The photograph of a building, like the formal per-
spective drawing, suffers, however, from one perennial
weakness: it so alters the representation of the object
that the image takes over from the intellectual content of
the architecture. However, new modes of lens-based
representation when mixed with CAD allow evolving
design ideas to be explored in fresh ways using
photographs as the starting context. For example, ideas
can be developed away from the studio using laptops,
which allows design possibilities to be shared with others
in an interactive fashion whilst retaining the original
photographs as reference. In this world of photo-
manipulation, the student and practitioner should,
however, remember that it is the design that matters, not
the images of it, which can be manipulated with ever
greater finesse. Although the photography/CAD interface
can amplify the architectural imagination, the process of
design remains a difficult probing activity.
In architecture, the photograph, like the perspective
drawing, can be responsible for a great deal of false
imagery, which leads to poor design. The problem with
modern photography is the ease with which the image
can be modified and glamorised, moving architecture into
the realm of fashion on the one hand, or fine art on the
other. One has only to look at architecture journals and
certain book publishers to see the consequences of the
surface image superseding the plan and section as the
basis for architectural thought.
The lens has impacted on the main arena of
architectural discourse in an ambiguous fashion and in the10.5
This photograph of Blakeney Point
in Norfolk has been modified to
test the design of a visitor centre
(left) for the National Trust. The
use of white correction fluid
contrasts well with black pen in
this speculative design proposal.
Drawing and photography 85