2RO042 - Archival Photography Guideline
by Joseph Moore
Introduction
Style and Technical Guidelines for Photography
Whether on screen or print, maintaining stylistic conventions within a brand are of the utmost importance. Style and Technical Guidelines for Photography has been developed to provide a comprehensive approach to the photographing of artworks consistent with the American Cyborg identity. In addition, technical information meant to maintain quality throughout the image processing chain is also included. The current version of this guide will cover style, such lighting for planar and three-dimensional objects and technical guidelines, e.g. color space, file types, and file naming conventions.
General Technical Guidelines for Camera Setup
All photos should be taken in camera raw and converted to dng on import. This allows different photographers to exchange raw files without having to deal with sidecar files. A low ISO is recommended. Only in conditions where it is impossible to maintain a low ISO setting should the ISO be set above 400. A low ISO yields low noise and better color fidelity. The camera should be put on a tripod to avoid camera shake. Images should be focused with care and the object should take up most of the viewfinder, with a small amount of space surrounding the object in the case of two-dimensional works and a larger amount of space for three-dimensional works. Instances where it is impossible to photograph an entire object, such as a large painting with little usable space behind it, can be photographed in sections and stitched together. However, creating quality photomosaics is very time consuming and should be avoided when other options are available.
Style Guidelines
Camera Position and Object
When possible, the camera lens should be parallel to any planar object, in order to ensure non-converging parallel lines. Likewise, three-dimensional objects should be photographed with the camera lens perpendicular to the base of the object. There are no doubt cases where positioning the camera in such a way is impossible. In that case, care should be taken to make sure that converging parallel lines can be corrected in post-production. Smaller sculptural objects and those that are meant to be viewed from above can be photographed from an overhead position at an angle to give a sense of dimension to the work. In cases like this, a lens with a focal length longer than “normal” (50mm) should be used to avoid over-pronounced geometric distortion. These works may also be photographed by shifting a tilt-shift lens in “fall” position, keeping the camera perpendicular to the base of the object. Lens distortion such as “pincushion” should be corrected in post. Often, shooting a planar object with a flat field lens, such as that used for macro photography, will prove to be the best in terms of avoiding lens distortion when doing copy work.
DOF
For planar objects the entirety of the object including its frame (where existent) should be in focus with no discernable fall off of sharpness. For sculptural objects the same is true. In the case of sculpture, fall off beyond the object is acceptable. In cases where even a small aperture cannot keep the entire object in focus, tilt can be used if a tilt shift lens is available or focus stacking can be used in post-production. In cases where the object is near macro size when shot, such as a ring, focus fall off is acceptable as long as the most important view is in focus or, the focus point may be moved across two images to capture the most important aspects. In the case where all sides are of equal importance, e.g. a dice, the work should be photographed to capture its various faces.
General Lighting
In most cases light should be diffuse and hard shadows avoided. When possible quality stobes should be used to maintain color consistency and overpower ambient light. When using strobes the white balance should be set to Daylight/Direct Sunlight or a custom white balance should be used. Photographing with ambient light is also permissible but mixed lighting should be avoided. When ambient light is used, shooting the object with a gray card or other neutral object to establish a neutral color under that specific lighting will make color correction in post-production easier and more accurate.
Lighting for Planar Objects
When photographing flat works that are not framed, those that are rectangular may be photographed using a common lighting approach for copy work: two lights positioned at 45-degree angles will suffice in most of these cases. Care should be taken to ensure that exposure is correct, the lights are not reflected in the object, and the object is lit evenly. In the case of a highly reflective surface a black background should be used behind the camera to eliminate or subdue reflections. Additional black material can be used to wrap the camera and tripod to decrease the likelihood of its reflection.
When photographing framed two-dimensional works or those that are not rectangular, a different approach will usually be required to give a more “natural” look and keep the lighting relatively flat across the image plane. Objects should be lit overhead, through bouncing off a white ceiling or by positioning a light above (usually with diffusion or an umbrella) to mimic the direction of light in homes, galleries and museums. For framed works care should be taken to minimize as much as possible any shadows falling from the frame onto the artwork, especially in the case of works that meet up with the internal edge of the frame, e.g. photographs that are not matted. Additionally, the use of a bounce or fill light may be necessary to open up shadows in the bottom of a more ornate frame and keep lighting relatively flat across the image.
