INFORMATION ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY PROJECT:

The objective of this project is to photographically document buildings and structures that were built in 1823 or earlier in every city and town in New Hampshire. A future exhibit and publication will be planned to share our work with the public. Below are draft guidelines for the project.

• 1.     Identify structures (buildings, barns, churches, forts, covered bridges, etc.) in a town or city that was constructed in 1823 or earlier. Local historical societies and the state preservation office will be helpful in identifying these structures.
• 2.     Photograph the structure under the best lighting conditions making sure the entire structure is included in the photograph.
• 3.     Make detail shots of the exterior / interior architecture that you find interesting, this is an opportunity for creative visual exploration of the structure.
• 4.     Please make sure the exterior photograph of the entire structure (vertical lines of the building are straight). This can be accomplished in camera or in software such as Photoshop or Lightroom. NHSPA will run a future workshop on photographing architecture.
• 5.     Fill out the provided NHSPA Building Documentation Form
• 6.     Digital or film cameras can be used for this project. All digital captures must be shot in raw file format. Images can be in black and white or color. Please do not use smart phones, iPads, etc., files from these devices will not be accepted.
• 7.     Use a tripod to carefully compose your photograph of the building. We need well lit, sharp photographs with as much detail as possible (use native ISO for your camera whenever possible). Finished images should have a full range of tones (please no high contrast or over saturated, over sharpened images). Do not edit out power lines or other objects from the scene. Please see the Associated Press guidelines below.
• 8.     Submit your corrected  / edited file as a full resolution tif, 16 bit, Adobe 1998 colorspace.
• 9.     Submit your photography for this project to NHSPA
• 10. NHSPA will hold scheduled meetings to discuss the process of the project and to collect files. Building Documentation Forms should be turned in at the same time as the photo files.
• 11. Photography for this project will take place from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023
• 12. In order to participate in this project, you must be a current member of NHSPA

NHSPA needs your help and input on this project:

How do we cover the entire state and include every town, city, etc.? According to the New Hampshire State Government website, NH has 13 cities, 221 towns, and 25 unincorporated places.

Should we assign photographers to regions / locations around the state in order to get adequate coverage? Would a member like to manage this aspect of the project? ( we can provide a list of towns and cities in the state).

How do we prevent duplication of effort where multiple photographers may photograph the same buildings in a particular location, this could be a problem with a place like Portsmouth or Dover for example?

Would a member like to volunteer to do some research to find out if there is an existing state wide inventory of old buildings we can work from? I will be contacting the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.

What have we missed?

Associated Press Guidelines

The content of a photograph must not be altered in Photoshop or by any other means. No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph. The faces or identities of individuals must not be obscured by Photoshop or any other editing tool. Only retouching or the use of the cloning tool to eliminate elements such as dust and scratches are acceptable.

Minor adjustments in Photoshop are acceptable. These include cropping, dodging and burning, conversion into grayscale, and normal toning and color adjustments that should be limited to those minimally necessary for clear and accurate reproduction (analogous to the burning and dodging often used in darkroom processing of images) and that restore the authentic nature of the photograph. Changes in density, contrast, color and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable. Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning.