, it was 
 necessary to aim at a tall narrow picture, and to include a 
 considerable amount of the floor, so that an extremely 
 wide-angled lens was called into requisition, of 2% in. focus- 
 to a 5 in. by 4 in. plate. By then shifting the camera 
 slightly off the centre line, a sufficient view of the transept 
 was obtained to illustrate the elementary features of the 
 division of the height into nave arcade, triforium, and 
 clerestory, and also to show, if carefully looked for, that the 
 easternmost arch of the choir is of less height than the 
 others — one of those deliberate frauds for the purpose of 
 accentuating perspective effects which quite recent investi- 
 gation shows to have been common in the Middle Ages. 
 Another important result of this selection of a point of 
 view was the production of an architectural picture, this 
 being greatly assisted by the position of the elaborate 
 pulpit. 
 
 Of course, with brightly lit window and ill lit vaulting, 
 both to be shown prominently, technical difficulties were to 
 be expected; but multiple film plates were used, without 
 backing, and no trouble experienced— in fact, these have 
 
Lantern Slides. 
 
 77 
 
 proved, in the writer's hands, more useful for interior 
 work than anything else, their only drawback being 
 the difficulty of employing them afterwards for collotype 
 reproductions. Beside this, a small stop, long exposure, 
 and extreme care to ensure verticality of the back alone 
 were necessary. 
 
 Again, in other instances, pictorially bad views of ugly 
 subjects have to be taken, to illustrate technical points ; 
 and yet again, in contrast, a beautiful piece of elaborate 
 detail is found, sometimes well and sometimes badly lit. 
 To move it is impossible, and so is to light it artificially, 
 and the best has to be done under existing conditions. The 
 example illustrated was taken in the almost studio lighting 
 of the British Museum, and is of one of the most beautiful 
 examples of Grecian ornament known to exist — the 
 enriched frieze and cornice of the Erechtheium. Still, the 
 probability is that good work will be less favourably placed 
 for photography, and every possible dodge and camera 
 motion has to be used at one time or another, while, rather 
 than lose a good thing, it is preferable to secure a distorted 
 view with tilted camera. 
 
 Invariably, slow plates are better than rapid ones, as 
 more latitude of exposure is given— most valuable under 
 the many variable conditions met with — and there is less 
 risk of fog from changing plates in bedrooms at hotels, 
 as is frequently necessary, which do not possess absolutely 
 light-tight properties. 
 
 So far as the development is concerned, the main object 
 being to produce a sharp negative without too great con- 
 trasts of light and shadow (save when reducing a plan for 
 lantern projection) it is possible for each worker to use that 
 to which he is accustomed ; but the writer has now 
 employed hydroquinone-soda for many years, and it has 
 
78 
 
 Architectural Photography. 
 
 satisfied his requirements both for negatives and for slides 
 so well that he has no wish to change — only it has to be 
 more diluted for negatives. The formula used is that 
 issued with the Hill-Norris dry collodion plates, and 
 contains a little citric acid. It seems to suit equally well 
 all the several brands of plates upon which it has 
 been tried. i 
 
 So far as the making of the slide is concerned, the first 
 thing to do is to pick out exactly what portion of the 
 negative is required ; for very rarely is the whole needed 
 to be reproduced. Selection does some of this work, and 
 masking does the rest. Then, according to the size of the 
 negative, printing can be done by either contact or 
 reduction, only that contact is much the more ready to the 
 majority. The principal difficulty here, beyond those 
 usually met with, is to retain the vertical lines parallel 
 with one side of the lantern plate. 
 
 Warm tones are occasionally valuable in the repre- 
 sentation of street scenes, half-timber work, rich Gothic 
 carving, or elaborate carved woodwork, but anything of a 
 more precise or formal kind, and particularly carving in 
 marble, is far better if produced in quite cold colour. As 
 the result of a good deal of experimenting in this direction, 
 the writer has now settled down to the almost exclusive 
 use of dry collodion. There are more failures than with 
 gelatine, as the "limit of deviation" as to exposure is 
 narrow, and the film is so delicate as to be destroyed by 
 even a slight touch, though it is stouter now than it was 
 a few years ago, and will bear a moderate stream of water 
 from a tap ; and the initial cost of the plates is slightly 
 more. Yet, even then, the result, under careful manipula- 
 tion, is so good that for purposes of demonstration of 
 technical points to an audience it would be difficult to 
 
Lantern Slides. 
 
 79 
 
 surpass it, while there is also the requisite delicacy in the 
 purely pictorial slides, and in those representing carving in 
 low relief on crumbling, age-toned stonework, where every 
 detail has to be shown, and yet in which clear glass and 
 dense shadow would alike be out of place. In fact, in all 
 cases these sharp lights and shades are edged tools, to be 
 avoided rather than sought after — that is, they are good 
 servants but bad masters. 
 
 Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury. 
 
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