National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior HFC onMEDIA April | 5 Issue 6

The bright and shining faces In This Issue of the future; a few of HFC’s interns from the past year. (Left to right, top to bottom) Derrick Schultz, Cincinnati; Kristina Klein, Shepherd; Greg Koch, Cincinnati; Take Your Katrina Marhefka, Cincinnati; page 2 Best Shot: David Gagner, Humboldt State; Selecting and Zach Norman, Cincinnati. Using the Right Digital Camera

Planning and page Designing 5 Right, So You From the Manager Can Build it Right With the return of spring, I invariably find my thoughts turning to more than just the seasonal renewal that we are experiencing. Thinking of new approaches, new ways of looking at the routine, I am reminded of the interns that we have had over the last few Peopling the years. Students have come to us from Humboldt State University, the universities of page Landscapes at 6 Pea Ridge Cincinnati and Washington, and from our local neighbor, Shepherd University. We currently have a park ranger on a four-month detail from Pinnacles National Monu- ment. Though these people come with varying skills and interests, they all come with great enthusiasm and look at our work with new eyes. Their questions about how we do The Second our work are a constant reminder to us of how easily our assumptions become routine. page Bank Portrait We find that, as we work with them, we reconnect with our own original enthusiasms 7 Gallery and are invigorated by that process. One of our designers said to me that she wasn’t “sure who learns more, Harpers Ferry Center or the students.” One of the benefits that interns bring to HFC is their knowledge of where technology is taking us—an invalu- Typography: able asset. So as the days lengthen and the birds return, we look to these interns to be page Using NPS an important aspect of who we are and what we do as a Center. 8 Rawlinson

IMI Course Opportunity

— Gary Cummins onMEDIA National Park Service 1 HFC onMEDIA is produced and Take Your Best Shot published by Harpers Ferry Center. Selecting and Using the Right Digital Camera Statements of facts and views are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect an opinion or an endorsement by the National Park Service. Digital cameras are everywhere. They have taken the con- Mention of trade names or sumer electronics industry by storm. According to InfoTrends commercial products does not necessarily constitute recommen- Research Group, worldwide consumer digital camera sales hit dation for use by the National Park Service. 53 million units in 2004, and are predicted to rise 15 percent Send questions and comments to annually over the next four years to 82 million units by 2008. Gary Candelaria either by email With so many choices of makes and models, megapixels, and at [email protected] or call 304 535 6058. To contact the “must have” features, it has become more and more difficult editorial staff email Bob Grogg at [email protected] or call to select the right camera. Once you choose a model, the next 304 535 6415. challenge is understanding how best to use it. Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton This article focuses on selecting the right Because digital cameras routinely cap- digital camera for use in interpretive me- ture millions of pixels with each image, Director, National Park Service dia, and capturing digital photos for use in it’s more useful to describe their sizes in Fran P. Mainella such varied media as exhibit panels, print terms of “Megapixels” (Mp), where 1 Mp publications, wayside exhibits, and web- equals 1 million pixels. A 6.3 Mp camera, Associate Director, sites. Because so many park staff are now for example, can capture a maximum of Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands taking digital photos and trying to find 6.3 million pixels in a single photograph. Sue Masica ways to incorporate them into the inter- The number of pixels you need to capture pretive media they produce – or that they in a digital photo, of course, depends on Manager, Harpers Ferry Center ask Harpers Ferry Center to produce – it’s how you will use your pictures. The re- Gary Cummins vitally important to learn some basic rules quirements for pictures used on a website about this powerful new technology. differ greatly, for instance, from pictures Editor used in a glossy publication or large Bob Grogg

