Dear list members,
   I am writing to see if anyone has any advice or information for the
photographic documentation of historic (19th century) grafitti. A colleague
and I want to take pictures and document some inscriptions (names and
dates) and some simple drawings that have been carved into an outcropping
of bedrock. Many of them are very faint, either due to the way they were
carved or the deteriation of the rock face itself over the last century.
The rock is actually exposed bedrock, so it is flat on the ground surface,
subject to people walking on it and the elements (to date there is no fence
or other way to keep people off the rock; most probably don't even realize
that there are historical markings on the rock!)There is already a large
section of the rock face that has spauled off.
   I have searched the archives of this listserv, and saw references to
gravestone photography and documentation, but nothing for historic grafitti
and carvings/inscriptions. I plan to use a digital camera so that I can
modify the color settings to increase the contrast when I get home. Any
other suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you very much for your time,

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Hoag
PhD candidate,
Department of Anthropology
SUNY ALbany
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