Photography Overview

1. Photography Overview Preserving your family photos & documents Managing & protecting photographs

2. My Background • I know photography – theory and engineering and use • Engineer for Eastman Kodak for 25 years (33 years ago) • One of the Engineers that developed the digital photo chip (35 years ago) • Have taken pictures for 70 years • Have manipulated pictures 65 years

3. Reviewed current “Photography & Genealogy” • YouTube –“Photographic in Genealogy” = 23,300 from 3 to 90 min. • YouTube – “Genealogy photos” – 19,800 from 3 to 90 minutes • BYU Webcasts • RootsTech 2017 had 4 sessions • RootsTech 2018 had 4 sessions • RootsTech 2019 will have 5 sessions • RootsTech 2019 will have 39 sessions that will include photos use • Training on Photoshop photo manipulation software – working 8 hours for18 days

4. What to Cover • “Tell me about a car!” • How the engine works • How to drive • What are driving rules • How auto transmissions work • What colors are best • How to make tires last longer • How to get the best gas mileage • The history or benefits of electric cars • How GPS maps work in cars • “Teach me about cooking!” • Baking powder or baking soda • Separating eggs • How do you tell done is meat • At what temp do you bake cakes • What spice is good for turkey • How to smooth lumpy gravy • Make fluffy eggs • Make egg whites stiff.

5. Why are photographs important in genealogy • “Photos are a reflection of your experiences—what drives you, where you’ve been, where you’re going, who you love.” • We learn of large historic events – disasters, wars, inventions. • We learn of small historic events – birth, marriage, children, death • We see who they connected with and why • We see when they moved – where and why and how • We see what people looked like (where did we get this nose) • We see how they lived –clothes, transportation, food, house • We see what they did – work, play, marriage, burial, fought

6. Photography – by Wikipedia • Photography is the art, application and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. • Sight is our most important senses – but easily tricked. • Captured in a fraction of a second • Changed with hours of work • You can change it by adding & subtracting & emphasizing or diminishing - - - therefore not used legal – though constantly used and most effective.

7. History of photographs • Show others what we have seen - Carving stone • Paintings – first with charcoal – then with paints – various surface material • 1839 True photography using lens-less light on light-sensitive material • Tin-Types - Etching metal using various acids - 2 hour exposures • 1861 Civil war started wide use using wet plates - silver halide on glass • 1888 Kodak’s personal camera a 100 picture box with nitrate film - factory • 1900 B & W film, 20 exposure, post process local – individual possible • 1940 Color film 24 – 36 exposure, post process regional – not individual • 1991 Digital photography invented by Eastman Kodak – post process ? self

8. Photos costs • Stone carving – days to years • Painting – hours to months • 1839 – Tin-types – exposure was 2 hours – a day for pre & post • 1861 – Wet plate – exposure for minutes – 1 hour for pre & post • 1888 – Film in a Box camera – 100 pictures cost $25 = a month’s pay • 1900 – B & W Roll film – 20 pictures – cost day’s pay • 1950 – 20 to 36 Color pictures – each picture cost a qt of milk • 2000 – digital cost is less than a second’s time – • WHAT ABOUT POST PROCESSING

9. Picture process • Obtain – yourself, relative, institution • Take a picture • Obtain the picture from others –and /or make a copy • “Adjust” or “fix” the picture – Post-process • Sort & organize • What do we throw away – what do we keep • What do they contain – what is your interest – people, place, event, time • How can we find it next year – catalog the contents • Distribute it – who else would like to see the picture • Relatives, Genealogy sites, historic sites, political sites • Store it – working copies, Archive original

10. Fixing photos Was done in darkroom – now on computer • Photographs can be tampered/adjusted/changed - not legal medium • Simple photo manipulation – use Microsoft Photo, Apple Photos, InfaView, Picasa • Cropping, rotating, resizing, auto color, ect. • Professional manipulation use Photoshop vs Lightroom vs GIMP • Removing blemishes, dust, crack, torn • Changing colors – improving faded prints • Adding/subtracting images • Highlighting or darkening areas

11. Organizing your pictures contentsPeople, Time, Events, Associations, Locations • Problem how to fine the picture of grandma • When she was a little girl / married / traveled / worked • With her family • With granddaughter / her husband / 4 generation • What her house / car / farm / travel / dress / job looked like • Her gravestone • When do you do this? • As you take pictures • As you post-process them • How do you do this? – some possible solutions

12. How to identify photographs? • Digital has metadata attached to each picture • File name structure– allows 256 characters • Allen Brig graduation HS 20150608132215C • Cross-reference databases • Person’s contained, quality, location, event, time • File structure - Folders- albums – • Some programs – FamilySearch, Picasa, Google • Allow tagging • Facial and place recognition

13. Visiting – they have controlRelatives – Reunion – Library – Museum - Grave • Plan ahead – know what is allowed – what is accessible • Have specific items & purpose identified – but plan for unexpected • Make initial contact – tell them what you want & what you plan to do • Obtain information on time & equipment allowed • Obtain camera, lights, tripods, recording material, memory joggers, paper & pens, display equipment, scanners • Practice – practice – practice • Schedule trip – expect problems and have backup plans • Charge batteries, have spare batteries & memory • Evaluate results – record improvements for next visit • Post process – send thanks, organize, give copies, publish & store

