Museum, Gallery & library photography © Derek Trillo 2011


Please feel free to pass on the URL of this site to anyone who you think might be interested, but please don't try to pass them off as your own work.

Why are these pages here? The short answer is because they aren't anywhere else on the web.

A great number of staff and volunteers in the museum, gallery and library sectors need to use photography for all sorts of purposes. but there isn't much advice around that is specific to their needs. Some ask me for advice, so I repeat the same tips many times. Hopefully I can direct them to these pages in the future.

What follows are (very) general tips about equipment. Advice about photographing objects such as paintings, coins, glass etc. and I cover topics such as digitization projects, hosting image databases, copyright issues and hiring professionals.

I'll also add ideas where possible on how to save money.

The intention is that these notes will be expanded and eventually be illustrated with examples (there are plenty on the gallery pages of this site)... so watch this space...

DIY Photography

Equipment
What you might need:
Camera: The first question is 'What do you what do you want to do with it?'
The second will be 'How much have you got to spend?'
An exhaustive list of good choices for every requirement and every pocket wouldn't fit here, so what follows are a few tips:

Don't listen to those who say only one brand is good. Nearly all DSLRS are good/great buys depending on price. Their quality is in a different league from compacts. Compacts struggle with big enlargements and with dim lighting, but are fine for keeping records, small enlargements, close-up shots and documenting processes (e.g. conservation of objects).

Compacts - Canon, Olympus, Pentax and Panasonic usually come out highly rated by users.

DSLRS - there are no 'bad' brands. Most Pros use Canon or Nikon and each have extensive ranges of bodies and lenses plus many other accessories. I use Canon DSLRs for several reasons ,all of which are personal (size of my hands, a long history with Canon means I have a lot of their accessories and lenses, their style of shooting matches my style too),

Nikon are equally as good (there, I said it) - some are better models/lenses than Canon equivalents, some worse. If I stated one brand was better than another based on brand loyalty, these advice pages wouldn't be independent or have much credibility.

This isn't the place for advice about cameras with bigger formats (medium or large format) as they're only used by pros. The best DSLRs have quality that is better than medium-format film cameras were, and are nearly up to large-format film quality. Few applications actually need this quality although salesmen and the pro photographers who use these cameras would like to convince you otherwise. They do produce better quality images than DSLRs, particularly when compared to 'cropped format' DSLRs (amateur models) as opposed to full-format (e.g. Canon 5D mkI or mkII). For most institutions, their cost is usually prohibitive unless included in a funding bid or hired in by day/week.

You can see a difference using medium-format with a digital back, if magnified to 100% on a computer screen, but in print terms that would need to be scrutinized at around A2 size (594 x 420 mm), which isn't often a size that most applications would need to be enlarged to. Storing (and perhaps opening) files produced by these cameras may be problematic due to their size - typical files will be over 100mb each.

Be aware that professional suppliers are happy to sell to you, but you may also hire, or lease, equipment depending on how often they'll be used (hire if used infrequently).

Don't spend all your budget on a camera with the cheapest lens in the range. ￡1,000 will buy a great camera but could also by a very good camera, a very good lens and a good memory card - a far wiser option.

The ￡1000 camera will only capture unsharp images from a cheap lens (with straight-sided objects becoming mysteriously curved) and can't save them without a memory card (don't forget to budget for one).

Bags, tripods and perhaps lenses and lights can be bought second-hand without too many pitfalls. Complicated electronic equipment such as cameras are worth buying new (if you can) for its advantages of reliability and a warranty. Two second-hand suppliers I have used previously are recommended on the links page, both of whom offer a short warranty (usually 6 months).

Putting together a bid for funding? Ask for quotes, then go round suppliers to enquire about an (additional) educational discount or whole/partial sponsorship. The best discounts are from equipment manufacturers or their main distributors. A good bargaining counter would be where the equipment will be used by a lot of people (especially students or volunteers who may go on to buy the same gear), or where there will be a lot of publicity around a project (lots of chances to mention a sponsor's name and show their logo/URL).

Lenses: Zoom or prime? Mid- to top-end zoom lenses are now excellent quality. Fixed focal length lenses (aka prime lenses) are generally of better quality but the difference is only pronounced when compared with cheap zooms. A sound option if you want two lenses to cover most options would be a mid-range zoom (e.g. 17-85) and a macro lens (e.g. 60mm or 90mm).

Lights or flash? Continuous lights (tungsten, fluorescent , LED etc.) make it easier to see what the lighting effects are, but flash is more conservation friendly. Once you are accustomed to using it flash can be quick and reliable. It is also less prone to blurring due to subject movement or camera-shake.