Pixels, Megapixels, and Resolution exhibit panel. Art Director Pixels are the building blocks of all digital Robert Clark, images. A digital photo is made up of rows Another part of the digital picture equa- Office of NPS Identity of tiny squares (pixels) that make up a rect- tion is image resolution. Resolution refers Senior Designer angular grid. An image on a web page, for to the number of pixels represented in Zach Norman instance, might be made up of 500 rows of a given physical space – the density of pixels with 400 pixels across each row (for information in the digital image. It is de- Contributors, April 2005 Chad Beale a total of 200,000 pixels). All digital cam- scribed alternately as pixels per inch (ppi) Don Branch era photos begin life as RGB color images, or dots per inch (dpi), which are both the Lakita Edwards where each pixel is either red, green or same measure. The denser the pixels are David T. Gilbert blue. Each pixel can also have a number of in a given physical space, the larger the Mark W. Johnson P.J. Lewis different brightness values, which directly image file’s size becomes. A web image Neil Mackay affects the discreet levels of tonal change that is 640 pixels x 480 pixels x 72 pixels Mark Muse that can be captured in a digital photo. per inch might be 300 kilobytes (kb) or Michael Paskowsky This amount, or depth, of information smaller. Alternately, a photo that is 8 inch The National Park Service cares contained in each pixel is known as “bit x 10 inch x 300 dots per inch might be 8 for special places saved by the depth”: a pixel in an 8-bit image can have megabytes (MB) or larger! On the next American people so that all may 256 discreet values, while a pixel in a 16-bit page is a guide for typical image sizes. experience our heritage. image can have 65,536 discreet values. EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA™ onMEDIA April 2005 National Park Service 2 Advantages of Image Dimensions Image Size Display Size Exhibit Size Print Size Digital Photography Pixels Megapixels 72 ppi 200 dpi 300 dpi •Rapidly emerging technol- on Web page for wayside exhibit for print publication ogy with lots of new features 640 x 480 .3 Mp 8" x 6.6" 3.2" x 2.4" 2.1" x 1.6" and capabilities. 1600 x 1200 1.8 Mp 22.2" x 16.6" 8" x 6" 5.3" x 4" 2400 x 1800 4.2 Mp 33.3" x 25" 12" x 9" 8" x 6" •You can work with images 3200 x 2400 7.5 Mp 44.4" x 33.3" 15.9" x 12" 10.6" x 8" on your personal computer.

It’s important to note that some digital If you’re maintaining a website or taking •Small size of many digital cameras makes them easier cameras capture images at 72 ppi, while pictures only to document park resourc- to carry than bulkier film others save them at 300 ppi. As the chart es, activities or events, and storing these cameras. above shows, the image size and pixel images on a computer or printing them

dimensions – not the resolution – are the out on an office printer, a 2 Mp cam- •You can immediately view important numbers when taking your pic- era would be sufficient. If you’re using photos as you take them to tures. The resolution becomes important your pictures for commercially printed see if you have what you only when the image is transferred to your brochures, reports, or site bulletins, want and immediately delete computer and processed for use in a print you may want to purchase a 4.2 Mp or images you do not want. publication, exhibit display, or website. higher camera. Alternately, if you need larger pictures for full-page spreads in •You can choose the size and There is an inverse proportional relation- print publications, or for exhibit panels quality of the images as you ship between the physical size of an image or wayside exhibits, you should use a shoot them. and its resolution. For example, if you 6.3 Mp or higher camera. A selection of •Images can be easily have a 4 inch x 5 inch x 200 dpi image good high-end digital cameras appears emailed, included in a publi- and you scale the image to double its size on page 4. These cameras range in price cation, put on a web page, or to 8 inches x 10 inches, the density of the from $800 - $8,000. copied to CD-ROM. pixels in the image will be spread out, resulting in a 100 dpi image – cutting the Digital Picture File Types Disadvantages resolution of the original image in half. Purchasing the right digital camera is •Good digital cameras are Conversely, if you reduce the image di- an important step, but you also need to three to four times more mensions to 2 inches x 2.5 inches, you will understand your options for capturing expensive than film cameras. double the image resolution to 400 dpi. and saving digital images. Most digital camera users are probably familiar with •Digital camera technology Image editing software does provide JPEG (.JPG) format files. JPEG is both a ages very rapidly. tools to resize both image dimensions file type and a method of data compres- and resolution independently, but be- sion for digital images. Because image •Small size of many digital cameras makes them hard ware. Trying to increase both the image files contain large amounts of raster to hold steady. dimensions and resolution (to “blow up” data (rows and columns of pixels), they the image) usually results in unsatisfacto- tend to be very large, quickly filling up •Most digital cameras do not ry results. Because image editing software camera memory and causing problems have interchangeable lenses must create new pixels to meet the higher for some types of uses such as website – those that do are expensive. dimensions and resolution you’ve speci- display or email transfer. JPEG com- fied, the software ends up guessing what pression can significantly reduce the file •Cameras have many features the color and brightness values of those size of digital pictures, but beware. JPEG you may never need, notice, new pixels should be (called “interpola- utilizes “lossy” compression, attempt- or understand. tion”), and image quality suffers. ing to throw away pixels that are either redundant or very similar to adjacent •Most digital cameras are very Picking the Right Digital Camera image pixels. The more you compress automated, giving the pho- You should base your digital camera JPEG images (typical options for im- tographer little direct control. selection on what its primary use will be. age quality are low, medium, high, and

