The work we do demands that our equipment be flexible and capable of adapting to the vastly differing working environments we encounter. Whether lighting and shooting a single work in a private residence, a cavernous gallery, artist’s studio or an outdoor sculpture, we come equipped with the camera, lights, experience and acumen to create museum-quality images in any situation.

Camera

Our primary camera system is built around the Hasselblad H series.  Hasselblad has a long-standing reputation as the world’s premier medium format camera manufacturer – a tradition they have extended into the digital realm.  We chose to work with the H4D 200 MS for several reasons:
– extremely high-resolution images
– outstanding color accuracy
– works with a wide variety of lenses of superior optical quality
– the camera can be tethered to a computer for interior shooting
– the system can also be used as a standalone camera in the field

Depending on the dictates of the project, we can shoot either as a 50 Mega Pixel (MP) single-shot, 50 MP multi-shot or 200 MP multi-shot, producing files up to 1.2 GB – the largest file of any camera currently on the market. Should a particular project have specific needs better met by a different camera we have experience working with virtually all systems offered by other major camera makers.

Lighting

We use studio quality strobe lighting for any shooting where available light will not work. Strobes are the preferred light source because they are daylight balanced and provide color accuracy, consistency and adjust-ability. Because they are used in most studio photography there is a large range of reflectors, light modifiers, umbrellas, softboxes and gels available for specific shooting needs. Strobes also have an added advantage in that the short duration flash minimizes the light exposure to delicate artwork while still providing the output to work at the optimal range of the camera and lens settings to get the sharpest images possible.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Bound Volumes

While there are systems available for institutions looking to digitize a large number of pages – antiquarian books, bound portfolios, artist sketchbooks, ephemera and fragile works require extreme care and handling. To meet this need we have designed and built a custom book cradle that is adjustable and can accommodate over-sized books, books with wide spines and various bindings without putting undue stress on the covers, bindings or delicate pages and has no glass coming into contact with the surface of the page.

Read more about our Bound Volume services.