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Preserving Photographs in a Digital World
Every August the Image Permanence Institute and the George Eastman House put on a week-long program of lectures and workshops in Rochester, NY. Attendees at this seminar on traditional photo collection preservation techniques can expand their expertise on what materials are typically found in photo collections, how they deteriorate, how to store and protect them, and how preservation fits in with other collection activities.
Covered throughout the week are the basics of digital imaging and how various image-capture, storage, display, and output strategies compare. In addition, presentations explain the design and application of image database systems, always keeping in context the balance that must be struck between traditional and digital preservation and access.
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For more seminar information please click here.
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The Traveling Photographer
Getting the Photos Home
by Jannette Hanna
One of the great joys of traveling and going on summer vacations is taking photographs to remember the trip and show friends and family. While taking the photos can be half the fun, sometimes getting them home so that you can sort through them and relive the vacation can be a challenge. Now that we contend with film, digital files, and possibly even printed photos picked up along the way, there is a wider variety of issues to consider when transporting them all home.
Digital cameras store the photographs onto a portable storage medium, like a compact flash (CF) or SD card. It is best to have at least two of these memory cards with you in case one becomes corrupted or has a problem of some kind. Some photographers bring a lot of cards so that they can just fill them all up and then sort through and offload images when they get home.  This works well if you have a safe carrying case for them and don't tend to lose small objects. Other individuals may bring a laptop with them and offload the pictures from their camera onto hard drive or discs. Emailing and uploading onto a file storage site is only a possibility if internet access is reliable and available, and can in many cases require sending smaller photos than you would prefer to keep in a personal collection. Friends and family might enjoy getting a CD or DVD in the mail of some of the pictures from a longer or very important vacation. Sending these discs to your own home is also a reasonably priced way to ensure your own collections' safe travel home. If you aren't bringing your own laptop, an internet café would also provide the needed equipment to email or burn discs of images. Most cameras with USB cables can be plugged directly into a computer, but if doing so requires installing a driver or program to work with the photographs there could be a problem. Some internet cafes won't allow users to install programs. If this is your plan, it's best to bring a card reader that doesn't require that a program be installed to upload the photographs to a computer.
Film and single-use cameras both contain traditional film for capturing photographs. Many concerns have been voiced regarding X-ray screening equipment in airports permanently damaging such films. In general, film should always be packed in carry-on luggage. The security screenings on checked bags can be much more rigorous and can fog film (see the term of the month below). The X-ray machines used for carry-ons have been tested and should not cause any problems with film speeds below ISO 1600 (the commonly used ISOs 100, 200 and 400 are therefore safe). Film also should be stored in an area that you would consider comfortable and not left in a space like a hot parked car. Extreme environmental conditions can damage the film itself and affect the image quality. If you can wait to see the images, and to reduce the chance of problems during film processing, be sure to have the film developed by a lab that you know and trust - which may mean waiting until you get home.
I love picking up postcards and prints wherever I go. The good ones will have pictures from different seasons, for example London in winter, or dramatically lit shots from dawn or sunset, when I seldom have the time or desire to fit a photo shoot into my schedule. For this reason I always supplement my personal photographs with a few great postcards, and some extras to send to people back home! These are relatively easy to transport, particularly in a hard-sided suitcase. Generally, packing them against the side of the suitcase where they won't get bent is a safe way to go, and these can be safely carried in checked or carry-on luggage.
Whatever type of media you use to capture images of your vacations, it's always a good idea to spend a bit of time thinking about how you'll get them home safely. Enjoy the rest of your summer! |
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Term of the Month
Fogging - The unintended addition of exposure in a photograph. This may be caused by exposure to radiation or chemicals, by aging, or by excessive or unwanted reactions during processing.
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Link of the Month
George Eastman House Discovery Room Online
Fun photography and film related activities for ages K-12.
http://www.eastmanhouse.org/inc/visit/discoveryroom.php | |
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