onMEDIA April 2005 National Park Service 3 Selected Digital Cameras maximum), the more picture informa- camera sensor. By shooting and saving (6.3 Mp or higher) tion is thrown away and the more visible your pictures in digital raw format, you Canon EOS-1D image deterioration results. More impor- get unparalleled control over the inter- tantly, the lost picture information cannot pretation of the image. When you open Canon EOS-1Ds be recovered. the picture using image editing software Canon EOS-1D Mark II that supports the camera manufacturer’s While JPEG compression is appropriate digital raw format, you can control white Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II for images used on websites or trans- balance, tonal response, color balance, ferred to colleagues via email, you should color saturation, image sharpening, Canon EOS 10D

never use this type of compression for noise reduction, and for some digital Canon EOS 20D images that must reproduce at high qual- raw files, you can even reinterpret the ity. Additionally, the JPEG file format exposure compensation. Adobe Photo- Canon EOS 300D does not support 16-bit color, further shop CS supports digital raw import for Canon EOS 350D reducing its suitability for high resolution more than 70 different cameras. Adobe image output. has also created a new Digital Negative Canon PowerShot G6 (DNG) file specification in an attempt Epson R-D1 The TIFF (.TIF) image format, on the to standardize the various digital raw file other hand, is a “lossless” file format, formats now used by different camera Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro which means that all the original raster manufacturers. data captured in the file is preserved. Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro

TIFF also supports 16-bit color, which In Conclusion Kodak DCS 14n better captures the subtle levels of tonal As you might expect, digital raw files change in a digital image. These advantag- give graphic designers maximum control Kodak DCS Pro 14nx es, however, come at a cost: TIFF files are over the image when adapting it for use Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n generally much larger than JPEG files. in print or large exhibit display. Harpers Ferry Center urges digital photographers Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c While virtually all digital cameras sold to never sacrifice image quality when Konica Minolta Maxxum today allow you to save your picture data taking digital pictures for use in their 7D/Dynax 7D in JPEG format, and many cameras also interpretive media. Purchase as much support TIFF, both file formats share a camera memory as you can, always shoot Leica Digilux 2 (5 Mp) common disadvantage: the image data at the camera’s maximum image size, and Nikon D70 is “processed” by the camera as the data save your images in digital raw format. is saved to memory. The user has little Another important piece of advice is to Nikon D100 control over this processing, which relies always use a tripod when shooting at on standard data manipulation algorithms maximum resolution. If a tripod is not Nikon Coolpix 8400 built into the JPEG and TIFF file formats, available, hold the camera up to your Nikon Coolpix 8700 as well as on different features built into head and use the camera’s eyepiece –not individual cameras by manufacturers. the LCD viewer – so that camera move- Olympus E-1 ment and vibration are kept to an abso- Olympus E300 “Digital raw capture” has become the lute minimum when the shutter snaps. latest buzzword – and feature – of Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom higher-end digital cameras. The digital Not only have digital cameras made Panosonic DMC-LC1 (5 Mp) raw format is actually a general term for a picture-taking convenient, but the results variety of proprietary file formats – such from an assortment of high-end cameras Pentax *ist D as Canon’s .CRW and .CR2, Olympus’ have proved to be more reliable than .ORF, and the various flavors of Nikon’s film. How quickly times have changed! Sigma SD10 .NEF – that share important common Sony DSC-F828 features. These raw files record the unprocessed data captured by the digital Sony DSC V3 onMEDIA April 2005 National Park Service 4 Planning and Designing Right, So You Can Build it Right

