From: Phillip Murphy (pmurf@bellsouth.net)
Date: 09/27/03-08:38:07 AM Z
It is unfortunate that Daguerreotypes are exhibited in the same lighting
as photographs. Low lighting is not the issue
(Daguerreotypes can look extraordinary under candle light). The issue
is the critical angleof the
light source/plate position and the level of ambient light within the
exhibition area. Unlike paper photographs,
the Dagurreotype image has a critical angle of viewing; not unlike
Holograms with their
narrow viewing angle. Also, unlike photographs, the mirror surface of a
Daguerreotype
requires the reflecting of blackness to achieve it's "black point" or
visual D-max.
Unless you wear black, or the gallery has provided black card stock to
hold in front of you while
viewing or the plate is angled to reflect a darkened room, the image
quality will be compromised. The
compromise is usually in proportion to the level of ambient light in the
room and the reflective surfaces therein.
Another factor is the glass that is used to seal the Daguerreotype.
Clear glass such as the type used for microscope slides or Water White
Denglas
is essential in my opinion for optimum viewing. Particularlyfor the more
delicate images.
My preference in lighting Daguerreotypes is Fiber Optic lighting.
The light can be positioned with exactness, the light intensity is
easily adjustable
and there is very little to no heat transmitted. For a gallery,
many images can be lit from a single light source by utilizing a fiber
optic matrix.
The added shame of poor gallery exhibition of Daguerreotypes is that the
medium poorly translates into book pages
or web images for that matter. It's like looking at film stills
compared to watching the movie in a cinema.
With the inflated prices of vintage Daguerreotypes these days, it
appears that the general public
may only have a chance to view them within gallery environments. All
the more reason for
those in exhibition leadership to insist that their staff budget for
improvements on "old school" lighting solutions for their galleries.
-Phillip
ARTHURWG@aol.com wrote:
I saw this show in Paris in June, in its larger form. I found it
extremely difficult to see the pictures, due mostly to their reflective
surfaces, poor lighting in the exhibition rooms and rather faint
images. Fortunately the
accompanying book, now presumably available in an English version,
shows the images to perfection. Arthur
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