Imaging Standards For Scans

http://www.digitizationguidelines.gov/

Well, there it is. We look and work and study and now there is a standard for digitizing images. 
We all know that all photography, image treatments and protocols are ultimately idiosyncratic, but here is a good starting point. You will create your own standards and work your own system.
Depending on where you are going with your images - the internet, print or publication, these are the guidelines that have been established by the government for LOC and other agency work.
I do hope you make use of the huge repository of images owned by our government. There is just so much ... ... and you didn't really think that your Kodak Carousels, shoe boxes and Zip drives were the only places that images had piled up.
We have not had a cold winter day in a long time to catch up on organization ... but the Olympics are over, school has not yet started and the negatives and slides won't process themselves. PLUS - you might need to tend to the downloaded digital files and the ones that might be on a memory card or 4. 

from us.gov: Today in History: Happy Fourth!

July 4th, 2012 by Erin Allen

July 4th fireworks, Washington, D.C. Prints and Photographs Division

Happy Fourth of July! Today in 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring freedom of the 13 colonies from Great Britain.
The Library is home to the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence. A couple of years ago, thanks to the work of the Library of Congress’ Preservation Research and Testing Division, it was discovered that declaration author Thomas Jefferson had originally written the phrase “our fellow-subjects” in the portion of the document that deals with grievances against King George III, He apparently changed his mind, and over the word “subjects” he inked an alternative, the word “citizens.”
Jefferson, whose papers also reside here at the Library, marked his last Independence Day when he died on July 4, 1826 [as did his deep frenemy John Adams, with whom he had battled politically and then restored to his bosom through renewed correspondence - you can read their letters ...Tj].
You can also read more about the Declaration and other related material here.
Americans all over our nation celebrate with backyard barbecues, parades, fireworks, flag displays and more. I’ll actually be skating in the national Independence Day Parade here in D.C. and hopefully enjoying some fireworks later, although my days of Roman candle wars have come and gone. How will you celebrate?
I also thought it would be fun to give you a few facts and figures courtesy of the United States Census Bureau.
This Independence Day, the nation’s estimated population is more than 313 million, as compared with 2.5 million in 1776.

The Hatfields-McCoys and Me

It is interesting that the History Channel's interpretation of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud has captured the interest of so many people.

The story is legendary and there are more legends and lies than real history. However, history is written by the survivors and get to tell their side – no matter what really happened.

Set your thinking to the correct description of these folk. They were not southerners and they were not hillbillies. They were Appalachian Americans. They had settled in some of the toughest land in the United States, had learned to subsist and procreate and they knew how to fight.

The real origin of the feud is lost to history. Some say the fight began over a pig, some say a mountain version of Romeo and Juliet started it all and it may have been plain meanness.

It does not take much to start an argument and forgiving and forgetting was preached but hardly well-practiced.

Then, there's me. I am one of those people related to both families. I guess any inner conflict or mixed emotions can be traced back to that lineage. The only modifiers I have are the predominant German genes that excuse any of my contrary ways.

There's more McCoy blood in me than Hatfield, but many of the McCoys I knew were pretty tough birds.

I have walked many mountain cemeteries where the Hatfields and McCoys lay together. Sometimes they were segregated and sometimes the headstones had both names on them.

It is interesting that there is a Hatfield-McCoy Festival. I might go or I might not. In any case, I won't be taking a pig or packing a weapom. © tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com

A Social Media Will - Won't You?

Over the years I have helped many people prepare their legal and living wills. These are important and here is something elese to consider ... a Social Media Will.
I get newsletters from the government and this is available on their website:
from www.usa.gov
Write a Social Media Will
Social media is a part of daily life, so what happens to the online content that you created once you die? If you are active online you should consider creating a statement of how you would like your online identity to be handled, like a social media will. You should appoint someone you trust as an online executor. This person will be responsible for the closure of your email addresses, social media profiles, and blogs after you are deceased. Take these steps to help you write a social media will:
Review the privacy policies and the terms and conditions of each website where you have a presence.
State how you would like your profiles to be handled. You may want to completely cancel your profile or keep it up for friends and family to visit. Some sites allow users to create a memorial profile where other users can still see your profile but can’t post anything new.
Give the social media executor a document that lists all the websites where you have a profile, along with your usernames and passwords.
Stipulate in your will that the online executor should have a copy of your death certificate. The online executor may need this as proof in order for websites to take any actions on your behalf.

Improve Your Group Photographs

Improve Your Group Photographs

You look smart enough to handle a camera so someone shoves it into your hand and then ... Or, you are the default family or event photographer. You have the nicest camera and no one else wants the responsibility for taking a poor image. Maybe taking pictures is your interest, you have the equipment but you are adept at imaging objects, not photographing groups ... but it is now your "job".

It is your job but you are new to your equipment and have little experience working with and posing groups. Now what?

The first step is to BREATHE. Ahhh.

Then, decide to be a happy photographer. Groups can be challenging and some people are not always comfortable when the camera is pointed at them. However, the pictures you take are important because it is the event that is important. This may be a unique gathering, so take the pictures.

Birthday folk, anniversary folk, graduates, organization officers - all need to have decent pictures. Here we go.

1. Know your equipment and how to make the most of it. Your lens, flash and media have potentials and limitations. Know them.

2. Observe and evaluate your location and lighting situation. Choose the best spot for your picture. There may be a signature spot or you may have to carve one out for the event. I prefer not to have EXIT signs above a wedding cake being cut or have photographs of something important with distracted people or empty chairs near the action. Try to put your people in a position that has the least distractions - visual and sound. If your camera generates a strong flash that burns out the middle of the photo and leaves the people on the outside in the dark, get a diffuser or a slave flash. The camera manufacturer or camera shop will have suggestions. You can also use tissue or other white translucent things to help with the diffusion.

3. Pose your group. You are in charge, so take charge. Don't make the group too deep, don't arrange people from shortest to tallest and look carefully at faces, hair and clothing. Darker skin and clothing absorb more light than light clothing, hair and skin. People closest to your camera will get more light from your flash, so the darker tones come to the front. Take several shots. People in groups can be distracted and eyes can look here and there. Body language is a science ... make the group appear that they belong together.

Learn to set your camera to bracket. It will save hours of retouching. A particular note: Don't put a person with dark hair in front of a dark background. Their hair can disappear and not too many people like to have their face look like a thumb. Conversely, take care when putting fair haired and skinned people in front of bright backgrounds. You might not be happy with just pupils and nostrils for your picture. Experienced photographers can do grand low-key (dark) and fabulous high-key (light) pictures, so work to get really good at working the light.

4. If there important subgroups and individuals, take smaller group and individual pictures. (Oh, yes, keep smiling anyway.) Let people know they are important, be kind and firm and you will usually get cooperation.

5. Take big files. If your images are headed to publication in hard copy or in electronic media, take the biggest files your camera and media will allow.

6. Keep thanking people for being cooperative. They may have been touchy or grouchy but you have called them cooperative - and that may change their lives forever. They can think, "I'm cooperative, yep, that's me!"

7. Get the camera and/or media into the hands of the most responsible party. These people are responsible for handling things, so hand it over. If that responsible person is you, back up your files as soon as possible. Get the images from your media into a laptop or into the cloud.

Now, relax. You did a great job. People are happy and there are pictures. You can claim or decline copyright and you can ask for photo credit. You TOOK the pictures, they are yours until you sell them or give them away. ©

tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com