How to give an idea of scale when photographing empty spaces
I sometimes have to give a feel of empty spaces; this happens when shooting a construction site, a project that has just been finished and hasn’t been lived-in yet, or even an inhabited place in which the furniture has unusual proportions, like the higher than usual fireplace and worktop in the picture above. In these situations I have to find a way to give the viewer clues of how large and high a space or a piece of furniture is.
Unless the confusion of scale is here as a statement and should therefore be reinforced,
I find that simple, very recognisable sized props can help give the images a sense of scale without having to furnish the whole room: it can be a simple chair, a book on a table, a fruit bowl on a work plan.
Another way to give a frame of reference for scale in architecture photography is the use
of a blurred human figure. This tends to be less distracting than a prop; it also introduces
dynamism in a kind of picture that is usually quite static.
I like how the use of props and blurred figures tend to create a form of discreet narration
which draws the viewer into the picture, making him or her engage, and sometimes even identify with it.