Scanning Slide and Photo Collections
In support of our publishing efforts, we regularly scan railroad slide, negative, and print collections. We collect images from any and all railroads from the largest Class 1 to the single-unit shortline. We've scanned collections as large as 20,000 images. Your images can't be published it they're not available, and simply sending a list doesn't work. We often are looking for a particular image right before a publishing deadline, and don't have the time to contact numerous photographers looking for that image of interest. By putting your images on file here, you can be sure they're available when we're looking for a particular subject.
We also accept your scans, but they are only usable if scanned with publishing in mind. Here are some simple steps to insuring your images are usable:
Scan at a high resolution. We need 300 dpi (dots per inch) at the actual
size we publish, so a full page photo needs to be 300 dpi at 9 x 12 inches.
To insure we have the data necessary for large reproduction, we recommend
that B&W (grayscale) images are scanned to yield a TIF file 15 megs in size.
For color (RGB), we recommend a TIF file 50 megs in size. Those file sizes
will insure we can publish your image on covers, in centerspreads, and in
calendars.
Set your scanner so that all the "extras" are turned OFF! Don't sharpen,
ICE, color correct, or use any other scanner settings to make your image
"look" better. Using extra features sabotages the image, often beyond repair
for print publishing. Slight adjustment for exposure is okay, but don't
change it much off your scanner's automatic exposure adjustment setting. We
can alter the exposure later to bring out detail in shadows. Produce only
raw scans.
We use a can of "computer air" to blow any loose dust off images prior to
scanning, and recommend you do the same prior to scanning. Give the
image a good solid blast of air with the nozzle held about an inch from the
image at a slight angle. Blast both sides of the image. That's the
only treatment we recommend - no chemicals, wiping, or other mechanical
functions that can scratch images.
DON'T, under any circumstance, do any editing of the raw scan. We have a
specific regimen we go through with each and every image to get it ready for
the printed page. These steps will result in all kinds of out-of-whack
results if you've altered the image, because steps we perform get amplified
if you've altered the image.
Critical to all photographic submissions is specific information associated
with each image. An image without any information is very nearly useless. We
need, at a minimum, Railroad, Date, Location, and most importantly, the
Photographer and/or Owner. If you know other details like Direction, Train
Names or Numbers, Locomotive Model, etc., include that, as well. Full-blown
captions are not necessary. Easiest for us to integrate is information in
spreadsheets. A sample of ours looks like this:
|
RR |
Date |
Location - Town |
State |
Engine |
Builder |
Model |
Dir |
Type |
Last Name |
First Name |
R |
File |
Size |
Notes |
|
DMIR |
1991/02/24 |
Kelsey |
MN |
209 |
EMD |
SD38-2 |
S |
Action |
Anderson |
Robert C |
8 |
jhDMIR0579 |
56 |
|
|
DMIR |
1991/02/24 |
Kelsey |
MN |
209 |
EMD |
SD38-2 |
S |
Action |
Anderson |
Robert C |
9 |
jhDMIR0580 |
56 |
|
|
DMIR |
1991/02/24 |
Saginaw |
MN |
310 |
EMD |
SD-M |
N |
Action |
Anderson |
Robert C |
8 |
jhDMIR0581 |
56 |
|
|
DMIR |
1991/02/24 |
Grand Lake |
MN |
209 |
EMD |
SD38-2 |
S |
Action |
Anderson |
Robert C |
7 |
jhDMIR0582 |
56 |
|
|
DMIR |
1991/02/24 |
Grand Lake |
MN |
209 |
EMD |
SD38-2 |
S |
Action |
Anderson |
Robert C |
8 |
jhDMIR0583 |
56 |
|
|
DMIR |
1991/02/24 |
Birch |
MN |
209 |
EMD |
SD38-2 |
S |
Action |
Anderson |
Robert C |
9 |
jhDMIR0584 |
56 |
|
|
DMIR |
1991/02/24 |
Birch |
MN |
209 |
EMD |
SD38-2 |
S |
Action |
Anderson |
Robert C |
8 |
jhDMIR0585 |
56 |
|
|
DMIR |
1991/02/24 |
Forbes |
MN |
52454 |
ore car |
Roster |
Anderson |
Robert C |
8 |
jhDMIR0586 |
56 |
In the above spreadsheet table, several fields are worth explaining:
Note the format for the "Date" field - we put in every date as YYYY/MM/DD, so, for example, if we know the photo was taken on June 3, 1990, the entry is 1990/06/03. If all we know is that it was June 1990, the entry is 1990/06/00. If all we know is that it was 1990, the entry is 1990/00/00. For "circa 1990" the entry would be 1990/00/00c.
The "Type" field is the type of shot, and we use Roster, Action, and Scene in most instances
The "R" field is an arbitrary rating, with 10 being stellar in every respect, 9 being superb, 8 being good solid shot, 7 being cloudy day or some minor flaw, 6 being an image with serious flaws, and 5 and below generally not publishable.
The "File" field is your filename. Because we have several people regularly scanning, we developed a simple two-letter predecessor key that is the scanner's initials. Our naming convention looks like this for the images represented above: "jh" is the scanning technician, "DMIR" is the railroad, and "0579" happens to be the 579th DM&IR image scanned by "jh". You can use any naming convention, as long as it is mutually exclusive and makes sense.
We also accept digital images, which brings up an alternative image naming convention. For my own images, I rename each file with the pertinent data in the filename. This allows very quick searching on filenames to find locations or engine numbers. A typical filename will look like this:
20050806 DMIR 306 SD-M T-Bird NB Iron Junction MN 356pm KNE_0416.jpg
Though fairly self-explanatory, the "SD-M" is the locomotive type, "T-Bird" is the train name, "NB" is northbound, and "KNE_0416 is my camera's automatically assigned filename, which keeps them running in order when there are several images of the same train at the same location.
We accept images in Camera Raw, TIFF, or jpg formats. It typically takes a camera producing images in the 5 or 6 megapixel range to be publishable, and the higher resolution the better. Well-organized images on DVDs is ideal.
Contact Kevin EuDaly at 816-285-6560 for additional details.
