Page 248 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

Chapter 8: Field Photography 227
It is important that the archaeologist or project director decide well in advance what aspects of surface photography need to be covered. Usually, artifacts are photographed in the field entailing a major photographic field commitment. It will be necessary to decide what other aspects of the surface field work need to be covered by photography and how this will fit in with the other photographic work. It may be that a series of photographs will be required for slide show presentations, together with general black and white photographs for press releases. All these considerations should be thor- oughly discussed in the planning stage with the photographers so that they are fully aware of any requirements. Specialists within the project may also have specific photographic needs.
There is one point of warning regarding photographic material. It is essential that the project director ensures that everyone is aware of the con- ditions of photography on an expedition. For example, does anyone have the right to take photographs for their own purposes and publish them at will, or is personal photography embargoed? It can be a potentially diffi- cult situation if the conditions are not made clear. It is perhaps unnecessary to ban photography altogether, but it is not unreasonable for the expedi- tion to expect to be able to obtain particularly important or interesting pho- tographs from team members. Where there are major sponsors who have an interest in the images, the conditions of publication need to be clearly outlined. This may be best done by having a written agreement signed by all expedition members so that there can be absolutely no misunderstand- ings. It is obvious that there are many different ways of handling this situa- tion, but it is important to ensure that everyone understands the rules.
V. GENERAL UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
A good underwater photograph can make a far greater impact than any amount of words, particularly as the underwater world is not familiar to everyone (Figure 8.3). It is necessary, at this point, to differentiate between a general photograph used to illustrate the site for the layman, and the spe- cialized recording photograph used for making the site plans (see later). In the former case, the composition needs to show a particular aspect of the work that is to be illustrated. For illustrative pictures of artifacts or people working, it is essential to get close to the subject. A wide-angle lens is ideal for this type of work because it allows an enormous depth of field, enabling a close-up photograph of a small artifact to be taken with the diver com- pletely in focus in the background. It is extremely good for composition and, at the same time, achieves a clear, crisp image of the object. Again, the photographer needs to always be in front of the subject as there is a