Methodology and technical specifications

1. Photodocumentation: My previous practice was to use a Nikon 35mm camera with a Micro-Nikkor 60mm flat-field lens, shooting Kodachrome 25, the archival standard for fine resolution and image stability. Slides were then scanned using a dedicated slide scanner.

I have now switched to digital capture for three reasons: Kodak has discontinued sale of this film, processing has become more difficult, and high-resolution digital cameras have come down in price to the point that they are a practical choice. My first archival-quality digital camera was a Kodak DCS Pro SLR-n, which shot 13-megapixel images (3000 x 4500 pixels) and was quite satisfactory for most needs. However, as the MOA standards moved up in scale, I found myself requiring larger files. In 2009 I upgraded a Sony Alpha 900 24-megapixel SLR and a Sigma 50mm F 2.8 DG macro lens, which shoots 36 MB RAW files that convert to 60 MB tiffs (6048x4032 pixels).

Shots go directly to a laptop, allowing for complete color balance control and designated sequential file numbering. The posters are held in place on a wall-mounted 3'x4' custom-built vacuum board, assuring flatness without damaging the posters. Lighting is provided by a pair of Lumedyne 200 watt-second electronic strobe units placed 45° to the copyboard. A strobe meter is used to assure even light balance over the image area. A standard color bar and grayscale accompany each shot. The original RAW format files are saved on CD, then cropped TIFFs are generated for catalog use. The resultant files are always equal to or larger than 3000 pixels (and in practice are usually in the 5000 pixel range) along the longest edge (MOA II guidelines).

Video of shooting and numbering posters from the AOUON collection before going to OMCA, 2010.

2. Image management: Scanned images were dropped into Extensis Portfolio, a commercial application for cataloging and retrieval. Search fields were set up for the electronic catalog, including artist, date, agency, original catalog number, new catalog number, medium, size, description, caption, condition, and source. Portfolio dropped their wonderful stand-alone version, so I've migrated to Photo Supreme for cataloging.

Helpful tips:
Adding metadata to digital files

Adding metadata to photos without Photoshop:
1.    Touch on the image
2.    Right click, go down to “Properties”
3.    In top menu bar select “Details”
4.    Touch on “Subject,” start typing

Adding metadata to PDFs:
1.    Open PDF
2.    Go to “File  Properties”
3.    Add information in Subject line, go to bottom and click “OK”