Requirements and standards for HABS/HAER photography
Now that my first HABS/HAER shoot is in prospect, I'm scrambling to find informa tion about the film and paper processing requirements. The National Park Servic e pub is only a buck, but allowing "three to four weeks for delivery" is too slo w. Can anyone point me to a web resource or summarize the darkroom requirements ? I'm particularly interested in how people alter typical clearing and washing procedures to make sure negs and prints meet the archival specifications. Do yo u adhere strictly to the specifications, or adapt your own procedures to produce the desired results?
Historic American documentation programs HABS, HAER, HALS as of 2015-2016
In order to update a badly outdated thread from 2001 about HABS/HAER/HALS (H3) standards, there are new standards for H3 Large Format Photography.
Available as downloadable PDFs from the National Park Service (NPS) who administers H3 through it’s Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) department which administers the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Federal Government's oldest preservation program, and its companion programs: the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS). Documentation produced through HABS/HAER/HALS constitutes the nation's largest archive of historic architectural, engineering, and landscape documentation. (A study in acronyms, no?)
Search online for "HABS Photo Guidelines” when this link no longer works: http://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/PhotoGuidelines.pdf
Search online for "HABS Transmittal Guidelines” when this link no longer works: http://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/Transmittal.pdf
HABS recording combines drawings, history, and photography to produce a comprehensive, interdisciplinary record. The documentation ranges in scope depending largely upon the level of significance and complexity. The large-format, black-and-white photographs record the environmental setting, elevations, and significant details, both inside and out to create a comprehensive understanding of the site.
The photographic artifacts are housed as a special collection at the Library of Congress (LoC), Prints & Photographs department. All H3 photographs are available for high resolution download for free and all photos in the H3 collection are in the public domain. Some very famous photographers and architects have worked for H3 and I have HABS images from Julius Schulman and Marvin Rand hanging in my Darkroom. If you want to lose a Sunday afternoon exploring the LoC’s collection of H3 photos you will be amazed. Just go and enter your city or county into the search bar here: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/
Of interest to photographers on this list is: “How do I take photos for H3?” Large format photos, if produced to the H3 standards, can be donated by any photographer. If the subject is an historic, unique or significant building, landscape, or engineering example (bridge, mine, canal, ship) the negatives and a single set of contact prints can be donated and put into the public domain. Obviously H3 is trying to document the most significant properties like the California Missions, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. In addition though they want the “Complete resume of the builder’s art.” Vernacular houses, folk-art environments, public art and a one-of-kind hot dog stand are some of the documentations I have donated along with the first skyscraper in San Francisco and an art deco high school auditorium for clients.
Of note is that H3/NPS/HDP does not test the film for stability any longer. It is assumed you know what you are doing. It is a responsibility to create work for future generations to meet the Life Expectancy 500 Year standard (LE500) and so even in California’s drought I make sure that the negatives are washed, cleared and rewashed and then rerewashed again. I have a FAQ and more info on my website and the HDP/NPS website and downloadable guidelines above explain the very deliberate and complex process for creating and delivering the photos. if there are questions, post them here, there are a number of H3 photographers who are always answering questions. Just put HABS in the title since that makes searching easier.
Good luck!
Re: Requirements and standards for HABS/HAER photography
Merged, with an updated title.