1st July 2009, 09:52 PM
25: Site Specific Photography (BAJR Guide) by Lisa Jayne Fisher
http://en.calameo.com/read/000062729ef3aa6b73de9
This article is intended to be an introduction to photography for archaeologists. Before embarking on any serious site recording, it is advisable that you become familiar with your camera. It is recommended that you fully understand the basic functions of an SLR camera, such as shutter speed, ISO, aperture and depth of field as a starter point. Manual SLR cameras should be used and ?snappy? cameras should be avoided at all costs. Further information on artefact recording follows in a further article.
Before photographing trenches and features on site, there are certain issues that need to be considered. Firstly, you will need to think about photographic materials, whether you need good quality archival black and white film or whether you need colour (usually slide or transparencies as it is more stable for the archive). It is best to use two cameras loaded with both types of film and some site directors are happy to include digital these days although most County archaeologists still insist upon film for the archive. The difference between an image that ?will do? and a professional image is an issue of quality.
Quality photographs will result in more archaeological detail; it will be a true record, rather than a poor image that looks something like the original. Do not forget that apart from the paper archive the photographs will be the ONLY pictorial way of capturing the archaeology after it has been destroyed by excavation and the importance of this is often lost in the field. A further article on achieving quality in photography will be discussed in a further article.
and
26: Artefact Photography (BAJR Guide) by Lisa Jayne Fisher
http://en.calameo.com/read/00006272970b78b0f5fe9
Artefact recording is another area in archaeology that is often overlooked and mis-represented. Not only does the archival quality of the resulting image matter but a simple understanding of lighting can achieve an enormous impact on the given textures, form and inherent detail of objects, giving valuable information which is often lost.
Depending on the complexity of the artefacts? shape, lighting can be experimented with by finding the best position and angle of the lights used for the job. It is sometimes time consuming to find the time to read up on the correct lighting positions for any given artefact. Often, it is far better to spend some time experimenting and observing, to find the best solution in any given situation. This will help you to judge artefacts by eye, leading to an implicit understanding of the qualities of light and should lead to sound practical experience, which should then become second nature.
Simple lighting or copy stands can be cheaply purchased or rigs can be built out of simple materials utilizing desk lamps if your budget is limited. See final section on how to improvise with lighting.If in doubt about any exposure difficulties, it is always advisable to bracket any shots and this is good practice for all situations, even if you are using digital as well as traditional film cameras. See section on exposure for more detail.Below are listed some common artefacts that may require ?special? consideration and may be needed for publication purposes or simply to add to the archival record.
:face-approve::face-approve::face-approve:
Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Mohandas Gandhi
http://en.calameo.com/read/000062729ef3aa6b73de9
This article is intended to be an introduction to photography for archaeologists. Before embarking on any serious site recording, it is advisable that you become familiar with your camera. It is recommended that you fully understand the basic functions of an SLR camera, such as shutter speed, ISO, aperture and depth of field as a starter point. Manual SLR cameras should be used and ?snappy? cameras should be avoided at all costs. Further information on artefact recording follows in a further article.
Before photographing trenches and features on site, there are certain issues that need to be considered. Firstly, you will need to think about photographic materials, whether you need good quality archival black and white film or whether you need colour (usually slide or transparencies as it is more stable for the archive). It is best to use two cameras loaded with both types of film and some site directors are happy to include digital these days although most County archaeologists still insist upon film for the archive. The difference between an image that ?will do? and a professional image is an issue of quality.
Quality photographs will result in more archaeological detail; it will be a true record, rather than a poor image that looks something like the original. Do not forget that apart from the paper archive the photographs will be the ONLY pictorial way of capturing the archaeology after it has been destroyed by excavation and the importance of this is often lost in the field. A further article on achieving quality in photography will be discussed in a further article.
and
26: Artefact Photography (BAJR Guide) by Lisa Jayne Fisher
http://en.calameo.com/read/00006272970b78b0f5fe9
Artefact recording is another area in archaeology that is often overlooked and mis-represented. Not only does the archival quality of the resulting image matter but a simple understanding of lighting can achieve an enormous impact on the given textures, form and inherent detail of objects, giving valuable information which is often lost.
Depending on the complexity of the artefacts? shape, lighting can be experimented with by finding the best position and angle of the lights used for the job. It is sometimes time consuming to find the time to read up on the correct lighting positions for any given artefact. Often, it is far better to spend some time experimenting and observing, to find the best solution in any given situation. This will help you to judge artefacts by eye, leading to an implicit understanding of the qualities of light and should lead to sound practical experience, which should then become second nature.
Simple lighting or copy stands can be cheaply purchased or rigs can be built out of simple materials utilizing desk lamps if your budget is limited. See final section on how to improvise with lighting.If in doubt about any exposure difficulties, it is always advisable to bracket any shots and this is good practice for all situations, even if you are using digital as well as traditional film cameras. See section on exposure for more detail.Below are listed some common artefacts that may require ?special? consideration and may be needed for publication purposes or simply to add to the archival record.
:face-approve::face-approve::face-approve:
Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Mohandas Gandhi
For really I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he
Thomas Rainborough 1647
Thomas Rainborough 1647