It was one of those Eureka moments. Patti Reilly and Jeanette Parker of the National Parks of New York Harbor (NPNH) Edu- cation Center project were looking at plans and drawings for “Sentinels of Our Shore” workshop. “We were delighted to see the way the plans had turned out. Just as we had hoped, the layout and teaching aids suit the program perfectly.” The plans and drawings they were reviewing had been prepared by Don Branch, exhibit designer, with contributions from Neil Mackay, exhibit planner, and Lakita Edwards, education specialist—all of Harpers Ferry Center.

The NPNH Education Center’s overall been working on the Sentinels project— goal is to stimulate inquiry and encour- about New York Harbor defenses—with age visitors to make discoveries about Elizabeth Hoermann of the Northeast their environment and the variety of Center for Education Services (NCES) resources around New York Harbor. Its and Dan Meharg of the NPNH Educa- programs target specific age groups—pri- tion Center for some time. The program marily school classes—to make use of the is offered in the Coastal Defense work- National Park Service’s resources with Na- shop, one of several spaces within the tional Park sites in the New York Harbor Education Center. Having gone through region and to meet the education stan- their development process, they had dards for each grade group. The program reached the point where they needed to development process the Center team has take the next step and bring in people followed begins with a planning charrette who could take the concepts, mock-ups, involving content specialists, educators working prototypes, and results from the and NPS project team members. The team pilot testing and transform these ideas The Education Center uses a mix develops program activities, creates proto- into a robust, safe, and engaging physical of elements to engage students. type teaching aids to support the activities, space. The 19th century map of New York harbor was enlarged to become uses a pilot period to test approaches, and part of the Center’s floor. Students conducts focus discussions with educators To do this, Reilly and Parker had decided use it as they figure out how best to get feedback and evaluation. This pro- to take this project to Harpers Ferry to defend the city. The reproduction cannon, besides having an amazing cess results in program revisions. Where Center. They knew that because HFC is “wow” factor, is at the center of is the best fit of park resources and school project funded, the park would have to activities investigating the effects needs? How do national, state, and local pay HFC staff costs. Consequently, they of more or less gunpowder, heavier standards play into the needs of all par- built the funding into their overall proj- or lighter cannon balls, and lower or higher firing angles. ties? These are the kinds of questions the ect plans. They were eager to work with staff and its partners routinely asked about HFC’s newly hired education specialist, their undertakings. as well as other veteran HFC designers. At the final meeting of educators and The “Sentinels of Our Shores” program park staff, exhibit planner Neil Mackay was no exception. Reilly and Parker had and education specialist Lakita Edwards onMEDIA April 2005 National Park Service 5 Peopling the Landscapes from HFC joined the group so they could Collaboration with Harpers Ferry Center at Pea Ridge hear first-hand what the teachers, Parker, did not end with the review of the plans. Reilly, and other members of the program Branch, Edwards, and Mackay worked project team wanted to achieve. with HFC’s procurement office to find fabricators in the New York City area to Over the next few months discussions keep shipping costs down. Knowing, too, continued about how the design could that no matter how sturdy the activity support the content. Ideas were fleshed installations were built, relentless use by out and developed into teaching aids 10-year-olds would result in considerable and room exhibits appropriate for wear and tear. Having a nearby fabricator fourth-graders. Exhibit designer Don knowledgeable about the project would Branch began working with the Educa- keep things running. And to return to

