Take the camera. The table becomes a studio.

Greyboard has seven studio presets for photographing a model: Dark studio, White world, B&W hard light, Aerial, Evening, Spot and Section. Each sets a curved backdrop, one key light, the camera angle and the grade. Lenses run from 35 to 135 mm, or axonometric, and every picture is rendered at 3000 px, whatever the size of your screen.

A long teaching building at 1:200 that zig-zags across a slope of 5 mm white foam board layers: five 3 mm foam board wings, each at its own level, on pilotis where the ground falls, with white trees and figures. White world preset.
A family house and studio at 1:100, all in 2 mm kraft board on an A3 kraft base with 1 mm acrylic in the windows: the street end of the gabled house and the end of the studio are perforated screens, with a walled court, a carport on four posts and a 1:100 car. Dark studio preset.
A small retreat at 1:100 on a knoll of 3 mm kraft layers: three 2 mm white card pavilions with rounded corners turn round a drum of 1.5 mm basswood staves open to the sky, on basswood decks and posts, inside a ring of laminated trees. Dark studio preset.

Which studio preset suits which model?

The seven photo presets: backdrop, key light, camera and what each is good for
PresetBackdropKey lightCameraGood for
Dark studio dark grey #323337, or a warm gradient soft, from above left, 4700 K; warm light inside glazed rooms three-quarter view from 30–40°, long lens kraft and wood, a calm evening mood
White world white #FEFEFE diffuse daylight, 5600 K axonometric white card, massing in context
B&W hard light black #040404 one hard light about 20° above the horizon, from behind close, from above, black and white terrain: every contour casts a stripe
Aerial warm near-black #2C2926 soft and diffuse; warm light in the openings 50–60°, almost a plan site models and masterplans
Evening almost black weak and cool; warm, bright interiors raised, wider angle, perspective glazed buildings at dusk
Spot gradient #050509 → #403A41 a narrow beam from above, vignette from the front, at mid-height towers and shells of fins
Section black #000000 soft, frontal, onto the cut square to the section plane section models

A preset is a starting point: the direction and height of the light, the softness of the shadow and the lens can all be changed, and Greyboard remembers them.

Why one light and a curved backdrop?

A model reads through its edges. One key light, low enough to rake across the sheets, puts a shadow under every layer and shows the thickness, which is what makes a model look like a model. A curved backdrop, the photographer’s paper sweep, takes away the horizon line, so the eye stays on the base board.

Depth of field does the rest. A soft fall-off towards the far edge tells the viewer at once that the thing is small and made by hand, the way a macro shot of a real model does.

The terrain in B&W hard light: black backdrop, one low hard light that draws every contour edge.

How do you photograph an architectural model?

  1. Take the camera

    Tap the camera on its tripod. In 700 ms the table turns into a studio: the backdrop rises, the lamp and the tripod fade, and the light moves into the preset.

  2. Choose a preset

    Dark studio for kraft and wood, White world for white card, B&W hard light for terrain. Aerial looks down on a site; Section looks straight at a cut.

  3. Move the light

    Set the direction and height of the key light and the softness of its shadow. A low light draws every contour edge; a higher one flattens them.

  4. Turn the board and pick a lens

    Two fingers turn the turntable. 35 mm takes in the whole site; 85 or 135 mm flattens the perspective, as a long lens does with a real model; axonometric drops it altogether.

  5. Take the picture

    The viewfinder is 3:2 in landscape and 4:5 in portrait. The shutter dims the view for a moment, and the frame is rendered at 3000 px.

  6. Keep the print

    Back at the table the picture lies as a sheet of photo paper, overlapping the last one. Tap it to save the PNG: the Share sheet on iPad, a download on a desktop.

    Photo prints lying on the studio table next to the camera on its tripod and the terrain model.

Does the photograph match the model you cut?

In geometry, yes. Every wall in the picture is a plate of a real thickness, and the same plates go to the laser or the knife, so the photo is never a render of something that can’t be made. The colour and the fine texture of each sheet follow the material palette; real kraft and basswood vary a little from sheet to sheet.

Questions about photos

Were these models really made in Greyboard?

Yes. Every model and terrain on this page was built on the Greyboard table and photographed in its studio presets.

What is the best background for photographing an architectural model?

A curved sweep with no horizon line: dark for kraft and wood, white for white card, black for terrain in hard light.

Can I change the light after choosing a preset?

Yes. Direction and height of the light, shadow softness and the lens (35, 50, 85 or 135 mm, or axonometric) can be changed, and the studio remembers them.

Can I save the photos?

Yes. Each picture is a 3000 px PNG. Tap the print on the table: on iPad it goes to Photos or Files, on a desktop it downloads.

Turn the board a little. Then take the picture.

Open the studio

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