[The following was posted to the Archaeology Photo Gallery, but I'm posting it here as well for future reference]

Noticing that there is quite some interest in posting pictures of artifacts and whatnot here I thought I would create a write-up on how to photograph and present your finds so that we may all enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Hopefully you wont be offended by the basic and blunt nature to which I put some of the following, but in the interest of our viewership and everyone’s time certain things must by pointed out.

First, read the manual that came with your camera. I know this is pretty basic, but if you want detailed close-up pix and you can’t seem to do it, I’m sure the manual will explain how to be successful. TIP: I now have two digital cameras, manufactured five years apart, from two manufacturers, and both have a very convenient macro function – both of which use a “Flower” symbol to illustrate the feature. Selecting this mode allows one to move in very close to the subject and still maintain focus – just a few inches in my case. Most recently manufactured cameras come with a similar macro feature. Learning how to use it will benefit your presentations immensely.

Second, use an appropriate background matte to shoot your subject. The following pictures illustrate three classic backgrounds (the materials were expedient in this case – my aluminum clipboard for neutral gray, and black and white knit shirts for respective color contrasts). You will note that the subject looks rather different in each case due to the influence of the background, both on the camera, and on our own eyes. One should be able to go to any art-supply or photo-mounting store and ask if they have any scrap matte-board in the three colors that they would be willing to part with.







Third, size your pix in the neighborhood of 800 to 900 pixels maximum in either width or height and use a density of 200 to 300 dpi (dots per inch). (The above photos are 800 x 600 pixels at 300 dpi and compressed [to 4 on a scale of 0-12]). This allows the photo to fall full-frame in most folks browsers, and allows for quicker uploads for those who have slower connections – it also reduces the bandwidth that Jennifer has to pay for to allow us to use this site. If someone wants a more detailed picture then a PM can be sent and a link or a copy can be provided in return.

Forth, use some sort of scale – inches, miles, millimeters, it doesn’t matter so long as folks can get some sense of the size of the thing.

Fifth, use indirect, natural light whenever possible.

Sixth, if you have photoshop or similar software, use it to correct lighting and coloring errors, crop and resize photos, and compress if possible.

I hope this helps and that no one is terribly offended by my belaboring certain points.

Cheers,
Richard