Stephen Schafer specializes in HABS, HAER & HALS large format photography and in-house archival printing. An architectural photographer with an understanding of historic structures, utilizing film or digital capture in difficult locations, anywhere. With 8x10, 5x7, 4x5, and digital formats to suit any photo requirements from strict Library of Congress specifications, to State and National Register submittals, to construction progress and aerial photography. Based in California and serving the Western United States.

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NEW 2010 GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING HABS/HAER/HALS DOCUMENTATION

 EXCERPTS FROM 26 PAGE NPS TRANSMITTAL GUIDELINES MANUAL UPDATED MAY 2010 

HABS/HAER/HALS documentation must be prepared using specific archival materials and

archival processes in order to be comply with the permanence standards that govern the

collection. By adhering to these standards, even the very earliest HABS records from the 1930s

are still available for researchers and will be into the future. Non archival materials deteriorates

for two principal reasons: it is attacked by harmful substances in the environment, and/or its

physical and chemical composition is such that it will deteriorate regardless of how it is stored.

Adhesive labels of any kind should not be used.

CD/DVDs - the aluminum CD/DVDs that are commonly used for data storage only last 3-5 before data loss occurs. For that reason, archival gold CD/DVDs are preferred as they have been rated at 100+ years before data loss occurs. CD/DVDs can be labeled either by using a CD/DVD pen designed for that purpose or by using an inkjet printable disk that has a printable surface. No adhesive labels should be used as this damages the disk. To prevent warping or cracking, disks should be stored in a plastic case, commonly referred to as jewel cases. 

Electrostatic Prints on Mylar® have been determined to be archival by the Library of Congress. Drawings should be plotted on Mylar® or drawn using archival ink.

Erasers and Corrections fluids should not be used except for Staedtler Mars® white vinyl plastic erasers, which are considered safe and are available in most art supply stores. Most other erasers, including pencil erasers, contain harmful chemicals, such as sulfur.

Food. Do not smoke, eat, or drink near documentation.

Ink - Black ink for drawings should be carbon-based rather than dye-based, waterproof, and state that it is formulated for use on drafting film. Inks recommended by Library of Congress are: Koh-i-noor Rapidraw®; waterproof black India; Koh-i-noor Universal® waterproof black India; Higgins Black Magic® waterproof drawing ink; Staedtler Marsmatic® drawing ink; and Pelikan “FT” drawing ink. These inks are available from office and artists suppliers.

Ink - Ballpoint ink contains acidic oil, which migrates and should never be used on any part of the documentation.

Ink – Black ink for labeling negatives should be permanent, indelible, and waterproof and designed for use on polyester film.

Laser printing on negative sleeves, photo mount cards, and Cover Sheets is not archival. Laser printing does not permeate these materials. These materials should either be impacted printed (e.g., typewriter) or xeroxographically printed (most large office copy machines print xeroxgraphically). Laser printed archival bond for historical reports and Index to Photographs are acceptable.

Light is very damaging to documentation, causing fading and discoloration. Materials should not be left where it will be exposed to sunlight or bright lamps.

Negative sleeves must be lignin free and follow the same pH levels as archival paper. It is preferable to have no thumb cut on the sleeve; however, a thumb cut on the seam side is acceptable unless it exposes the negative. Seams must be closed by adhesive to within ⅛” of the entire length of the edge.1 No adhesive must appear beyond the inner or outer edge of each seam, nor on the inside of sleeves. Seams should be smooth and flat with no puckering or wrinkling. Only two sizes are acceptable: 5 ⅜”x7 ⅜” and 10 1/2”x8 1/2”. Both 4”x5” and 5” x 7” prints are placed into the 5 ⅜” x 7 ⅜” size. Mylar, Glassine, and plastic negative sleeves are not acceptable.

Paper - Archival Bond must meet the following specifications: lignin-free, at least 25% cotton, non-recycled, and alkali-buffered. The paper should have a pH between 7.5 and 10. The paper should pass the Photographic Activity Test as described in American National Standards (ANSI) IT9.2-1933, Section 5.1, or latest version. Paper labeled acid-free is not necessarily archival. When in doubt, look for a watermark indicating the percentage of cotton in the paper. If there is no watermark, the paper is most likely not archival.

Pencils - Soft (#1) should be used to label the backs of black and white prints so that the emulsion does not crack or become embossed from the back. #2 pencils may be used on negative sleeves, archival paper, etc.

