ART BITES
NEWS FROM THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM
ONE GREAT PHOTO AT A TIME 100 megapixels. 16 bits of color. 15 stops of dynamic range. The specs of the museum’s new medium-format camera will have gadget geeks salivating. But for the rest of us, it means that the museum has elevated its already high-quality imaging to world-class standards. The camera’s incredibly high resolution produces stunning clarity. Instead of taking multiple shots of an artwork, museum photographer Kevin Candland can extract details from a single overall image. Researchers can discern brushstrokes that they would not have been able to see in the original. The camera can also capture subtle gradations of a hue. “Curators have been able to see multiple variations of blue in a ceramic glaze that they hadn’t been able to see in a photograph before,” says Candland. The new camera will also help protect precious artworks. The quality is such that in many cases conservators, curators and researchers will be able to refer to images rather than the original artwork, saving a delicate handscroll from frequently being unrolled, for instance. "We can now share the museum collection with people across the world in a way never before possible," says Candland. n
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Left: Museum photographer Kevin Candland using the new camera to photograph a screen. Below: This pair of images shows the difference in resolution between a photograph taken with a previous camera (left) and one taken with the new mediumformat camera (right). The Buddhist deity Vajrabhairava (detail), approx. 1700–1800. Tibet. Bronze with gilding. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60B139. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.