PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION
RECORDING GUIDELINES
The Corporation of the Town of Whitby
Planning and Development Department
575 Rossland Road East, Whitby Ontario, L1N 2M8
Telephone: 905-430-4306 ~ Facsimile: 905-668-7812
A proposal for development or redevelopment of a designated property and/or removal
of a property from the Town’s Heritage Register and/or demolition of a building requires
a complete application to be submitted to staff for review and preparation of any
required reports and/or presentations to the Town’s Heritage Committee and Town
Council. Part of these requirements include submission of photographic documentation
of the site and building. To assist applicants in the preparation of the photographic
documentation submission, Photographic Documentation / Recording Guidelines have
been developed.
When documenting a building, photographs must be taken from several perspectives.
Each side of a property must be photographed in a manner that depicts the overall view
of the building as well as detailed, zoomed-in views of the respective architectural
details visible from a given perspective.
When framing the building in the viewfinder, one must ensure that the entire building is
visible including:
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the point where the building meets the ground
the peak of the roof or chimney
Types of Photographs
Photographic documentation consists mainly of architectural photographs. Architectural
photographs are of two general types: perspective photographs and elevation
photographs. Elevation photographs provide the best documentation of shape and
proportion of a building while perspective photographs best depict the three-dimensional
form of a structure. Elevation photographs provide the best documentation of the shape
and proportion of a building, while perspective photographs best depict the threedimensional form of a structure.
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Perspective photograph shows two sides of a structure taken at a 45-degree
angle, thereby documenting its characteristics as a three-dimensional form
including size and volume. The building should occupy about 75 percent of the
picture area, leaving the surrounding 25 percent of the picture area for visual
information about the context of the building.
Elevation photograph approximates an elevation architectural drawing and is a
photograph of one side of a structure taken head on. An elevation drawing is
done to scale and depicts the side, front, or rear of a building in which projecting
features such as windows and door moldings, window sills, steps and eaves are
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all rendered as if they were totally flat. Thus an elevation photograph
emphasizes one side of a building as a two-dimensional surface. The distances
on the photograph are proportional to the distances on the building, and therefore
approximate measurements can be taken from the photograph. When taking an
elevation photograph, the structure should fill the frame, isolating it from its
surroundings.
EXAMPLE OF
PERSPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPH:
EXAMPLE OF
ELEVATION PHOTOGRAPH:
Lighting Requirements
There are three types of exterior light:
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Front light is the best type of lighting for architectural photographs. Ideally, the
sun is approximately 45 degrees between the axis of the camera lens and the
most important façade being photographed.
Side light is acutely-angled raking light which is excellent for reveling texture and
detailed three-dimensional form.
Back light, where the sun is coming from the rear, should be avoided as it
causes the side of the building which is being photographed to appear in
shadow. When an important architectural feature is in the shade or a building
façade is backlit, the contrast in the scene can be reduced by filling the frame
with the feature that is being photographed.
In situations of direct sunlight on a cloudless day, you should be aware of shadows cast
on buildings by surrounding trees and try to pick times of the day when the angle of the
sun minimizes these shadows. Furthermore between the late morning and the early
afternoon the sun is directly overhead and can cause “eaves” or “cornice” shadows that
may cover walls and/or significant architectural features. Therefore the best conditions
for architectural photography are bright, overcast days.
Required Photographs
Context
 contextual image showing the property in relation to neighbouring
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properties and/or streetscape
Perspective
 perspective view of front and right side
 perspective view of rear and left side
Front Side
 elevation of front façade
 elevation or perspective view of front entrance
 elevation or perspective views of architectural elements such as porches
or windows
 details of materials, hardware and/or decoration
Right Side
 elevation of right side
 elevation or perspective views of architectural elements such as porches
or windows
 details of materials, hardware and/or decoration
Rear Side
 elevation of rear façade
 elevation or perspective views of architectural elements such as porches
or windows
 details of materials, hardware and/or decoration
Left Side
 elevation of left side
 elevation or perspective views of architectural elements such as porches
or windows
 details of materials, hardware and/or decoration
If it is deemed safe to enter the building, the following interior photographs
should be taken:
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the view from the main entrance looking to the interior of the building;
views of major spaces/rooms including important features such as a
fireplace or mantle. For large spaces such as sanctuaries, factories or
barns, take diagonal views from opposite corners;
other significant rooms or features that are relevant to the documentation
of the structure.
Organization and Labeling of Photographs
The organization of photographs must be divided by exterior views and interior views.
Exterior views must begin with the front view of the building moving in a
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counterclockwise fashion. Then, the interior views can be organized beginning on the
main floor followed by the upper floor(s) and then the basement.
It is essential to organize your documentation and maintain a list of captions of all your
digital images. A photo index, numbering and identification of each image in the
sequence in which they were taken should be prepared.
Deliverables
All images should be saved as jpegs and burned to CD or USB Drive.
Z:\PlanClerical\APPLICATION FORMS\APPLICATIONS\APPLICATION - Photographic Documentatoin - Recording Guidelines.docx
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