Pins, paperclips, staples, rubber band or cellophane should not be used. Pins, staples, and paperclips rust, and rubber bands and cellophane contain harmful chemicals, and will deteriorate, adhere-to, and stain documents.Pins, paperclips, staples, rubber band or cellophane should not be used. 

Plastics, contain harmful chemicals and should not be used except for a few archival plastics such as uncoated polyester or polypropylene. All plastics trap excess moisture and fungus next to documents and adhere to photographic emulsions. Film negatives should not be placed in plastic sleeves of any kind.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS & NEGATIVES

Each photograph transmitted to the Library of Congress requires a large format safety film negative (4”x5”, 5”x7”, or 8”x10”) and a contact print, archivally processed, on fiber based paper. Resin coated papers are not archival. Due to the difficulty of obtaining materials, double or single weight fiber based enlarging paper may be used in place of contact paper.

Archival, digitally produced "contact-style" prints produced from scanned TIFFs of the film negatives are acceptable. The digitally produced prints must be of equivalent quality to the traditional contact print and be a true representation of the negative including the borders. The print must be on fiber based digital printing paper, without brighteners, and printed using carbon or pigment inks. The printer/paper/ink combination used to produce the digital print must be rated by an independent rating organization to have a permanency of at least 150 years... The negative should be placed in a labeled negative sleeve so that the emulsion side of the negative is facing away from any adhesive seams. This helps protect the emulsion from deteriorating. 

Brief instructions on making Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) digital print cards (From HDP January 2010.)

Creating the digital file: Scan images on flatbed scanner using Anti-Newton glass with emulsion side down. Crop scanning area to include film margins Scan images at resolution to yield a file size roughly 18-20MB, save as uncompressed TIF Straighten images against grid in PS and crop to outside of film margin Correct image for contrast and brightness in Photoshop with dust spotting as needed Scanner used by HDP is Epson Perfection V700 with 8x10 after market Anti-Newton glass.

Creating the digital print: Create a new folder and copy images for mounting Downsize all images to 400dpi (for printer ease) Mount images upon a 400dpi black canvas (i.e 4.75x6.76 image area upon a 5x7 black canvas) for size uniformity, then flatten to reduce image size Create a new canvas of 8.5x11 at 400dpi and copy images onto that canvas which will be centered and actual image size Using horizontal text tool (Times New Roman, 12 pt., black font) overlay grid and write caption card text in upper right corner to read: HISTORIC AMERICAN LANDSCAPES SURVEY SEE INDEX TO PHOTOGRAPHS FOR CAPTION Do not flatten after this step in case you need to modify text Below caption card text, apply transmittal number assigned by HDP collections staff.

Printing: Paper stock used by HDP is Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper, Matte available at any office supply store. Print quality set to highest, neutral monochrome settings (unless color image) Batch all print cards in one folder, print from folder as "full sheet fax" for no image compression and actual size. Print entire folder or use rip software. Digital scanning and printing is no faster than traditional wet darkroom printing, but it allows people without a darkroom to create contact-type prints. If you plan to submit to HDP digitally, please call and speak to them directly about process and materials, they are very helpful and happy to supply detailed information over the phone.

  Full 26 page PDF (1.6 Mb) New 2010 "Transmitting Documentation" guidelines available from NPS below. 

 http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/standards/Transmittal.pdf 

HABS | HAER | HALS | EIR + NATIONAL & STATE REGISTER DOCUMENTATION

Photo-Documentation – What Do Photographic Guidelines Have in Common? by Stephen Schafer

HABS, as the Historic American Buildings Survey is called, is arguably the best recordation program in the world. It was established in 1933 with few compromises to quality and longevity. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) standards were also excellent before 1995, but they have recently been modified to allow digital submissions and unfortunately the NRHP digital requirements set a very LOW digital resolution standard. Prepare for yet another change – in the next few years the plan is to revamp the NRHP nomination forms and guidelines again; to facilitate 100% digital submission through an online submission portal (this may require even smaller photos).

Many local and state guidelines include similar low-resolution requirements because they are usually appropriated from the NRHP digital guidelines. NRHP submissions can be captured on a 2 Megapixel camera which is one half the data of a modern mobile phone camera. It's encouraging to see the standards from Australia (which were not based upon ours) advocated a 10 Megapixel or higher standard, and in the UK, English Heritage's digital standards were already 16 Megapixels in 2003 (creating 45 Megabyte photo files).

