Requirements and standards for HABS/HAER photography

[Kirk Gittings]

I never had a problem submitting 4x5-never a negative comment.

[jnantz]

+ 1

[dpn]

That's wonderful information, thank you.

[schafphoto]

Ditto, 4x5 is probably the majority of what they get at Heritage Documentation Programs in DC. 5x7 is still great for really significant subjects like the Golden Gate Bridge, The White House, The Awahnee Hotel (Strike that- Yosemite Valley Hotel) or other National Landmarks. I heard that the photographer that did the space shuttle did it all in 8x10! 4x5 and 5x7 still allow for pretty quick and light setup in the field especially when you are dragging a hundred film holders around with you, I can’t imagine doing that with 8x10 on a deadline. I can get 30 views in a day if I’m with the right assistant and we’re really motivated, but on average we get 20-24 views if we’re not lighting interiors or dealing with generators for electricity. My Cambo is set up to do both formats with a 5x7 leather bag bellows and 5x7 back that will take a 4x5 reducing back and a custom Polaroid back. I use 4x5 when I’m photographing some of the less significant resources that sometimes require documentation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and 5x7 whenever I have a really important National Register resource or National Historic Landmark. It’s really a treat to use the 72mm XL Schneider on 5x7 when you need a REALLY wide view, and the 120 Nikon is great for generally wide angles with plenty of movements (4x5 too).

I’m still using peel-apart Fujiroids to proof each camera position and doing a Digital view on my Nikon DSLR for the client in color. So that takes extra time, but as my expired stash of Fuji 100B runs out I’ll need to start relying more on the Nikon for “Digiroiding" at f22 and then switch back to f7.1 for the sharp digital version because the Nikon wide angle lens is terrible at f22.

Good luck,

-Schaf

[pchaplo]

More questions:

1. Index to Photographs: I see that samples on the Index to Photographs in the Transmittal Guidelines often give orientation of the view as something like "View of facade from the west." This seems like a silly detail, but does this mean that the photographer and camera are looking eastward aka "from west to east"?

2. Secondly, do you submit a field "shot log" of your shots as part of your submission?

ps: Schaf, I LOVE that interior shot above. Also, I found a boldly marked scale stick for a great price and the markings are all excellent condition -- much more legible at distance that then "modern" ones. Thanks!

[schafphoto]

Hi Paul,

We all have our own writing style for HABS/HAER/HALS captions... they are often written after-the-fact by the historians without the benefit of the photographer's notes so they may only be able to describe the facade or the view. I have seen very minimal captions. east facade, west facade, south facade, front entry... etc.
I create a draft of the index for the historian to add/edit. And I submit a photo keymap which shows the camera positions. The order of the photos goes from the widest context view to general views of the building to facade views, to exterior details and then overall interior views to interior details.

Obviously your captions and your new keymap need to reflect the order of the photos submitted, so you need to do another keymap in post production to reflect the new order.

Here is a sample of mine:

HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD
INDEX TO PHOTOGRAPHS


LOCKHEED MARTIN SPACE SYSTEMS COMPANY HAER CA-2322-B
BUILDING 151/152
1111 LOCKHEED MARTIN WAY
CITY OF SUNNYVALE
SANTA CLARA COUNTY
CALIFORNIA


STEPHEN D. SCHAFER, PHOTOGRAPHER, FEBRUARY 2016.

CA-2322-B-1 LOCKHEED MARTIN BUILDING 151, OBLIQUE VIEW OF EAST FACADE OF TWO STORY WING AT SOUTHEAST CORNER OF BUILDING. ‘E’ STREET BUILDING 152 IN BACKGROUND AT RIGHT. CAMERA HEIGHT 5′, VIEW FACING NORTH NORTHWEST.
CA-2322-B-2 LEFT SIDE OF 2-PART PANORAMA. OVERVIEW OF EAST SIDE OF BUILDING 151. ACROSS ‘E’ STREET. CAMERA HEIGHT 5′, VIEW FACING WEST SOUTHWEST.
CA-2322-B-3 RIGHT SIDE OF 2-PART PANORAMA. OVERVIEW OF EAST SIDE OF BUILDING 152. ACROSS ‘E’ STREET. CAMERA HEIGHT 5′, VIEW FACING NORTHWEST.
CA-2322-B-4 OVERVIEW OF EAST SIDE OF BUILDING 152. CAMERA POSITIONED ACROSS ‘E’ STREET AT CORNER OF ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION. CAMERA HEIGHT 5′, VIEW FACING NORTHWEST.
CA-2322-B-5 VIEW OF NORTHEAST CORNER OF BUILDING 152. CAMERA HEIGHT 5′, VIEW FACING WEST SOUTHWEST.
CA-2322-B-6 VIEW OF MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT AND EAST AND NORTH FACADES OF BUILDING 152 TOWER WING. CAMERA HEIGHT 5′, VIEW FACING SOUTH SOUTHWEST...

The camera height is not required. I include "east facade" and then also say "camera facing west". The information is now keyword searchable in the index and text, so the more complete the better without being redundant. It gets trickier on a maritime HAER of a ship where you need to use port and starboard instead of compass directions.
Here's what the index looks like formatted and a sample keymap.

[pchaplo]

Schaf,

MANY THANKS! I immediately used this info on my current HAER project. We are submitting Index of Photographs draft. I plotted my camera locations in Google Earth.

Great idea to consider searchable terms. Also, I’m with you in terms of similar writing style.

Do you ever have to submit scans of your handwritten field log?

[schafphoto]

Paul,

I forgot to mention that NPS will probably require the keymap to be from USGS. It's a relatively new requirement but they don't accept Google or Bing base maps for copyright reasons. You can sign up and download high-resolution orthoimagery from the USGS website. https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov



and yes I sometimes scan my field notes and submit them as additional materials.

[pchaplo]

Schaf,

Thanks for the heads-up on the keymap issue; wasn't aware of that. My client has GIS dept and has offered to map my shot locations. That earthexplorer site is a great resource!!! ps: I did snaps with DLSR w/GPS -- thank goodness on this 2-mile project!

Many thanks!

[Kirk Gittings]

They have said that 5x7 was prefered for decades, but I've never had any feedback from them that suggests there was any problem my 4x5 submissions.