Most, if not all, projects have a budget or some cost restrictions. Usually, my clients want to show as much as they can in one view without considering composition, light, shadow, or a focal point.
I structure my quotes so that multiple views can be chosen. Most illustrators have a flat fee, which means if you want the back of your house illustrated, it'll cost the same as the front—a second view of the front, the same price as the initial view. My fees are structured, so if you want the back of your house illustrated, since I already did the front, working out the details and colors, it'll take less work, which means less money so that you can allocate some money for some lovely vignettes. I have found that people still try to save money and not give that extra money to some beautiful vignettes or hero shots, which is too bad. The hero shots are what will sell your project.
Have you ever seen the cover of a set of construction documents? What do you see? You know, an isometric, with the camera high, showing the entire structure. This is OK; they are construction documents. However, they are not OK if you want something beautifully eye-pleasing.
Have you ever watched a professional architectural or landscape photographer work? They will sit for hours for that perfect light. When I go out taking photos, my hobby is to find a picture. That light can fall perfectly through the trees on just one flower, which is magical; I found the picture!
When creating an architectural rendering, I virtually walk the model with a virtual camera and lens, looking for the picture. I move the sun, raise the camera, lower the camera, and move the sun some more. It is always tricky when I am put in a box, being told the exact view, which people will only know what will work if someone spends the time walking the site. Foreground, middle ground, background, subtle depth of field, and some atmospherical atmosphere are all used to tell a story.
Most people, even people in architecture, need help understanding photography, composition, light and shadow, or even storytelling. There are rules and rules to be broken, but you can only break them if you know them. A professional can tell an amateur's work right away. You never put down an amateur because you can break their spirit. We were all amateurs at one point, but an amateur is easy to see.
It can take longer to find the picture than to build the model. However, making the model should be where the art starts, not when the project is completed.
Facebook memories are an excellent way to see things that were once worth posting. Here are some hero shots that I came across today, which initiated this post. I did these a few years ago for a client who understood the importance of finding the picture.
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