When possible an on-axis flash with or without diffusion can be used to achieve perfectly flat lighting, however, care must be taken to avoid hotspots and reflections especially where glass has been used in framing. Cross polarization can also be used with on-axis flash, but reflection of the light and additionally, color changes due to polarized light can be of concern. These problems may not be visible on the camera’s lcd but are evident when viewing the image on larger displays. Also, a blue/purple haze often created by museum glass and other coated materials used to diminish reflection should be controlled or corrected in post-production.
Lighting for Three-Dimensional Objects
When photographing three-dimensional objects harsh shadows should be avoided. For smaller objects a key and fill light should suffice. Avoid crossed shadows in most cases. As with flat objects, avoid reflecting the camera and surroundings when photographing highly reflective works. Where undesirable reflections are impossible to avoid they should be minimized and corrected in post-production.
Ancillary Photographs
All ancillary information that adds provenance to the work should be photographed. This includes signatures, gallery information, or other relevant markings and data that can establish the authenticity of the work. This does not have to be done to the same exacting standards, but all information of concern should be legible and clear.
Technical Guidelines
Folder Naming
Subfolders in the /archive folder should be named according to the following schema, each datum spaced with a hyphen:
Year of artwork
First five letters of artist’s last name
First five letters of title
For example:
User: MAG
Year: 1993
Title: Bubbles Rising Out of Coral
Artist: Edward Maxey
File: 3R7A1341.dng
Would appear in the /archive folder like so:
/1993_Maxey_Bubbl
Editing Images
As stated above all images should be shot in camera raw and edits should be done to .dng files. Further editing in Photoshop or similar application can be carried out on a non-lossy filetype, e.g. .tif, when directly editing the raw file is not possible. All master files should be worked on in 48-bit color in the ProPhoto color space. If any work is done in Photoshop a .psd file should be saved with those edits as the master file. Affix the name _master to the end of all psds of this type:
MAG.1993.bubbl.maxey.1341._master.psd
When possible all image processing in Photoshop should be parametric (as is the case with adjustment layers) or done in Lightroom where all edits are saved in the history of the file. This ensures that any mistakes that take place can be corrected in the future and gives greater flexibility when outputting for different devices where print size, paper type, printer, or inks may change.
Exporting for Screen/Web
Images exported for the screen/web should be high quality jpgs, 24-bit color, and converted to the sRGB color space. Conversion to the sRGB color space should happen before converting from 48-bit to 24-bit color. Some alteration of the tonality or the color may be necessary after the conversion to sRGB, this should be done before converting to 24-bit. This file should be saved as a psd with “_screen” at the end of the filename, e.g. grei.1993.bubbl.maxey.1341._screen.psd
Exporting for Print (inkjet)
Images should be printed in a color managed workflow. Images should be 48-bit and in the ProPhoto color space as this takes advantage of a wider color gamut recorded by DSLRs than the sRGB color space. Though inkjet printers use CMYK+ for printing, RGB data should be sent to the printer except in the case of inkjets specifically manufactured for hard proofing CMYK offset prints (relatively unusual). Images prepared for inkjet printing should be affixed with output device as described by the .icc profile. For example, an image prepared to be printed with an Epson 3880 printer and printed onto Premium Lustre paper will use _3880_EpsonPremiumLustre at the end of the filename. In practice this will look like:
MAG.1993.bubbl.maxey.1341._3880_EpsonPremiumLustre.psd
Exporting for Print (laser)
Most laser printers cannot be color managed and vary when concerning best practices. Since laser printers tend to have a much narrower gamut than inkjets, images tend to be closer to the colors on screen when the image is in the sRGB color space. Additionally, many laser printers have a “photo mode” which can improve the quality of continuous tone imagery.
Exporting for Print (offset)
Different print houses require images be in different color spaces and color modes, so it’s best to look at guidelines before sending off material for print. While many print houses require your image be in the CMYK color mode others ask for RGB. Consult your printer for details.