14. Internet sources of material & information • Google images – to search for images or identify what you have • People, places (maps), events, time • Deadfred.com – photo’s of people with unknown names • Libraries (digital) local, college, state, genealogical, federal, religious • City, County, State, Federal agencies • Birth, marriage, death, wills, legal, land records, incoming & leaving • Newspapers • Directories – phone & city & business & churches & graveyards • Business – Photographers, insurance

15. Converting to digital • Convert to digital • Negatives, prints, slides, documents, paintings that can be scanned • Re-photograph where required, may require special lights, tripod, fixtures • Audio & videos – convert and edit (you can do) • Movies – edit & convert (must pay to get done) • Evaluate – eliminate duplicates – redo as necessary – crop/fix • Identify the pictures content (people, place, time, event) • Post-process – crop – fix – edit – repair – adjust (in or out) • Distribute & store

16. Converting photos to digital • Scan at 300-600 BPI minimum • Clean picture & scanner of dust & fingerprints before starting • Scanners • Here at FHC for a few prints - minute per print • FamilySearch library at BYU or Lehi or SLC • For large quantity – hundred’s per hour • For 35mm slides • Use JPG file type • Re-photograph – will requires lights & fixtures for focus & stability • Movies, video, audio – special cases • Post process – identify (names, location, dates, events), crop, adjust color • Distribute = Upload to FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHertiage, ??? & save

17. What & how to keep – what to throw • Original documents – keep – copies throw • “priceless” pictures historical, sentimental, esthetic • Throw duplicate or near-duplicate, no-historical value photos • Discard copies – if original available • Use Archival paper & plastic & pen/pencils/ink/boxes/sleeves P-A-T • Store where temp 60 & RH 30-50 & light controlled, safe from flood, bugs, mice • Photos & paintings are affected by light – especially sunlight

18. “Fixing” digital photos – post processing • Simple – use Windows Photos, Apple Photo, InfaView, … • Crop - eliminate unwanted information = emphases important features • Make darker or lighter • Change tint of colors (“old” color photos fade or changed to orange) • Complicated – Photoshop, Lightroom, GIMP, Picasa • Use tif or raw file types – jpg becomes a problem as changes are made • Eliminate red eye • Remove blemishes • Emphases or diminish areas • Insert or remove people

19. Uploading to FamilySearch • See earlier PowerPoint on Memories part of FamilySearch • Metadata is part of photo • .jpg file type • 5 mb size limit • Subject matter controlled • Live people are not identified • Picture sources • Image.Google.com , Facebook, Instagram • Web – get picture by downloading– not thumbnail – not web address

20. Preserving photographs • Negatives and Prints (paper, metal, canvas, etc.) are effected by • Time • Use high quality – “acid free” – archival material and storage containers and markers • Light • Dark & cool • External events • Location must be cool & dark • Fire & mold & insect & critter resistant • Difficult to use – see and share • Handle with gloves – in controlled environment. • Make copies that can be seen and shared • Record Information about them – Who, What, Where, Why – passwords, keys

21. Storage - electronic/digital • Digital (bits and bytes and pixels of information)– magnetic • Media format changes – punch cards, paper tapes, audio tapes, magnetic reels, Disks (floppy-1, ridged-2, hard-10), CD-5, USB stick-?, cloud - ? • Data format changes – jpg, tif, raw, pdf, mp3 • Time deteriorates - CD disks ~ 10 years, USB ~ longer?, Hard disks ~ 5 years, Cloud ~ ??, paper copies • Duplicate copies - 3 copies in different locations – keeping up to date hard • External Hard drives – cheap 5TB $100, easy, private, portable, update • Cloud storage currently popular & promising – future? Connectivity? • Archive – non-magnetic - cost & access & storage & update

22. Cloud storage Keeping in sync & maintaining your information • “Remote location” storage • Cheap, convenient, shareable, metadata maintained– Long-lasting ?? • Genealogy based - FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast • Product based - Apple cloud, Cannon, Sony, Lightroom • Storage for fee – cost & benefits vary Long-lasting ?? • Google Photos – free, facial & place recognition, album, time based • Amazon Prime - free, facial & place recognition, time based • Dropbox – free, maintains file structure

23. Technical – pixel vs bit vs byte • Smallest – bit 0 = white 1 = black • Byte – • 8 bits allows shades of black only 256 possible levels • 24 =16 million colors - 32 • 64 bits allows 8 colors – 8 shades per color = 2 to the 64 power = ??? • 128 – very high end • Pixel = picture element

24. Compression or compaction • Tiff vs jpg • Tiff = 24 bit • 1st Jpg = • 10th jpg =

25. Help in Identifying people • Look on the back • Ask relatives • Identify place and event to assist in identify person • Use Google image to find place/person • Dead Fred

26. Cover in depth one thing or overview • Why to include photos (& audio & documents) • How to create them • Cameras, scanners • Size • File types • Where to find them • How to “fix” them • Size (in meg pixels) vs what are you going to do with them – we start with pixels including the eye – color vs B & W • Covert to digital – Scanners – clean & dust • Cut, enhance, remove blemish’s, - InfanView, Photoshop, Lightroom, Picasa, GIMP • How to upload them • Download or “SaveAs” from web, Ancestry, MyHeritage to file – then load from file • From Google Photos – Instagram - Facebooks • Exchange from FamilySearch to Ancestry to MyHeritage to findmypast • How to organize them • How to identify who is in them – live vs dead (facial recognition) • How to save/store them preserving & storing – Google Photos, Dropbox, (Amazon) Prime Photo • Multiple copies – formats – backup • Backup vs Archive

27. Summary • Size max • File type – jpg • Back-up Keep at least 3 in different places