Reflectors are an invaluable part of your equipment which can be free or very cheap. Lastolite produce some great pop-up circular reflectors although other (cheaper) copies are around too. 'Skins' consisting of a double fabric cover can side over the reflector to add 4 extra surfaces e.g. silver, gold, black. Other options are simple cardboard or stiff paper. The lids from (foil) take-away cartons are excellent for small objects - white on one side and a matte silver on the other.

Tripods are very useful when shooting by continuous light or shooting 2D objects that you want to represent with the correct perspective (e.g. paintings).

Old vertical stands, recycled from darkroom enlargers, can be stripped of their enlarger heads to reveal a solid stand, with a moveable bracket, on a vertical column above a flat base-board. As old darkroom equipment is sold off these are a far cheaper alternative to buying purpose made stands.

Backgrounds.
Attach to support stands or a wall then drape over floor or a table. This gives a gentle curve from vertical to horizontal, without a visible join. Purpose made backgrounds are made from paper, vinyl or cloth.

Best prices?
The web is a good place to start especially independent price search engines (e.g. www.camerapricebuster.co.uk). Then ask suppliers to match or better these prices. The service/advice/delivery that real suppliers offer is often worth paying a little extra for.


Photographs are devices for communication. If you don't know what you are trying to communicate then find out: Speak to the curator or conservator. Ask what you are trying to show? Which properties of this object are significant? How can I show them off to their best effect?

Aesthetics are important for promotional uses - main website pages, posters, leaflets etc.

Detail, texture, form, shape, scale, colour etc. are more important for record/documentation/academic purposes

As always, if you're not sure then ask how to handle objects safely before touching them.

Smaller objects will need the camera/lens to be closer requiring a macro lens or extension tubes. It will also need a smaller scale and label against it. Large objects need careful handling and may need to be shot in situ rather than in a studio setting. If it is too big for a conventional background, consider draping paper or fabric around the base and back instead.

Maximising sharpness
The maximum sharpness of any lens will be in the mid-range of its aperture settings e.g. if the maximum is f4 and minimum is f22 the sharpest settings will be around f8 or f11

At the maximum aperture, an image will have very little in focus and the edges (especially in the corners) will be soft. At minimum apertures all lenses will suffer from diffraction which also softens the image.

How to show colour, texture, scale, true perspective, form/modelling, background choices:

Colours are best shown with direct light and correct exposure.
Texture is best shown using direct light, from a shallow angle (approx 30 degrees), preferably opposite a reflector.
Modelling (or form) is best shown by lighting from one side and above (again with a reflector).
Scale is shown by placing the object next to a known scale - a measured scale for smaller objects and a person or similar for very large ones.
Backgrounds are usually plain for record purposes so as not to distract from the subject. White is easy to match from one shot to another on websites where many similar images will be seen together. Light objects may disappear against white and vice versa for dark subjects against black. So consider you background choice carefully, particularly before shooting a series of images of varying objects.

Tricky stuff:
Oils - One light to show surface texture opposite a reflector. De-frame if at all possible to remove reflections caused by glass and shadows caused by frame. Use an easel to support the picture then incline the camera at the same angle. Use a spirit level to check both are horizontal.

Metals, high-glaze ceramics & other shiny materials - spread out light source by either shooting inside a light box, or surrounding the object with reflectors

Polished wood - use a polarizing filter to reduce reflections

White or black objects - use a mid-tone background to prevent high contrast and merging of the object with the background.

Glass - light glass from behind, using either a white perspex background (& base) or simply direct lights at background only

Books - cradle with foam rubber so that the book is open 90 degrees. Any further opening is likely to make pages curl. If print shows through from behind page, insert a clean piece of black card immediately under the page.

Coins - surround with reflector(s) on 3 sides, light from fourth side

Stained glass - if possible, place a diffuser a short distance behind the glass and light that - white perspex is ideal, but stretched cloth or tracing paper will suffice. For windows in situ, a cloudy day will reduce contrast and reduce shadows from any external grilles.

It is possible to 'lose' shadows to make the object appear to hover in a white space - useful where the shadows would interfere with the object (e.g. text on papyrus). This is achieved by shooting on glass raised above the background.

Debunking myths
Pixel count: bigger is better... not necessarily. The biggest improvement is gained by using a larger format (e.g. moving from compact to DSLR). The latest Canon compact (G series) actually have smaller pixel counts than predecessors. More pixels means smaller pixels (so that they will fit in the same space), this results in each one gathering less light (the lens only transmits the same light through to the sensor regardless of pixel count). On boosting the dimmer image, noise is increased resulting in a less clear shot. Details may therefore be more difficult to make out even though they are bigger on the screen.

Zoom lenses are poor quality - you get what you pay for - the cheapest are poor but even mid-priced ones are quite good

Smallest aperture is sharpest - mid-range apertures are sharpest, smaller apertures (e.g. f22) suffer from diffraction which softens the whole image.