tion Center staff, Edwards, and Mackay, the prototype idea, it was as much about In May 2002, Pea Ridge NMP learning from them what teachers needed creating a way of working as it was about interpreters were stymied. while designing how the space would be making a product that could be used that As they worked with HFC organized to support the activities. An was important. wayside planner Mark important goal in the work of Branch, Johnson to start a parkwide Edwards, and Mackay was ensuring that The installation was completed in the wayside project, there was the goals and objectives developed in the spring of 2004. So far it has exceeded one inescapable obstacle. early meetings between park staff and expectations. Typical of new concepts, a No historic images exist of teachers would translate into effective few glitches must be addressed, and on- the March 1862 battle. Good teaching tools. Branch’s experience had going maintenance is a fact of life. Later waysides need two things to be effective: to be on the taught him that teachers and designers this year the park will conduct a formal exact spot where you wish to approach problems from very different evaluation. What can we say now in the make your point, and to have perspectives. The synthesis coming out final analysis about this collaboration? a picture that illuminates the of these different points of view creates Cost was a factor, and involving HFC story. Only one present-day an energy that results in a product that staff did add to the cost of the project. artist had ever painted a scene is far better than what either could have Return on the investment, however, is a at Pea Ridge. In 1997, Andy done independently. This is what Reilly very different matter, for the value that Thomas, on commission for and Parker were hoping for when they their work added far exceeded the actual the friends of Pea Ridge, had engaged Harpers Ferry Center. It was costs. Perhaps the greatest value was the recreated the moment when the attention to all these goals that led to professional discourse that took place Confederates overran Elkhorn Parker’s and Reilly’s reactions when they relating to design and education, and Tavern. His work captures the reviewed the plans. how that discourse applies to the entire emotions on the faces of the National Park Service. soldiers, and faithfully depicts the tavern and surrounding Overriding everything was the idea that terrain. The park decided to if a park and HFC could create a method hire Thomas to create the for taking ideas and content and turn- art for their new waysides. ing the entire project into a workshop, it Telephone calls and an on-site could become a prototype for other edu- art-planning visit followed. cation centers throughout the NPS. They On Saturday, March 5, 2005, as hoped to do more than just solve their part of the 143rd anniversary own problem of how to turn ideas for of the battle, Thomas showed educational activities into a physical envi- the paintings and fielded ronment and tools for learning. So HFC questions from the public is teaming up with NCES and the NPNH about his year-long effort. The paintings will help park visi- Education Center to develop a case study Students engage in hands-on learning with about this work in order to share results reproduction cannon. tors imagine they are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the with other parks. troops. onMEDIA April 2005 National Park Service 6 The Second Bank Portrait Gallery

radar. In the same week that the open- ing hoopla for the spectacularly expand- ed Museum of Modern Art in New York reached fever pitch, a trip to Phila- delphia unexpectedly led to the seren- dipitous discovery of such a low-key treasure. This was also a reconceived The Second Bank’s exhibit galleries institution, although any comparison of have been organized to explain key the suave, near-billion-dollar reconfigu- ideas of 18th-century Enlighten- ration of MoMA and its new building ment. At left, these portraits illus- and collections with the retrofitting and trate the nature of period education and its importance to the young reinstallation of the landmark Second republic. Above, the newly ac- Bank of the United States, now the por- cesible entrance to the Second Bank trait gallery of Independence National features cutout figures to populate Historical Park, stops before it starts. the space and greet visitors.

This modest museum reopened with- The gallery at the bottom duplicates The Second Bank of the United States out fanfare on Dec. 1 after a two-year part of Peale’s own organization for in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was built restoration and the complete reinter- his museum in Independence Hall (as seen in his image on the large between 1819-1824 and served for 12 years pretation of its displays. But what a rare panel that welcomes visitors). Below, as the nation’s central bank. The National experience of art, history and humanity a page from the interactive catalog Park Service acquired the building in 1939 this elegant work of architecture and its leads users into the riches of infor- and in 1974 opened it as a portrait gallery eloquent contents turned out to be.” mation about a specific painting in the park’s collection. featuring the paintings of the founders, patriots, and personages of the first years Huxtable goes on to say, “there is an of the new republilc, by Charles Willson intimacy and authenticity to these por- Peale and his son Rembrandt Peale. Two traits that is overwhelming. The setting years ago the building closed for much- expresses the period’s highest aspira- needed work on the structure’s mechani- tions of symbolism and style. The com- cal systems and for a refurbishment of bination of place and people magically the exhibits. Independence NHP Curator erases time, giving powerful presence Karie Diethorn managed the complex and meaning to the past.” task of fabricating and installing the exhibits with technical guidance and sup- port by Harpers Ferry Center’s PJ Lewis, Michael Paskowsky, Kim Strite, and Linda Thomas. Dave Gilbert assisted in the development and installation of an interactive computer catalog. The excerpt below comes from a review of the work in the Wall Street Journal, February 22, 2005. The author is Ada Louise Huxtable, architecture critic.

