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The art of archiving by Michael Maunder, from Ag27 |
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You might think that image archiving is not an issue for digital photographers, but Michael Maunder would beg to differ... Digital is here to stay, but before you all disappear down that avenue, there are some dead-ends already apparent and readers should be aware of them. For that reason, we’ll discuss some digital archiving problems before reviewing more familiar photographic territory. Digital archiving is not as straightforward as many wish to believe and is already a problem in the wider context of history. What you do with a unique digital print hanging on a wall somewhere has now become a critical issue. We really must pay more attention to traceable standards. We must bring some science into our art. Sorry. We have all heard the endless disputes on the rights and wrongs of digital imaging, thankfully now a matter of history. An image is an image and digital cameras outsell silver technology, but they have not completely ousted them. As with oils and other forms of painting, artists still survive after more than a century and a half of photographic onslaught, and long may they continue. The essence of image making is the end product and what counts is what satisfies you, or the customer. Unlike the familiar photographic media, there are some quite disparate technologies underlying digital. For the time being, we’ll concentrate only on the hardware and software, and sub-divide as we come to them. We have already gone through the equivalent of the Daguerreotype unique originals to Polaroid originals stages of digital evolution in what seems like the blink of an eye. We’ve taken in salted paper, to Multigrade in the same blink. That is the first bridge between the technologies - the ‘picture presentation’ medium. Okay, the strength of digital technology is the display, and should we be discussing that first? Yes, in my opinion. For ephemera, it matters not a jot how you present a picture and computer or video screens win hands down for sheer impact. The colour palette and intensity/brilliance options on a screen are what makes writing this so easy. However, when we come to making a permanent record, the screen is definitely not an option. Even if you could afford the electricity costs, something will eventually burn out. In the very short-term, the screen gets burnt in, hence the need for screen savers. Then the electronics go... |
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