Ok, If you will be photographing flat objects / documents / works of
art then consider getting a good qualtiy copy stand - some come with
lights attached.

Either use a tripod or be able to shoot handheld for larger objects
and interiors (such as historic house settings or exhibition spaces).

Many folks use hot lights for photography. I dislike these for several
reasons. They can be cumbersome to manipulate and can heat up objects
and artifacts - some even to the point where the glass trasition
temperature of conservation adhesives are exceeded and that nicely
mended pot may fall apart on the photo table (this has happened).

I much prefer to either shoot in the ambient light with a white
balance adjusment or to use small strobe with a slave unit on the
camera to make it free of wires and portable - and by bouncing the
strobe light off of everything from the ceiling, walls, white boards,
soft boxes, umbrellas, you can diffuse and direct the light pretty
much any way you need to. And these studio set-ups do not have to cost
very much either. (there are some great basic books and info on the
web about setting up a studio)

As far as cameras, the primary thing is to decide whether you will be
shooting film or digital, and ultimately the uses and the quality of
the image will inform your decison as to how much camera you will
need.

It also pays to get at least a couple of lenses if you will be
shooting a wide variety of objects of different sizes and in different
settings. Invest in a good wide angle lens for larger objects,
architecture, and interiors (also useful for copy stand work on larger
documents) and a good medium telephoto that will help with small
objects and in taking detail shots of elements of an object. For true
close-up work a macro lens is great.

In my work in conservation I shoot photos is almost every environment
and situation - from shooting in the field and inside buildings to
studio shooting and on to doing photography through micorscopes and
sometimes through scanning electron micorscopes. Each setting and type
of photography has its challenges - the best thing you can do is to
educate yourself (actually national geopgraphic has a series of field
manuals on photography there are great!) and to get out there and take
many, many photos.

Cheers!
Dave


On 4/19/07, Keri Towery <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Dear List,
>
> I am also looking to buy similar equipment.  I need a tripod/camera/laptop
> setup to photograph documents while they are lying on a table.
>
> I could really use some direction in type of camera and lenses, and I have
> never really worked with a tripod, especially one that turns the camera lens
> down toward a table.   I would like for the camera to be connected to a
> laptop so that the images will appear on screen as they are taken.
>
> I saw a man doing this recently at the National Archives II.
>
>
>
> Any help or direction is appreciated!  Thank you.
>
> Replies can also be sent off list to [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>
> Keri Towery Petersen
>
> Archivist, Records Manager
>
> North Carolina Railroad Company
>
> 2809 Highwoods Boulevard
>
> Suite 100
>
> Raleigh, NC 27604-1000
>
> 919-954-7601
>
> 919-954-7099 (fax)
>
> www.ncrr.com
>
>  ________________________________
>
>
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> Of Christy Jones
>  Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:41 AM
>  To: [log in to unmask]
>  Subject: [MUSEUM-L] photo equipment for digitization?
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear List,
>
> My director just called and told me I had an unexpected 6-7 thousand dollars
> to purchase needed equipment and supplies. I am primarily the archivist, but
> because we don't have an objects curator, I end up taking care of all of
> those duties as well.
>
> I'd like part of the money to go towards setting up an area with a backdrop,
> camera stand/tripod, and the proper kind of lighting so we can make digital
> pics of our artifacts, but I don't know where to start. We have a pretty
> good digital camera alreadybut can't change the lenses or anything.
>
> I've looked at camera stands, but I don't think it will work because we have
> a number of larger artifacts that wouldn't fit in the photo area.
>
> Any suggestions will be welcome. Replies can be sent off list.
>
>
>
> Thank you!
>
> Christy Jones
>
> Archivist
>
> MS Armed Forces Museum
>
> Camp Shelby, MS 39407
>
>
>
>
>  wondering where i'm living this year? read my blog...
> http://www.litsavant.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>  ________________________________
>
>
> Need a break? Find your escape route with Live Search Maps.
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
>  The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain
> detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line
> e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message
> should read "help" (without the quotes).
>
>  If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
> Museum-L" (without the quotes).
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
>  The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain
> detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line
> e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message
> should read "help" (without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
> Museum-L" (without the quotes).
>
>
>
>
>
>

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).