Survey photo guidelines are rarely codified, and in the past, as long as the photo looked OK on the original paper 523 form, that was good enough. Today, multiple property surveys are breaking new ground, moving from the in-depth to the reconnaissance survey with more of an overview of resources and potential resources in large quantities with accompanying photographs. The new digital survey photography guidelines that Schaf Photo developed for SurveyLA, the Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey, were based on a single digital photo from an affordable-but-good-quality consumer camera. The digital photos taken in the field are electronically linked to the GIS Database that is created by field surveyors with tablet PC's and cameras walking the streets documenting LA's historic resources. SurveyLA photos are in a way "Anti-HABS" – in terms of time, effort and money – but they still convey data; and even though they're easier to capture they still have the same basic documentary DNA as a 5x7 HABS negative. Keep in mind, however, that as the systems for surveying our heritage resources become faster and more computerized, more and more emphasis will be put on the photograph to relay contextual visual data and it will be imperative that the photograph be executed at as high a standard as the context statement and the field survey and not just relegated to inexperienced volunteers. 

HABS | HAER | HALS | CEQA  An Overview by Stephen Schafer

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) are the national historical architectural, engineering and landscape documentation programs of the National Park Service. The goal of HABS / HAER / HALS documentation is to provide architects, engineers, scholars, preservationists, and interested members of the public with comprehensive information on the historical, technological, and cultural significance of cultural resources. The archival photos, measured drawings, architectural plans and written histories are placed on permanent deposit at the Library of Congress, and these documents serve as a permanent record of the growth and development of the nation’s built environment.
 
HABS/HAER/HALS documentation usually consists of measured drawings, large-format photographs and written data that highlight the significance of a resource. There are three levels of recordation that generally break down into:  (1) Level One - Measured line drawings (architectural plans), historic drawings, detailed large-format photographs, copies of historic photos, full written data package.  (2) Level Two - Numerous detailed large-format photographs, full written data package.  (3) Level Three - General large-format photographs, with a written data package. This documentation acts as a form of insurance against fires and disasters by permitting the repair and, if necessary, reconstruction of historic resources damaged by such disasters. It is also used for scholarly research, interpretation, and education, and it often provides the basis for enforcing preservation easements. HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is often the last means of preservation of a property: when a property is to be demolished, documentation provides future researchers access to valuable information that otherwise would be lost.

EIR | CEQA

It should be noted that often HABS standards are appropriated as a basis for many of the recordation guidelines for CEQA documentation called for in some EIR's. These Local-HABS, HABS-Like and Diet-HABS standards usually require Large Format photography of VIB's (Very Important Buildings) and a somewhat lesser standard for other buildings. Most are not transmitted to the Library of Congress, but are submitted to local museums, archives and historic societies. Since every city and county can develop and adopt their own standards, each EIR documentation is different and should approached with a different methodology (See the Whitepaper on the Recordation Guidelines Page).

HABSPHOTO.com has had some success saving money for clients by supplying photos as high-quality, archival, bound, "laser-copy-on-acid-free-paper" research documents. The 5x7 original prints are still submitted to the NPS, IRS and SHPO and the bound research documents go to local museums, libraries, etc. to fulfill the requirements of mitigation documentation; this avoids creating costly, additional, RC print-based documents for local historic societies and information centers.

Regarding Large Format Photographs: (updated June 2010)

Film?  Really?  Yes!  

HABS/HAER/HALS standards still require large-format photo documentation using cameras that produce 4 X 5", 5 X 7", or 8 X 10" negatives, and the documentation must still be done with black and white film because digital is not accepted. When submitted, a black and white negative must accompany each contact print, and they must both be archivally processed. Sheet film with a polyester base and a speed between 100 and 400 ISO is the standard, and the contact paper is fiber-based instead of resin-coated (RC) for further archival stability.

The paper and negatives must receive sufficiently long washings in water in order to remove all processing chemicals, film will be tested upon receipt at the Library of Congress. SCHAFPHOTO has these archival processing and washing capabilities in house in our 400 square foot darkroom. The basic life expectancy (LE), for HABS/HAER/HALS film and drawings is 500 years (LE-500). Upon acceptance into the Collections of the Library of Congress, the photographer releases all claim to copyright of the images and puts them into the public domain.

See new May 2010 HABS - HAER - HALS photography Transmission Guidelines at the top of this page for the new digital prints and archival film combination HABS/HAER/HALS submission.

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ON NATIONAL & STATE REGISTER DOCUMENTATION

Commentary by Stephen Schafer on NRHP photography.

