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Overview
Results of you photographic
work in the field will depend on a great many things, the least of which
not being the weather. I can not count the great many times I have
seen some amazing geologic feature that has been too obscured by haze,
cloud cover or poor lighting to adequately capture in a photo. Even
under the best of conditions, photo results will hide some things you were
able to see in the field, but reveal other details not previously noticed. |
Purchase a good-quality camera
and learn to use it well, but remember, the best camera money can buy
is only as good as the photographer. In my opinion, digital is
the only logical choice for at least five reasons:
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Economy -- A digital camera will pay
for itself in a matter of months with the savings accrued by not having
to pay for film and developing.
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Vantage Point -- You can photograph the same
item dozens of times from several different angles and zoom-factors as
well as under a variety of lighting conditions and backgrounds, and then
keep only the best images. (This ability has unparalleled value!)
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Improved Results -- With many digital cameras,
you can immediately review the image and redo it if need be.
At right is a photo that normally would have been
deleted and re-shot. Although the photo scale's data was visible to the naked eye, it could not be resolved
by the camera in this instance. A simple repositioning of the
scale solved the problem and the picture was re-taken.
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This photo would normally have been deleted because the
scale card's information is not visible. ©
2001 Reuben Johnson |
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Immediacy of Use -- The images are immediately
ready for use in oral presentations, e-mail, internet applications, etc.
and are only a mouse-click away.
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Low Storage Volume --
You can store literally
millions of high-resolution, large-format images in a very small place.
See below for storage tips.
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Tips
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Your camera is delicate! Take care of
it by
following the advice on how to
protect your electronic gear while in the field.
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If working in a
cave or mine, put
reflective tape on your camera. (The pre-cut stickers made
for bike helmets work very well.)
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ALWAYS document the photo's
information in your notebook immediately after taking the picture (date, time, work area/location, subject,
view direction, special
notes, etc.) A labeled sketch of the photo is also very helpful when details are important.
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Use a photo
scale and make sure that it's of an appropriate size for your subject. For
small objects, use a scale-card showing inches and centimeters.
For larger objects, use a hammer,
Jacob staff, person, car, etc.
See below...
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- Position the photo scale to the side or corner of the image or
subject. Do NOT place it in the subject's center where it distracts
the eye even though it doesn't interfere with the research.
Positioning the scale to one side will improve picture quality and
enable easy removal by cropping if necessary.
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In
this image, the
photo scale (center) is a major distraction in what could have otherwise
been an incredible picture of deformation in the Bruce Limestone, Ontario,
Canada. It would have been better to put the scale in the lower
right corner. ©
2002 Reuben Johnson |
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Here, the scale is orientated orthogonal to the apparent axis of folding,
but again is nearly centered in the photo causing more of a distraction
than an aid to understanding. It would have been better to simply
hold the scale closer to the photo's left edge. Deformation in the
Bruce Limestone, Ontario, Canada. ©
2002 Reuben Johnson
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- Set your camera so it
automatically imprints the date and/or time on each photo. In
essence, treat each image as though it were to be viewed a hundred years
from now. As a scientist, it's YOUR JOB to keep the
record straight and make your work rich in information no matter how
minor it may seem at the moment. This is important because
political situations and land ownerships change -- land areas and
outcrops currently accessible
may not be available in the future.
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This is the best possible scenario -- the scale is pointing north and is
positioned in a corner directly above the photo's other relevant data (the
photo's date and time). The subject appears just left of center.
It is a cross-sectional view of lava ropes in vesicular basalt, Rio Grande
Rift, New Mexico, USA. ©
2001 Reuben Johnson |
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If necessary, photograph the outcrop
before you hammer on it, cut into it, drill it, etc.
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When taking a panoramic
(photo-mosaic) series, shoot from left to right so the images will be
"in order" when you review and process them.
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If you make your own
Jacob staff, you can rig it to act as a monopod and also use it
to put you camera in places and positions too difficult or small to
reach.
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Labeling, Tracking, Archiving and Storing Photos
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Consider using a
photo-album software application such as Adobe Photoshop Album to tag,
classify, label, caption, sort, date, and easily search for and retrieve
your photos. At the very least, name your images so that the
folder and file names make sense!
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Research in the
outdoors can generate thousands of photographs in a surprisingly short
time. Images will NEED to be:
- Tagged / classified / labeled
- Dated and captioned
- Easily sorted and
retrieved |
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Burn your images onto a CD
at the end of EVERY field day, and close the CD when it's full or
when the given excursion draws to a close. Discipline is key here,
and again, photo-album software will help tremendously.
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The best storage containers
for CD's are individual, rigid jewel cases (slim-line or regular size are both
fine) because they prevent sticking and inadvertent distortion, and there is no direct
contact between the media surface and the container as is the case with
slip covers or envelops.
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Label the CD and the paper
slip inside the jewel case only with a permanent marker. Printed
or adhesive labels can off-gas and cloud the media surface rendering it
unusable.
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Store your CDs in a cool,
dark, dry location. This type of media is cheap, so consider
making two discs and keeping them in separate locations if not
using fireproof storage.
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Fireproof storage
will only be effective in containers specifically designed to protect
this type of plastic media. Make sure the unit is designed
for optical media and carries a UL Class 125 1-hour rating. (Typical fire-safes are designed
only to protect paper documents from reaching their flash point -- they
will not prevent CD's from warping, breaking down, or melting.)
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The American National
Standards Institute has a document titled, Imaging Materials
- Optical Disc Media - Storage, Standard ANSI IT9.25, which
provides recommendations for the handling and storage of optical media.
It is available from Global
Engineering Documents.
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- Photograph EVERYTHING!
If you pause to ask yourself whether you should photograph something,
that is an automatic indication that you probably should do it. More often than not, you'll be glad you
did, and with a digital camera, it's essentially free. There have
been more than one occasions at the end of the day's work when I'd wished
I had taken two minutes to snap a quick shot of something. As
a rule, I do now.
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A middle-aged male geologist in
his native habitat. (Ice machine for scale.) |
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©
2002 Reuben Johnson |
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© 2002 Reuben Johnson |
A Little Humor...
If you don't take a picture of it, no one will believe you! ...Of
course, there is always Photo Shop. Here we see what is
appropriately called "The Member" in Arches National Park, Utah.
(Bush for scale.) |
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