|
Site Maintainer:
HomeImages of Historic IndianaEndangered Buildings of NW Indiana10 Ways You can HelpEditorialsOur BookstorePurchasing items through this link helps pay our hosting fees |
Your submissions are welcome and are gratefully accepted here at the Indiana Historic Preservation Home Page. Submissions are accepted in the following forms:
All contributions remain the copyrighted material of the contributor. A credit line of your choosing will accompany your submissions. Note: Due to time contrarints, we are no longer actively soliciting photo contributions. Also, the purpose of this site is raise people's awareness of the historic treasures in Indiana, not to try to represent every town or city in Indiana (or every historic site in the towns we do represent). Contributing is easy! Just send in your original essays, poems, news stories, press releases, or club info. If you do send photographs via email, please use the JPEG format. If you send an attached text file, ASCII (plain text) is preferred. Best is to place the text of the document directly into your e-mail message, if it will fit. (See below for tips on taking good photographs.) Note: Please send only your own materials (materials to which you own the rights). Of course, you will retain all rights to materials sent. Your copyright notice will be included, if you wish. All contributions will be prominently credited on the page. The author of this site reserves the right to edit contributions for clarity and length. To send anything via email, send to: timarends@aol.com. Via regular mail: Timothy Arends, 105 Beacon Dr., Hobart, IN 46342. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you want materials returned. Send copies, not originals. Send photographic prints rather than negatives. Thanks for your contributions!
Tips for Photographing Buildings
One of the most important things to remember is to carry a notebook with you while photographing buildings, so you can record information about a) the location (street address) of the building b) the building's date (look for a cornerstone or a marker at the top of the building, though these are not always present) and c) any additional information you may find, such as on historical markers or plaques. (If you keep this notebook in a place where it cannot be misplaced, such as a pocket of your camera bag, so much the better.) Other sources of info are brochures that may be available at the local chamber of commerce, library or historical museum. Recording the street address of the buildings is important, as it can help you identify the building later when looking at historical guides. Other tips: 1. A sunny day helps ensure good pictures. 2. Photographing a building when the sun is shining directly on it will ensure the sharpest picture and the clearest detail. 3. Time your photography sessions carefully. The sun may be at the correct angle for the building you want to shoot for only a short time per day. 4. Some buildings you will need to shoot in the morning, while buildings on the other side of the street may be best shot in the afternoon. North and south-facing buildings may be even trickier. Depending on which way they face, some buildings seem to be perpetually in shadow. 5. Try to get some green grass and blue sky into the picture, if possible. 6. Choose your angle carefully to minimize the clutter of telephone poles and street signs. Try photographing from several angles. 7. Watch out for cars and trucks that might pass between you and the building you are trying to photograph just before you snap the picture! 8. Some buildings are best viewed and photographed in the winter, when leaves are off the trees and the building is more clearly visible. 9. Don't be surprised if you have to get a great distance from the building to "get it all in." A telephoto or wide angle lens can sometimes help, but is not essential. 10. The most important tip of all: Have fun! Take your time, and don't allow yourself to be hurried. A few extra minutes to frame your shot carefully will result in photographs of which you can be proud for years.
Converting Photos to Electronic Format
a. One of the members of your local computer club may have a scanner and be willing to scan in your photos for a small fee. b. Kinko's copy centers, service bureaus and modern print shops can also scan in photos for you. c. Some online services, such as America Online, will scan mailed-in photos for a small fee. Inquire in the "help" center of your service. d. You can mail photographic prints to the Indiana Historic Preservation Home Page. Be sure to include a postpaid envelope for return of the photos. Send prints, not negatives. 2. Remember that only the GIF and JPEG formats are acceptable for use on the web. These formats are highly compressed for rapid transmission over normal phone lines. JPEG is best for photographs. 3. If a scanned image is not in the correct format, you may be able to convert it with the scanning software. Applications such as Photoshop and the shareware programs GraphicConverter (Macintosh) or LView Pro (Windows) can convert scanned photos to JPEG. (Shareware programs are available on CD-ROMs, from computer user groups, and from online services and the Web.) 4. Send scanned GIF and JPEG images as attached e-mail files to timarends@aol.com.
[10 Simple ways you can help promote Historic Preservation! ] |
Getting good
photographs of buildings can be challenging. However, documenting
historic architecture can be a fascinating and unique hobby for the
photographer. With a little care and attention to the tips that follow,
you don't need an expensive camera or knowledge of f-stops and shutter
speeds to turn out striking pictures of the historic structures in your
area.
1. Naturally, to
appear on the Web, photos must be in electronic format. If you don't
have a scanner, try one of the following: