A Practical Guide to Photographing Historic Buildings
Photography of heritage properties for tourism, conservation records and marketing.
Imogen Clarke
What is at stake
Heritage sites have access restrictions, and conservation photography has documentation requirements beyond attractive images.
The playbook
- Agree access, times and equipment in advance
- Follow documentation standards for record photography
- Use available light where lighting is restricted
- Include scale references for record images
- Capture context as well as detail
Where it goes wrong
Avoid:
- Equipment that could damage surfaces
- Flash where it is prohibited
- Record images without scale or orientation
- Publishing images that breach access agreements
The numbers behind it
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Access | sites may restrict equipment and times |
| Documentation standards | conservation records follow defined guidelines |
| Light sensitivity | interiors may restrict lighting |
| Scale references | documentation images often include scales |
Getting outside help
When to hand it over: Bring in help when documenting heritage properties.
Where this comes from
- Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative — Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials
- Adobe Help Center — Upright perspective correction
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
Working on something like this?
We take on Photography & Product Visuals work for teams who want it done once, properly. Tell us what you are building and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right studio for it. Start a project.
Where to go next
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
