Why not all scanned images are created equal

Recently I was reading the magazine section of a newspaper and was surprised by the poor quality of some of the images in an article I was reading.  The images were blurred in parts and had lost resolution and information, I suspect due to the fact that they were never scanned properly in the first place, that is, the resolution they were scanned at was not sufficient for publication.

A lot of people think that scanning an image just involves putting it in a scanner and pushing a button - easy-peasy - so why pay someone?

The answer is its not just a matter of having good scanning equipment - its knowing how to get the best out of your equipment, the right settings and the right resolution for the purpose.

Before I scan I analyse the image to gauge things like its detail and also damage.

I ask:

• What do you want to use your images for?
• Do you think you might want to print them in the future?

I also consider:

• What is the best digital format. If they are colour images for example, I want to try and capture as much of the colour as possible
• If they are damaged.  I want to give people the option of being able to fix them, if not now  - maybe in the future.

Scanning is also about knowing the best format to save your digital images for the future.  So if you have a collection of slides, negatives or photos call me because I can help you with your scanning needs.

Ashwini Chaskar and the Craft Gallery

Another local Wellington artist I have had the privilege of working with is Ashwini Chaskar. Ashwini produces beautiful digital water and batik effect images as well as detailed black and white ink works.  Ashwini  approached me to print these for her when she sells her images on the Craft Gallery - a new online Gallery featuring works of Australian and New Zealand artists.

See more of Ashwinis work at:

http://www.thecraftgallery.com.au/brands/Ashwini-Chaskar-.html

And on facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aadi-Art-and-Crafts/1405740319704994

Organising those summer snapshots

Source :wikipedia

So you are back from the Christmas holidays with a pile of snaps....

Hopefully you have downloaded them onto your computer and backed them up in the cloud or elsewhere.   And you filed them so you can easily find them?  Maybe you haven't? Are they still sitting on the camera?.

Whoops!.......

Well its the new year, there is no time like the present to get organised!

There are many different ways of organising your digitized images. Our personal collection of digitized images consists of scanned negatives,slides and photos as well as digital photos, videos, and movies plus we have music sound recordings. We chose to place our digital data into folders based on the date they were taken/ recorded, then into sub-folders based on subject. The date folders are named based on the year and month they were taken. Our file folder notations look like this:-

201401

201402

201412

201501

  

2014 indicates the year and the suffix  01, 02 and 03 indicates the month - January, February, March etc.Using a number based system like this means that the files will automatically sort in chronological order.

Within each date folder individual images, recordings and movies are sorted into sub-folders which are given topic or event names based on their subject matter, for example: Johns birthday, Beach trip, Flowers in the garden.

This system allows us to continue to add to it using the same notation. As we scan older images they can slot in at earlier dates....newer images under later dates....

How do you organize your digital images and data?  Share your ideas under comments....

  

Reproducing original artworks for Nicky Kane

This year at Carterworks we have had the privilege of producing a range of giclee prints for local Wellington artists. Giclee prints are high resolution archival prints. Nicky Kane is an established Wellington based multi-media artist. Nicky asked me to reproduce one of her paintings as well as a pen and ink work of a native bird that she will be offering for sale.  As an artist I understand how important it is to reproduce colours accurately as close as possible to the original artwork. I was able to work with Nicky to achieve a print result that captured her stunning original. 


Diamond by Nicky Kane
Giclee Print on Epson Hot Press Bright Paper 

You can find out more about Nicky's work for Brave Art here :
http://www.braveartnz.com/nicky-kane--bette-cosgrove.html

You can contact her and see more of her inspirations and art work on her facebook page, Taking Issue, here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taking-ISSUE/676687949073090?ref=profile

Photo preservation and digital restoration references

On the 18th of August I gave a talk to the Wellington Southern Bays Historical Society in Island Bay about Photo preservation and digital restoration.  I thought it might be useful if  I put all the references I gave out in the talk in one place:

