Hi Christian,
Ignore Tim Vitale's response to you. It was NOT in the spirit of the listserv, where we strive to help others - not shame them or shoot them down. (But participants' responses are one way to learn who you will and will not contact for contract services).
You didn't mention the ultimate intent for the photos you need to take. A printed exhibition catalog requires high-resolution, quality images. However, if it's solely for internal uses such as to link or upload to the collections database, then you can probably manage OK with simpler techniques. (I would recommend reviewing the online databases of other museums to see what their quality of images is like and have your supervisor decide what's acceptable.) We at CHM have our volunteers photograph and process the artifact images for our online database. We've been lucky in recent years to work with retirees from the computer industry, including two guys who used to design product catalogs. However, when it comes to our exhibition photos, we work with a professional photographer because those images must be of the highest quality. It's not just for our online exhibition purposes, but also because we license images to media outlets and other museums.
Here's a thought: I presume your small museum has a super-tight budget (like $0?). However, you are studying at U. Memphis and its Arts Dept has both undergraduate and graduate photography programs. Why not connect with the Dept Chair or an instructor and see if you can garner some assistance? Perhaps a student is seeking a project idea and this could be one. Given that it's summer and classes are over, perhaps they'd be willing to even loan some equipment? You can't succeed until you ask and try.
Good luck,
-Karen
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Karen Kroslowitz
Director of Collections
(Out of the office on Fridays)
Computer History Museum
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA 94043
v: 650-810-1022
f: 650-810-1055
e: [log in to unmask]
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-----Original Message-----
From: christian [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 07, 2015 3:48 PM
Subject: Photographing large items
Hello everyone,
I'm interning at a small museum & will be re-photographing all of the artifacts in the museum's collection. Some of these items are very large, heavy, and/or semi-permanently affixed to the walls. What is the best method to photograph these items in their current locations? The gallery where they are on display is dimly lit though additional lighting will not be a problem. I'm mostly concerned with an appropriate backdrop & the ability to include a scale.
Christian Roesler
Archaeology/Museum Studies graduate student University of Memphis
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