Thoughts on the National Register of Historic Places Photo Standards and National Historic Landmarks Survey Photo Standards. (California State Register photo standards are also the same.) For full text of print and digital specifications, follow this link to NPS standards:

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/policyexpansion.htm#technology

  
 
Unlike HABS photography, National & State Register Documentation does not achieve a 500 year archival permanence target, and it can be captured on medium format, 35mm or digital cameras. Photographs submitted to the National Register and National Historic Landmark (NR or NHL) programs are expected to last at least 75 years or longer before showing significant signs of fading. Black & white prints have been required since the NR began. The March 2005 NR photo policy update expanded acceptable documentation to include prints from digital cameras. In March 2005, the National Register also began accepting black & white ink-jet photo prints made from digital images in addition to conventional black & white prints from film, provided the ink-jet prints demonstrated a 75-year permanence standard.
 
 
The NRHP and California State Register photographs submitted as official documentation are kept by the National Park Service (and/or sometimes the State) and used (in perpetuity) for publication and other purposes, including duplication, display, distribution, study, publicity, audiovisual presentations, and display on and distribution via the Internet. Note: this usage is more expansive than the "standard" image use for images produced by full-time professional photographers. HABSPHOTO.com is accustomed to this expansive usage in perpetuity, however some professional photographers may not feel comfortable granting such universal permissions to the National Park Service, or they may want to charge additional usage fees; so be sure your photographer understands UPFRONT that these photographic uses apply so that the photographer can quote correctly. Many photographers have strict controls on the usage of their images and to avoid confusion, the NRHP’s usage requirements should be made clear to your photographer BEFORE THE PHOTOGRAPHY is contracted. On another note, HABS/HAER/HALS photo submissions require the photographer to put their photos into the Public Domain, and sign away copyright to their images.
 

As stated above, a minimum 75-year-permanence standard is intended to ensure the longevity of NR-NHL documentation, and applies to all forms of photo-documentation. The old standard of black & white images printed on silver-emulsion fiber and resin-coated (RC) papers is still acceptable. (Photographs printed on RC paper have been accepted since the early 1980s). As of March 2005 (and the April 2008 Revision draft), black-and-white ink-jet prints produced from digital images also are acceptable if all original electronic files are included with the submission on a CD or DVD. Because of the very specific digital printer and paper requirements, file naming, digital management and the addition of an image CD or DVD – HABSPHOTO.com still recommends film photography and 5x7 glossy RC prints as the preferred submission option. Who will determine if a resource is eligible for the National Register? A Historian at the SHPO and their peers at the NPS. How will they determine that? By looking for answers in the photographic and written documentation submitted to them. The best way to illustrate the significance of a resource is through meticulous documentary photo surveys and big, sharp, glossy 5x7 black and white prints. 3x5 prints from K-Mart might be fine for your scrapbook, but the better the photographs in your nomination, the better your chances of listing. The Historians looking at your nomination should be able to take a magnifying glass to the prints (and they often do) and read small signs and see details in highlights and shadows.

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A NOTE ON TAX CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHY:

Can more photography save you money? Maybe. In California the SHPO requires 4x6 color prints from 35mm FILM for Part 2 tax credit assessments, so if the site will later be submitted to the IRS for historic tax credits, that may be another reason to shoot film when capturing NR views.

The photo at right illustrates the need for condition photos in addition to standard documentation photos for tax credit projects. Here water damage and altered windows of a non-historic section of the building were included in the COLOR PRINT submission to SHPO and the IRS, but were not included in the BLACK AND WHITE submission to the NR or local landmark committee; shooting all photos at the same time, saves multiple visits, travel, and time on site but more importantly money.

Following excerpt scanned by Stephen Schafer

www.habsphoto.com 

1951 

SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE MEASUREMENT AND RECORDING 

OF HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS

 United States Department of the Interior

National Park Service

Planning and Construction Division

Historic American Buildings Survey.

Based Upon Instructions Issued

by the National Headquarters of the Survey

December 1933 to May 1934

Revised and Edited November 1, 1935

Revised and edited January 1, 1951

Chapter IV

PHOTOGRAPHIC FIELD WORK

1. Purpose

For every structure recorded, a photographic record will be

made in conjunction with the drawings and written data. In general,

photographs will be used to supplement the more important measured

and drawn records. Views should be selected for their architectural,

rather than their pictorial value. Clearness of detail and truthfulness

of record are most important.

2. Scope

The number of photographs made of any structure will depend

entirely upon the interest of its architecture, its adaptability

to photographic treatment, its size and complexity, and the value of

photographs as explanatory supplements to the drawings. For very

small and simple subjects one view will suffice. In general, at

least two views will be taken of every isolated rectangular building;

each view showing a side and an end, with the planes of the building

at angles of approximately thirty and sixty degrees with the plane

of the picture.