“In the museum world, where size, hype and novelty compete for attention, it is easy for a small gem to slip under the onMEDIA April 2005 National Park Service 7 Typography: Using NPS Rawlinson IMI Course Opportunity Park managers today bear an increasing responsibility for the development of park In 2000, the National Park Service com- NPS Rawlinson Old-Style interpretive media. The spe- missioned James Montalbano of Terminal The old-style character set should be cialized knowledge and skills Design to create a serif typeface for the used whenever numbers will appear needed to be an effective new NPS Identity Standards. Based on within a block of copy, as in a newsletter member of a media develop- ment team will be the heart NPS requirements and specifications, article. Old-style numerals are designed of a course offered jointly Montalbano created NPS Rawlinson. to have ascenders (portions that rise by the Intermountain Region Rawlinson’s letterforms, which are mod- above the x-height of the other letters, and Harpers Ferry Center eled after classic European typefaces, help as in the lower case letters b, d, f, h, k, l, Interpretive Media Institute. to reinforce the National Park Service’s and t) and descenders (portions that fall Developing Media for rich graphic traditions. The type works below the text baseline, as in the lower Interpretive Centers will be well in a wide variety of applications, from case letters g, j, p, q, and y). This feature offered in Lakewood, Colo- park newsletters and publications to web- allows the numbers to blend in with the rado, July 26-29, 2005. This sites. A variation of NPS Rawlinson (NPS rest of the text and not stand out like course focuses on interior Roadway) has even been developed for tabular numerals, which look like capital exhibits and AV presentations. maximum legibility when used on highway letters in the midst of the narrative. Planning, media strategies, guide signs. funding, cost estimating, contracting, planning, design, production, and maintenance NPS Rawlinson is used by the National 1234567890 will all be covered. Partici- Park Service under license from Terminal pants will become familiar Design. This licensing agreement is ascenders with media standards and unrestricted, meaning that the NPS— x-height will learn how the Regional or any entity working with or for the NPS Ah36j2g descenders Office of Interpretation and —may use this typeface on any project Education and Harpers Ferry benefitting the agency. NPS Rawlinson Tabular Center can assist. The course NPS Rawlinson tabular figures (which is open to any NPS or partner One of the most important things to are identified by the letter “T” following employee in the Intermoun- tain Region who is currently— remember when using NPS Rawlinson the name of the font) should be used or soon will be—managing is that there are two distinct versions of when numbers are to appear in a list, a development of exhibits, AV the typeface: one includes old-style spreadsheet, or a chart of some kind. numerals, the other includes tabular programs, or historic furnish- In these cases, when numbers are not ings in an interpretive center numerals. The difference between these embedded in text, it is more comfort- in collaboration with contrac- numerals is explained below and at right. able for the viewer if every character is tors, partners, or Harpers As you will see, the version you choose the same height and shares the same Ferry Center. is determined by your purpose. baseline. Additionally, each numeral in the tabular figure set occupies the same Applications should go to The red shaded Old-Style Tabular [email protected]. area in the Old- amount of horizontal space, so numbers Style example align with those above and below in a shows the space column (see left). Queries about the course that is lost to mis- itself may be made to alignment when [email protected]. 14 14 the numbers are stacked vertically. 1234567890 The Tabular numer- als are flush with either side of the ascenders column. 36 36 x-height Ah36j2g descenders onMEDIA April 2005 National Park Service 8