The camera should be the best you can afford... what about the lens? Allow room in the budget for a good lens, memory card(s), bag, tripod etc.

Adobe photoshop is the only software to use... Use the software that came with your camera - it is matched to your camera and free. Or try www.gimp.org. Or buy a scanner or printer with photoshop elements bundled in - this can be cheaper than buying software alone.

Post-production software is used to correct: Colour balance. Exposure (brightness & contrast). Sharpening. Cropping and for performing 'cut-outs' (remove background and place object on a different background).

Professional photography - what's it worth?
Choose a pro photographer for:
Advice/consultancy, a pilot study, occasional work or a digitization project. To improve shots you have already got, for a fraction of the cost of shooting new images. Check if they have AHFAP membership (Association of Historical and Fine Art Photographers). See the Museums Association's suppliers list and/or get recommendations from other museums/galleries

Benefits to using a pro
Quality should be good enough for promotion of institution as a professional entity - publications, press releases, income generation by image sales, merchandising, funding bids and comparative pairs for conservation/restoration.

There is a guarantee of usable content unlike amateur work.

No capital outlay - they'll bring their own equipment

Speed - can save valuable staff time.

Consistency of quality & presentation (especially useful on websites where images will be seen alongside each other)

Images should be able to pay for themselves eventually via funding, increased PR and advertising bringing in visitors, retail sales, image sales etc.

Digitization projects
Planning, advice and a pilot study are crucial. It is better to use money wisely at the start to make accurate predictions of the time-scales and costs for the whole project.

Funding is from usual suspects but should always include equipment costs (you get to keep the equipment as an asset).

Revenue generation - if planned and managed properly, the images should pay for themselves by using sales from image databases (your own or via image libraries).

Hosting & longevity - The longer images are hosted and generate revenue, the more likely they will justify capital costs and repay investment.

 Documentation - thousands of pictures without metadata means getting them all out again and trying to match pictures to objects: Do it at the time; put key info (accession number?) in file name or in metadata of file. If possible, put a label in the image space, perhaps with the scale and copyright info (can be cropped out later).

Hosting image databases
Commercial database management needs funding, either from grants or income generation. Smaller options can be much less costly e.g. eHive.com (Based in New Zealand) offers free hosting for small collections, or up to 2,000 images can be hosted for only 100US dollars (c. ￡65) p.a . See http://ehive.com/pricing for a full list of prices.

You can feed ehive records into the front end of a Wordpress run website, essentially creating your own branded 'fenced off' eHive, a sort of instant museum website for very little cost. Two examples are www.concealedgarments.org, and Rugbymoments.net

Training
If budget is tight (whose isn't?), it is better to use a photographer to train one or two of your own staff, then for them to train others. Sound Delivery uses this style for training for producing digital-storytelling projects (between museums/galleries and the public). It is a very cost-effective method as it is generational - it can spread out and pass down as staff turn over.

Consultancy
Should offer enough savings to pay for itself -

Equipment purchasing (what to buy and where to buy it). This may reveal hidden costs that could be avoided. They can also recommend the most efficient methods for capture and archiving.

Copyright issues and credit lines.

Split copyright - copyright can be joint, with rights assigned for limited period and/or by geographical area.

Typically I will give full usage rights of all images to the customer, for free, in perpetuity. I retain 'copyright' in that I have title (images should be acknowledged as being created by me), I can use them for my own promotion (on my website), but I may not sell them elsewhere for commercial gain. I would never normally give them away either (such as to the press), unless the customer asked me to.

This model works for the benefit of all parties concerned - I get a credit line where images are used, which is good promotion for me, but I don't gain financially (I've already been paid). The customer can use the images for what they need without having to ask permissions or pay any money... as that's what they paid for in the first place.


Photography in galleries and museums as a visitor
For documenting installations, presentation methods, artefacts

Glass box display cabinets are best tackled without flash and taken along a diagonal to avoid your own reflection. For individual objects it may be possible to rest the lens against the glass thus removing reflections and steadying the camera. In dim lighting try to shoot with the light behind you to maximize its effect. Raise the ISO on a DSLR - even 1600 ISO can look okay on modern cameras.

Recording installations/exhibitions: Try to include something in the foreground to add depth to an installation shot. A one or two people will indicate that the exhibition wasn't empty, whilst adding interest and scale. Avoid the '4 corners' style if possible (standing in each corner facing diagonally across). Set up shots for PR - volunteers preferable especially if you want children involved

Recommended suppliers
See my links page...

Independents are usually better than chain shops.
Good sales people can offer good advice too.
Research what you want/need if you can, or ask for help
Try haggling, or ask for a price-match
Don't forget to factor in postage and packing
Buying all items in one go can make a good case for negotiation.

If you've read this far then thank you for persevering and good luck