Groups of buildings, or buildings of irregular or complicated.

plan or outline, may require additional photographs to illustrate

them properly; and important, exceptional or particularly interesting

details, either exterior or interior, should also be photographed.

All portions of particular interest, whose peculiar characteristics

cannot be fully conveyed in line; drawings, should be illustrated

by photographs, even though they be carefully measured and

drawn.

In exceptional cases, such as extremely complicated nongeometric

detail or crude native workmanship, a photographic record

is superior to a laborious drawing, and should be preferred. Such

a subject may be drawn in general outline, with a notation: "See

Photograph."

In cases where considerations of time and personnel make it

impossible to measure and record every detail of a building, portions

not measured will be illustrated by photographs only, at the discretion

of the District Officer.

If possible, the District Officer, the field-party leader and

the photographer should confer at the site regarding the scope of

photographic work. 

3. Photographers.

Photographers of professional experience are best equipped to

maintain the proper Survey standards in this department. However,

views carefully taken by a member of the measuring force who has

had sufficient non-professional experience may be accepted by the

District Officer. If possible, photographs should be taken at the

same time measurements are made, so as to miniinize the inconvenience

to occupants of a building, and to secure proper coordination between

these two departments of field work.

4. Size of Photographs.

The photographs shall be not less than 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches. Size

5 x 7 inches is preferred. See Chapter VI, Section 7.

5. Equipment.

For suitable work the following items of equipment will be

necessary

Camera and tripod

Film

Scale stick or rule

1 black and I white background cloth

Key numerals

At the discretion of the photographer such additional equipment

as filters, telescopic lenses, lighting equipment for interior

views, etc., may be used.

6. Description and Use of Equipment.

The scale stick or rule must bear divisions in English measure,

marked so as to be easily'photographed at a legible size. It is to

be set either vertically or horizontally, exactly parallel to the

plane of the picture, and adjacent to the major plene of the subject~

This scale stick must be used for close-up views of details. For

giving scale to general and distant views it is always desirable to

photograph a person of average height, standing close to the principal

facade or plane of the structure'. A surveyor's pointing rod, or its ,equivalent,

also may be used to give scale to such views.

Background cloths are necessary for providing a contrasting

background for free-standing detail whose natural background does

not provide sufficient contrast to show a sharp silhouette in the

photograph. Thbse cloths are valuable in recording such details as

wrought iron and bronze work balusters and rails, mouldings in

profile, etc. The cloth should be hung without folds, directly behind

the subject, when the view is taken.

-16

Key numbers should be painted or fixed to a background of

sharply contrasting light-value. These numerals may be painted

or inked on cardboard, or may even be clipped from large calendars.

Except in extraordinary circmnstances the key number will be the

same as the survey number assigned to the subject being photographed

(See Chapter II, 5.) Key numbers may be made up by tacking the

individual numerals side-by-side on a block of wood or by placing

them in a frame. Such a frame can be quickly made with two flat

pieces of cardboard or tin, with an aperture or window cut for

each digit of the key number. Numerals are to appear in photographs

no larger than is absolutely necessary for purposes of identification.

Small numerals are to be used in detail closeups as such a picture

is ruined by a key number of the large size needed for a distant

view. Key numbers are to be photographed with the subject. The

numbers will not necessarily be placed close to the subject; but

will be set as near as practicable to the camera and so placed as

to appear at sufficient size for identification, at the bottom of

the photograph. For distant and general views the camera must first

be set up for the view desired; then the key number placed in the

foreground and properly checked for position and legibility, by

means of the groundglass or finder. It is well to have an assistant

during the few minutes of preparation for such a view. Care must

be taken in arranging both the key numbers and the scale stick,

that the surface is not tilted so as to reflect excessive sunlight

toward the camera, thus making the numbers illegible in the photograph.

In placing numerals and scale stick avoid covering important

architectural details, especially in close-up views.

7. Photographer's Record.

The photographer will keep a notebook record of his work,

making a separate entry for each view taken, giving the following

information: Serial number; name of subject; location; designation

of vlew or portion photographed, especially with regard to compass

dlrectlon, date; aperture; length of exposure. This record is to

be used in checking final results.

The first page of the notebook should bear the photographers

name, kind of camera and film, list of equipment.

8. Examples of HABS Photographs.

There' will follow several reproductions of Survey photographs which

will serve to illustrate the proper field technique. All pictures

are of the same subject, but only a part of the total number in the record are reproduced.

-17-

ABOVE FROM 1951 SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE MEASUREMENT AND RECORDING OF HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS

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