Building your own Photo Archive
July 5, 2008
Murphy’s Law … Or Why NOW is the right moment
for buliding your own photo archive.
When did you check the air pressure of your tires last time ? Be honest, you don’t even remember ! When did you visit the gas station last time ? Before
the car runs out of fuel of course. Some things only come to our mind with a big bang when it’s too late. And believe me, a flat tire is annoying but still something that
can get fixed and after an hour or two you are up and running again.
Now, think about your photo archive for a moment. Is it really safe ? "Of course, I have my important files … mmmh … Probably most of them on DVDs …" I
don’t want to scare anybody, but it’s time to think about some changes. The possibility of loosing the photographs of the honey-moon trip to Hawaii, the first steps of the daughter, or
loosing a client - who will not recommend you any further - after you had to tell him, that the photographs you took for him are …. somehow not available any more.
As data storage and archiving is so essential for everybody maintaining a large photo archive, I will to go a bit more
into detail on the Hard- and Software side of the business.
What do we need - Hardware wise ? This depends on three factors :
The *importance* of your data (Think for a moment on the consequences in case you
would lose files).
The *amount* of data (Are we talking about 200 MB, 5 GB or 500 GB ?).
And last but not least the *organization* of your data (Does a "file card system" do the job ? You need a database ?
With only the file names ? Or with meta-tags, thumbnails and keywords ? You handle everything form your laptop or do other people / colleagues / friends need access via the web?)
As usual, money plays also an important role. Professional storage and archiving solutions can cost thousands of Dollars, Euros, etc. But in most cases a decent investment will
bring the maximum amount of safety that will make you sleep much better.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE … !
How to guarantee long term safety of your data ?
June 22, 2008
That’s the key question when it comes to archiving your digital images.
One thing to be mentioned right away: The perfect solution does not exist. But there are ways to do quite well. Personally, I copy my CF-cards on location to an image-tank. Back at the head-quarter the files are copied to my network drive and the workstation for post production. The network drive is mirrored on a regular basis to tape - with the tapes stored in a safe place (physically at a different location!).
One new way might be to copy files to Blu Ray Disk.
According to the manufacturer website this system offers :
Delkin Blu-ray (BD-R) discs are the first archival grade Blu-ray product guaranteed to preserve data safely for over 200 years. In addition to unprecedented longevity standards, Delkin BD-R boast a market-leading read/write speed of 4x, enabling a 25GB burn to be completed in only 23 minutes!
200 Year Archival Lifespan
- Delkin archival Blu-ray (BD-R) discs offer the longest guaranteed protection over time. Use them to store what’s most important to you, whether it be wedding photos, tax documents, medical records, musical compositions, or family videos.
Large 25GB Storage Capacity
- Each Blu-ray (BD-R) disc is able to store more data than over 5 DVD-Rs or over 33 CD-Rs. Record over 2 hours of High-Definition video or over 23 hours of standard video per disc.
Fast 4X Read/Write Speed
- Burn data at twice the speed of a standard 2X Blu-Ray (BD-R) disc and with the same high level of accuracy and precision. Burn 25GB in only 23 minutes! (When using a 4x speed drive)
ScratchArmor™ Surface Protection
- Delkin Blu-ray (BD-R) discs utilize the very best in Japanese polymer hard coat technology, providing you with unbeatable damage protection from scratches, fingerprints, stains, and more.
Tech Specs
- Speed: 4x
- Lifespan: 200 Years
- Capacity: 25GB
Blu Ray drives are expected to be available soon where prices could be in the range of 200 to 300 Eur for an external USB 2.0 unit.
We will see ….
EPFL Rolex Learning Center - 13.06.08
June 14, 2008
After quite a break I visited the EPFL-Rolex Learning Center construction site yesterday. Here the image :
In one year from now, we will see the final result - That’s at least the promised schedule.
We will see ….
EPFL Rolex Learning Center - 07.05.08
May 7, 2008
Dear all,
Not many words, just two images, that were taken today on the construction site …
Stay tuned …
Digital ViewCamera - Sinar F & EOS 5D
April 28, 2008
Dear all,
Finally it’s done. My Sianr F monorail viewcamera and a custom made moving adapter to attach a Canon DSLR are "officially married"
The i>moving adapter is compatible with the International Graflok Interface and allows camera movements of plus-minus 3 cm around the central position. A closeup view of the adapter comes here …
Using the maximum left-right movements - 5 images in total per row - results in a 96 Mega Pixel image (11884 x 2835 pixel). UP-down movements can be easily done with the rear standard.
Here a side view of the camera: Attached to the front standard is a Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon 121mm lens. The shortest focal lens possible that still allows focus to infinity settings …
First sample images are coming soon …
Stay tuned …
Rolex Learning Center - status April 16
April 16, 2008
While waiting for the final machining of the new adapter which is bringing my Sinar monorail view camera together with a Canon EOS 5D, I went up to the roof and took a couple of snapshots of the construction site. Here we see the "auto-stitching" of around 30 single images.
Stay tuned …
Rolex Learning Center - status April 07
April 9, 2008
Dear Reader,
The progress is astonishing: Two of the “holes” of the cheese, as locals call the EPFL Learning Center are visible in the background and the big arc in the foreground is being prepared.
Stay tuned …
panorama photography - a different approach
April 6, 2008
Dear Reader,
Organizing my archive I found an old series, taken in 2004 in Frankfurt city, where I tried a different approach on panorama photography. The single images were scanned and then mounted and framed leaving a gap between them. Depending on the subject the sizes of the fragments were chosen to be different on purpose.
Distortions due to the angle of the camera can underline the statement of the image. Against the actual trend of "cleaning" the final image as much as possible, the technical imperfection of the raw-material used for the composition is part of the artistic concept.
So much for tonight.
Stay tuned …
Digital Large Format Camera - Latest Update
April 2, 2008
I reported about the modification and adaptation of a Sinar F monorail view camera in order to be used with a Canon EOS 5D.
At the moment a modified adapter is in work :
* it will allow left right movements without changing the setup of the rear standard, which improves the workflow in terms of “shooting speed”
* The risk to move parts of the camera while shooting one series is minimized
* It will be possible to attach the camera also in portrait-orientation
A next project I am working on is a ground-glass adapter which will allow the easy control of sharpness and composition of the final image. So stay tuned …
EPFL Rolex Learning Center panorama, 19.03.08
March 19, 2008
Taking two large format high resolution shots, using the full movements of the Sinar camera for each single image, was the basis. Stitching together 52 RAW files resulted in the following panorama
I am sorry, but you have to scroll a bit left and right. The hi-res files is 24800 pixel wide, by the way.
Stay tuned …
Peter