Where to get archival storage boxes and enclosures in NZ

Port Nicholson Packaging in Petone:

http://www.pnp.co.nz/

Conservation supplies in Havelock North

http://www.conservationsupplies.co.nz/

General archiving information

The practical archivist blog has useful information about archiving and sorting your family photos and heritage items

http://practicalarchivist.com/

Both archives NZ and TePapa have information on their sites about sorting and looking after photographs


Useful references for dating photographs

For photographic processes  http://www.graphicsatlas.org/

Also Gawain Weavers' site contains a very useful chart which you can use to help identify the photographic processes employed in 19th Century Photographic prints

http://gawainweaver.com/processID

For NZ photographers since 1840 - the photographic database link is:

http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/DigitalLibrary/resourcepages/photographersdatabase.aspx?RD=~/DigitalLibrary/topicpages/photography.aspx

RogerVaughan  updated reference to this site 
http://www.cartes.freeuk.com/dec/dated.htm

Some links on clothing styles and fashions
http://www.fashion-era.com/Dating_Costume_History_Pictures/how_to_date_photographs_top.htm

http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/1870-victorian-photo-gallery.php

Kelburn Normal School Centenary digitisation and display project

Visitors to this blog will have noticed it has not been updated recently. As well as client projects, I have been digitising of Kelburn Normal School's photographic collection in time for the school centenary which was held in May this year. The Centenary turned out to be a great event with 300 attending on the first night and many more on the Saturday for official opening, viewing of displays, and entertainment.  On the Sunday some returned to take a more leisurely look at the photos.

Kelburn School has an impressive photo collection ranging from formal class and sport photos, to music and drama, events and happenings over the years, plus images of the school and teachers.  To date Carterworks has scanned over 1300 images and that is only to 1998! (It excludes documents and photo key notes).

Over 30 people sent in photos many using the Carterworks file uploader to load images from around New Zealand, Australia and England....so even those who could not make it on the day could contribute. 

From past experience with reunions I knew that having original photos on display was not a good idea, partly because many of the photos were small and secondly photos are fragile and can get damaged. As all the images had been archived scanned to international standards it was easy to convert and enlarge them on to A4 sheets for display.  Admittedly the schools printer was kept busy for 3 to 4 days!  The prints filled over 40 square metres of display area.  The boards were placed in 6 classrooms around the school for the main open day and in the hall on the Sunday. There were so many images table tops and walls were also used..  

Below are some shots of people enjoying the photo displays on Saturday.

The photos were enjoyed by all ages.

The larger prints allowed people to identify themselves in the photos and this started many discussions....


Photo Boards in the hall on Sunday - which gives some idea of the extent of the collection.

The work continues....
From 1998 onwards the school had class photos on display in the school hallways and stairwells.  Those photos not in a digital format (from the late 1990s to 2008) will be digitised over the coming months to complete the project.....

Copyright Carterworks NZ



Conserving your photos, negatives and slides – getting the right stuff!

One of the problems with photos and documents is they deteriorate over time, and that’s why we digitise and scan as this captures the image/document in its current state. I often get asked how to deal with storing the family documents and photographs. 

It is best to avoid touching negatives, slides and photos with your fingers unless you handle them with tweezers or cotton gloves or round their edges as the oil from your fingers can damage these images.

 Storing images
Good old black photograph albums are not a bad start, at least they keep the photos out of the light.  Ideally though it is best to use properly designed storage containers made from materials that will not react with your images further.  Some images and documents require neutral pH others require calcium buffered containers, so it is best to seek advice about the specific requirements for your images and documents. Google is your friend for finding out the most up to date information and advice for storing your images.


Negatives stored in purpose designed archival pages

In New Zealand I get my storage materials from either:

Port Nicholson Packaging in Petone Wellington who stock the Australian archival Museum storage systems 
http://www.pnp.co.nz/

or Conservation Supplies
http://www.conservationsupplies.co.nz/

Both these places have excellent information about the materials they have on offer on their websites and offer online ordering and delivery.

The National Library  has information about storing family collections including documents and photo's.  
http://natlib.govt.nz/collections/caring-for-your-collections/photographs

There is also information in this handy pdf produced by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
http://www.conservation-us.org/_data/n_0001/resources/live/photographs.pdf
 

 

Copyright Carterworks NZ