Hi Liz,
Greetings from the Imaging SIG. Robin Myers is a respected name in the cultural heritage imaging field. His software does one thing called flat-fielding, but it does it well. Flat fielding allows a photographer to even the illumination of a flat work that was not lit perfectly evenly and correct for imperfections in lens vignetting (no lens is perfect) by photographing a large white card (bigger than the painting) under the same lighting and having the software figure out the unevenness of the lighting from that white card and apply the correction to the photograph of the painting (or drawing, object… whatever it works on various flat objects but let’s just say paintings for now…). One reason (and the fear that a lot of non-imaging people have is) a photographer might want to do that is they might not have a large enough space, enough time, the right skills, or enough equipment to completely light an object perfectly evenly, but I find that that is rare. More often I find that it is used by photographers who want to bring more texture out of the paintings. The problem with even lighting is it is very flat and doesn’t allow for the small shadows that highlight the texture of a painting. A more raking light will accentuate the texture of the painting, but it requires that one side of the painting be more strongly lit than the other. By photographing with a raking light and then flat-fielding, the photographer can get the best of both worlds, having more texture but not having it seem that one side of the painting is much brighter and the other much darker. Many programs used with higher end medium format digital cameras like Phase One’s Capture One or Hasselblad’s Phocus will have a type of flat-fielding option built in using their own names (Phase One calls it LCC and Hasselblad calls it Scene Calibration) and it’s pretty common to use one of these tools particularly on smaller works 2D works (needing a white board larger than your work makes the process less practical for extremely larger objects). But when you can use it it's one step (among others that should be also taken) that can ensure the image is best representing the colors and tones of the original work and knowing that the dark corners are what the artist actually painted and not just that the lens vignetted a little there.. As far as should you trust a photographer using the tool? It’s a tool used by many photographers that I trust. That said it is just one tool and and craftsman worth his paycheck should have a tool box with a lot of different tools for different tasks. If I was dealing with a carpenter and they were telling me about their random orbital sander... that is great they can do amazing things, but you also need a hammer and a saw and you need to know how to use them. On Mon, Oct 22, 2018 at 8:27 PM Liz Neely <lizneely.m...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi MCN-L (especially imaging pals), > > While I know what I want as outcomes from my collection imaging projects, I > admit not to be an expert on the ins and outs of all the tools available in > the digital capture process. > > We at the O'Keeffe are embarking on some collections imaging with a > contract photographer who uses a tool called Equalight (3) from Robin Myers > Imaging (http://www.rmimaging.com/equalight.html) to algorithmically deal > with light fall off. > > We want to use the images from this project for print reproductions, > banners and signs, online collections, and for scholarly digital publishing > (through our in-progress IIIF server). (all the usual stuff - in print and > online) > > Knowing the museum's various desires for outcomes from this photography -- > do the imaging experts on this list have opinions / experiences they'd > share about using this type of tool? > > If you'd rather share opinions with me off-list, email me directly! > > Thank you! > Liz > > Liz Neely > Curator of Digital Experience > Georgia O'Keeffe Museum > Santa Fe, N.M. > _______________________________________________ > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > The MCN-L archives can be found at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/ > -- Kurt Heumiller Studio Production Manager Imaging and Visual Resources The Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019 212-708-9489 kurt_heumil...@moma.org _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
