Wessex grasp the nettle of non-Digital Photographic sustainability

[Sith]

Although I agree with Wax that one of the beauties of digital photography is the fact you can experiment on the spot to get the image you want/need, I've recently been reviewing assessment reports where the quality of the small number of images provided makes me wonder how bad the rest of them were.

[Dinosaur]

Do I take it that we're wasting our time doing 3D digital mosaics of the archaeology hung on surveyed point clouds then? :face-crying:

BAJR - Still working out how to do the scales on those....but then I suppose they can be added later (and artistically) once you've selected the view to print... :face-thinks:

[Marc Berger]

Tool quite right: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/applications/page.asp?n=90

And theres plenty of bw film for sale.

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/wheretobuy/bu...online.asp

I took bw pictures along side colour because I was told that it was more stable for storage. Wessex seem to ignore this reason and basically say as there is no colour film they are going over to digital as a replacement and in the process stopping taking bw. They also seem to say that digital is just as good as an archive as film but don't say how.

What I would suggest is that digital is different to film -not a replacement. Although we still use permatrace (how much longer will it be produced) and context sheets at some point the non artefact archive, presumably in the near future will be dominated by digital. The information they want on the image is part of the register. Their policy document should include their whole use of digital and possibly they should say a little more about its archiving. The biggest thing about archiving is that all this data does not have to be held in your local museum which purely on grounds of preservation of the record by creating multiple copies held in as many places makes its chance of survival more likely and takes a burden away from the local museum.

[BAJR]

BAJR - Still working out how to do the scales on those....but then I suppose they can be added later (and artistically) once you've selected the view to print...

I choose fixed point sand add digitally afterwards. I still have my little waterpoof notebook and pencil

[Dinosaur]

Have to work with papier-mache on wet days here and then try and figure it out later

[Marc Berger]

Hello mates my last two posts have just now come out of an unknown corner of moderation.

In the Wessex draft at the end it mentions Photographic guidlines:

WA photographic procedures will comply with national, industry recognised standards for the capture, handling, and archiving of digital images (see the Photographic Guidelines). These are aimed at ensuring the quality, traceability and security of the digital archive. These form part of the overall WA recording system.

Does anybody have a copy of these national industry recognised standards. I must admit that I am looking for it to be the route to the end of the ifa and all who sail by its flag.

[Sith]

Does anybody have a copy of these national industry recognised standards.

Do they mean this? Nothing to do with the IfA though so sorry to disappoint on that score.

[Marc Berger]

Not sure that the ads one is much different but Wessex said that the "Photographic Guide" is supposed to aim "at ensuring the quality, traceability and security of the digital archive. These form part of the overall WA recording system."


With the ads guide I lose the google trail around "InSPECT Significant Properties Testing Report" Montague 2009. but the thing is the ads guide is not contemplating why not to curate analogue pictures. If anything its a list about what not to archive. It has a go at suggesting raw and original data but is vague about copies of "original data". And isn't that the major difference about archaeologists archiving digital data compared to a cartridge of the original bw process film or the actual graphic or context paper sheet. Diggers can all store digital copies through their phones and don't need to care about some forgotten store room to which there is only a limited number of keys and to which they and you or I are highly unlikely to visit ever. Diggers now a days can probably keep a copy of every picture they ever take with a camera. Theres not much reason why they cant show a prospective employers a copy of every bit of work that they have ever done. Today diggers probably go to site with higher resolution cameras than the current 10 megs that Wessex think should be the standard. And that is what I would suggest is the fundamental difference to archiving an archaeologists work today compared to pre Wessex draft policy. Well done Wessex, we don't need permatrace or paper context sheets either.

A prediction: Wessex are still using BW film.

[kevin wooldridge]

Well done Wessex, we don't need permatrace or paper context sheets either.

I have been saying that for several years now so glad that Wessex and 'The Artist Formerly Known As.....' have come on board as well. Think of all, the trees we will save, think of the savings that developers will make in not having to finance bottomless supplies of drawing film. The revolution has arrived and its digital..:!! Yeehah!!

[Marc Berger]

well lets just check that wa aren't not using bw film that needs a nice warm cuddly museum to justify us being called archaeologists.