Visual Impact Assessment Guidebook

Table of Contents

Appendix 3

Photography and photograph presentation
criteria in perspective view

Taking photographs

• Take photographs that provide the best view of the proposed operation.
• Take photographs on clear days and with sun behind or perpendicular to you for best detail rendering.
• Use a 50 or 55 mm lens to maintain the same proportions on photographs as the ones seen in the field. Avoid wide-angle or telephoto lens. A wide-angle lens (e.g., 28 or 35 mm) provides a wider angle of vision, but "pushes" landforms away from the viewer; a telephoto lens (e.g., 200 mm) "pulls" landforms closer to the viewer.
• Take enough photographs to capture entire landforms on file (i.e., panoramic shots), even if no proposals are planned for adjacent landforms. Once juxtaposed and mounted, these photomontages provide the visual context necessary to assess the overall visual impact of specific proposals.
• Mark photo locations(s) on map (i.e., identify photo point on the topographic map to within 50 m on road or water).
• If producing visual simulations on a computer, use a Global Positioning System (GPS) to more accurately determine the x, y, and z UTM co-ordinates of each viewpoint. Use the same co-ordinates to produce models for comparison to the photographs taken from the same viewpoints. Also record the horizontal view direction (using a compass) and vertical angle of view (using a clinometer) for each photograph or set of photographs for panoramic views.
• Produce a stereographic pair by offsetting the viewpoint; an approximate offset of 100 m per km of distance from the target provides an easy-to-view, three-dimensional image. Several offsets may be necessary to produce the desired image.

Presenting photographs

• Minimum print size for presentation is 4 x 6 inches, preferably 5 x 7 inches or larger. A large print size helps to overcome the illusion of compression created by small print sizes and is easier to work with.
• Splice together overlapping photographs to present broad panoramas.
• If the photomontages will be used for public meetings or for displays, mount them on a rigid backing such as foam core boards.

For each individual photograph or set of photographs making up a panorama, print on the backing material the photo location (e.g., "Viewpoint #1 or name"), the date photographs were taken, and the lens used (e.g., 50 mm). Photocopy the relevant portion of the topographic map to show the photo point, direction of view, and the immediate landforms seen; cut and paste this adjacent to the photographs for easy reference.