| Author |
Message |
Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: presbspec
Post Number: 119
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 01:22 pm: |    |
OK my friends, I have a stumper. At least it is for me. I'm one of those point and click photographers, it gets any more complicated I'm in trouble.
I have a selective demolition section I'm writing and we want to require photo documentation of building elements indicated to remain, so if damaged during the demolition phase, the damage can be repaired using the photos to show the original condition.
I'm giving the contractor a choice of digital or negative photography and requiring jpg's of the digital, but what resolution should I be requiring. (I do at least know there is a difference there.) What do you recommend? |
Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: awhitacre
Post Number: 494
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 02:20 pm: | |
we don't get that picky. its the contractor's dollar if he damages something and can't demonstrate that it was that was to begin with. so the answer is "film it well enough to keep yourself out of a lawsuit in case something goes wrong." they'll do what their insurance carrier thinks is appropriate.
and, don't go negatives. you want digital archives. |
Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: presbspec
Post Number: 120
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 04:59 pm: | |
Thanks Anne, I agree with you. However, this was a specific request from my client. |
Sheldon Wolfe
Senior Member
Username: sheldon_wolfe
Post Number: 247
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 12:26 am: | |
Consider movie format - tape or digital. You can scan a room or area and pick up things that would be difficult to get with a small number of pictures, and ability to include audio comments further enhances the value of a video record. |
Robin E. Snyder
Senior Member
Username: robin
Post Number: 96
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 12:28 am: | |
my specs include a 2 megabyte minimum |
Julie Root
Senior Member
Username: julie_root
Post Number: 80
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 11:56 am: | |
I agree with Sheldon that movie format shows a lot more and is relatively inexpensive these days. You can also make stills from the movie if you need.
If you are going with ditigal still shots and want jpgs as a deliverable you should also specify the dpi for the jpg as well as the megabyte the camera is shooting because even though they shoot the image at a higher resolution they can downgrade it as they transfer the jpgs. We typically request a minimum of 400 dpi.
I may over do it, but our firm typically does care, because while it is the contractor's responsibility we have had too many conditions where the contractor demolishes something then argues that they are replacing it as it was.
If there are historical elements the last HABS project I worked on a year ago still requires film because film still gives a sharpness of detail that ditigal has not yet caught up (unless you are going to require HD which is expensive) AND of not knowing how the translation of ditigal files will play out in the next 50 years. In the historical cases we always request ditigal of the films. |
John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: john_regener
Post Number: 270
Registered: 04-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 01:28 pm: | |
I typically specify for all projects that the perimeter of the project area be videoed by the Contractor to document existing conditions. The same would hold for areas requiring demolition.
The intiative and the responsibility for documentation is placed on the Contractor intentionally. The extent of documentation and degree of detail are under the Contractor's control. When it comes time for restoration and there's a claim, "That's the way we found it," the video record will validate what the existing condition was or was not. If not validated, then the "fix to match" or other similar expression will govern.
It doesn't stop all disputes but it sure helps resolve the ones that come up. |
Tomas Mejia, CCS, CCCA, LEED
Senior Member
Username: tmejia
Post Number: 32
Registered: 09-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 12:36 am: | |
On a Hospital Project I am working on the Owner requested a 4 megabyte minimum. |
John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA
Senior Member
Username: bunzick
Post Number: 687
Registered: 03-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 08:31 am: | |
I think y'all mean megapixel rather than megabyte. These days, 4 megapixel and up cameras are not very expensive. Personally, I think that the method of cataloging and labelling is more important than the resolution. You need to know when each was taken taken, easily done with a date stamp--but also exactly where. One door frame looks just like another unless location is well documented. Also for this reason, I do not encourage the practice of taking hundreds of photos every day by the project rep. When is she going to have the time to properly "label" them all so they are useful?? |
Tomas Mejia, CCS, CCCA, LEED
Senior Member
Username: tmejia
Post Number: 33
Registered: 09-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 12:13 pm: | |
John,
Thanks for clearing up my terminology goof. I went back and looked at the spec. It was written 4.0 mega pixel minimum.
The Owner also requested a minumum 15 photographs biweekly. |
Tracy Van Niel
Senior Member
Username: tracy_van_niel
Post Number: 210
Registered: 04-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 01:10 pm: | |
When I asked the question on this form a while ago about construction photographs being submitted digitally, I received some good input. I also had our IT guy review it at the time and he gave some suggestions on pixel size. This is what we've incorporated into our master as a contractor's option to print construction photographs. The minimum number of photographs varies, depending on the project. From what you all are saying, it sounds like we could update the 2 to 4 though.
A. Digital Photographs: Take a minimum of 12 images of site and construction using a digital camera with a minimum sensor resolution of 2 megapixels and provide images in JPEG file format of not less than 1600 x 1200 pixels.
1. Transmit digital photographs to Architect by email or CD-ROM.
2. JPEG files shall be dated indicating the date and time the image was taken. Brief, but descriptive, file names shall be given to the images. If the image requires additional description, the file’s “Image Description” metadata tag shall be used for this purpose or provide a written description in a separate text document. |
Steven Bruneel, AIA, CSI-CDT, LEED-AP
Senior Member
Username: redseca2
Post Number: 39
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 07:46 pm: | |
We have a lot of photographers in the firm, so we are quite "specific":
A. Still Digital Camera Type: Minimum 6 megapixel camera including one or more lenses capable of a 35mm equivalent range of 28 to 120mm.
1. Lens: Minimum F-2.8 to 16 and capable of capturing entire project site at an acceptable depth-of-field as directed by the Architect.
2. File Type: Provide ".jpg" files of minimum 2,048 by 1,536 file size. |
Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: presbspec
Post Number: 121
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 08:42 pm: | |
Thanks to all of you with your advice. I realize construction photos are important, but did not realize there was so much detail to it.
Margaret |
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