In a case of a small museum with limited resources, I would go ahead and use the flatbed scanner. Using a copy stand is a good approach, however, unless your organization has the resources and money to hire (or find a volunteer) a professional photographer who is experienced and can accurately measure and balance light and tone, you are more than likely to wind up with a poor quality reproduction and you may find that you will do more physical and light damage to the photo than on a scanner. I have seen inexperienced museums professionals use camera stands with terrible results. You have to know what you are doing with a camera stand to get good light, exposure balance and tone, with a scanner, while you may have other technical issues, lighting issues are not one of them.
It really comes down to using conservator common sense with the resources you have. Are you dealing with a one-of-a-kind photograph of Abraham Lincoln or a black and white snap shots of a church picnic? However, if the photo is fragile from damage or is over-sized, I would set those aside and have them photographed later. -- *Joe Hoover* | Digital Technology Outreach Specialist Minnesota Historical Society | Historic Preservation Department 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul, MN 55102 (651) 259-3461 [email protected] | www.mnhs.org/lhs On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 3:05 PM, Matt Wheeler <[email protected]> wrote: > Good afternoon. We have a collection which consists mostly of black and > white photographic prints and are beginning to digitize them using flatbed > scanners. However, I spoke to a conservator who advised that they be > rephotographed with a digital camera instead due to the intense light > exposure on a flatbed. Is this a legitimate concern? Will the scanners > cause degradation of the originals, and would this degradation be > considerable? Thanks in advance. > ______________________ > > Matt Wheeler, > Photography Archives, > Penobscot Marine Museum > Archives (207) 548-2529 ext. 211 > 5 Church Street, PO Box 498 > Searsport, Maine 04974 >
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