10 Tips for better construction photography
01 - It's Always the Glass
Today's camera market is filled with an overabundance of choices of models that can be used as a tool by architects and builders. In this month's column I will give some guidelines on what to look for when selecting a camera that will be used to take construction photos.
Let me start by saying a few words about film cameras Vs. digital cameras. If you are looking for a camera to shoot high-resolution photos for use in advertising brochures and large format posters, film cameras are still the best value. If on the other hand you are looking for a a camera to document your construction projects, digital cameras offer excellent image quality, ease of use, and low operating costs. If, like many builders, you take thousands of pictures a year, the savings in film and development costs will easily pay for a pro-sumer digital camera within a year or two.
A panel of experts in photography was organized by the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose several years ago. The panel was headed up by a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who asked each panel member what they would look for when purchasing a digital camera. The recommendations from most panelists revolved around size, weight, ease of use and resolution of the digital sensor but the advice from one panelist, Karen Mullarkey, has always stuck with me. The name Karen Mullarkey may not be familiar to you, but you have undoubtedly seen her handiwork. She began her career as the producer for Life Magazine's coverage of the Apollo Space Program. She has directed photography departments at Rolling Stone Magazine, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. She was the first woman to head the photography department at a major news magazine. She has a lifetime of experience selecting images from the best photographers in the world taken with the best camera equipment that money could buy. When the panel's moderator asked Karen what was important to look for in a digital camera her answer was short and to the point. She said simply "It's always the glass."
So my first piece of advice to you when looking for a great digital camera is to make sure that your camera has an excellent lens. Leica lenses are legendary among photographers. Nikon, Canon, Carl Zeiss and Olympus make some excellent lenses as well. Several Japanese camera manufacturers use Leica or Zeiss lenses in their digital cameras. If you don't know who makes the lens on a camera ask. If the seller can't tell you who makes the lens don't buy the camera. An excellent lens will not guarantee that your pictures will be sharp and clear, but a poor lens can defeat all of your best attempts to clearly document your construction progress.
Once you have chosen a good lens the next question is how much resolution you need in the sensor that provides the digital equivalent of film. A "pixel", a contraction of Picture Element, represents the finest detail that a digital camera can resolve. A mega pixel is one million pixels. The more mega pixels your camera has the better. If your camera has at least three mega pixels it should be more than adequate for most of the photos that you will need to document your construction projects.
There are basically three types of digital cameras on the market today. At the bottom of the range are point-and-shoot cameras such as the Canon Powershot series or the Nikon Coolpix series. These cameras are small and convenient to cary but are limited by the fact that they do not have interchangeable lenses. They are also don't come with wide angle lenses wider than about 35-mm. This can be a problem when photographing in tight spaces like bathrooms. At the top of the range are professional cameras such as the Canon 1Ds and the Kodak DCS Pro. These are Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras with interchangeable lenses. They have all the features needed by professional photographers but their prices start around $5000 which puts them out of range for most consumers. Sitting between the point-and-shoot cameras and the professional cameras are pro-sumer models like the Nikon D70 and the Canon Digital Rebel. These are digital SLRs that list for under $1000. They have most of the features of the professional models and allow you to use the same interchangeable lenses preferred by professional photographers.
One drawback to the pro-sumer cameras is that they don't have full frame sensors. By that I mean that the area of the sensor (the digital film if you will) is smaller than the standard 24x36 millimeter frame that has been a standard for film cameras for years. The smaller sensor size means that only the center portion of the image frame is recorded digitally. This effectively increases the focal length of the lenses. Nikon has standardized on a conversion factor of 1.5 for it's digital SLRs. This means that a standard 50-mm lens will shoot like a 75-mm medium telephoto lens. This is an issue for construction photography because you often need to shoot in small spaces like bathrooms. By using a 24-mm lens and holding your camera vertically you can shoot an 8 foot wall from floor to ceiling by standing about five and one half feet from the wall. If your camera has a 1.5x focal length multiplier that 24-mm lens becomes a 36-mm lens. To shoot the same wall from floor to ceiling you will need to stand over 8 feet away. That is difficult to do in a bathroom that is only five feet wide. To solve this problem the pro-sumer cameras often come with wide angle zoom lenses. The Canon Digital Rebel is often bundled with a Canon 18-55-mm zoom lens. Since the Digital Rebel has a 1.6x focal length multiplier this lens is equivalent to a 28-85-mm zoom on a standard SLR. Although zoom lenses are popular, I don't recommend them. Fixed focal length lenses are often lighter and give you more light gathering power (i.e. larger apertures). This is important when you are taking pictures in the low light conditions that often occur inside of buildings under construction.
To summarize there are three things you need to keep in mind when buying a digital camera for use in construction:
- Start with a great lens.
- Add as many mega pixels as your budget will allow.
- If you decide to purchase a pro-sumer camera make sure you understand the effect of the focal length multiplier before you invest in lenses.
Ken VanBree is the owner of Imaging Perspective, a Bay Area firm that specializes in as-built construction photography. Questions or comments are welcome: ken@imagingperspective.com