Your donation of the Colorado Tombstone photos you have now or take in the future is needed to keep this project growing!
We want all of your Colorado Tombstone photographs. It doesn't matter if you took them because they were kin or if the stone simply caught your eye. We do ask that the engraving on the stone be readable in the donated print or image file.
If you need a volunteer to take photos at Colorado cemeteries see "Finding a Volunteer Photographer" below.
To get the required information to us simply add a note to your email with the attached image files or your US Postal Service letter with the prints along with any other details you want to add.
If you don't have access to a scanner or would rather have someone else do the work, mail actual copies (not Xerox copier type) of your tombstone prints along with the required information to the address below. When the scanned images are uploaded and you approve the product, your prints will be returned to you.
Colorado Tombstone Photo
Project
Wallace Miceli
PO Box R
Berthoud, CO 80513
We have negative and slide scanning capabilities. Please send an email to Tombstone Photo Project before sending negatives or slides.
There are three ways to get your image files to us for uploading:
1. Archives GenRecords Form - Compress and resize your digital tombstone photos and then upload them with the details. A volunteer will link the files you upload to the project cemetery index.
2. E-Mail - Attach the compressed image files to an email message to Tombstone Photo Project along with a note providing the required information. If you chose this method be sure to read the email tips/limits below!
a. Send only compressed images as email attachments. Your scanner's native BMP or TIFF file is not compressed! Your digital camera image file may or may not be compressed depending on the camera and the options you choose. In either case, JPEG photo image compression is usually provided with the basic photo processing software package provided with your camera or scanner.
b. Limit your email message attachments to a single photo or a group of photo images totaling less than 1 MB (1000 kb) per message! If you want to send several photos, you can zip them in batch files in order to send them in the minimum number of messages and in the least amount of time. If you don't know how to zip files there is an excellent WinZip tutorial (**NEW LINK**).
c. The total file size of the image attachments sent during any one day (either via a series of messages with one photo or as a group of photos attached to a single message) should also be limited to about 3 or 4 MB (3000 or 4000 kb)!
d. If you have a large number of photographs to send via email, please contact me before sending them.
3. US Postal Service - Copy your image files to a floppy or CD and mail it to the address provided in the Contributing Prints section above along with a note providing the required information and a listing of individual tombstone names vs. image file name. Note: Many film developers now provide an image CD at nominal cost when your print or slide film is processed. Your CD will be returned to you after you approve the upload.
General Tips for Scanning/Digital Photographs:
Image Size/Format: Remember the target media for your photo is display on a computer monitor. For most visitors, that monitor will have a viewable display area of 600x400 pixels. However the 600x400 pixel image size is only a rule of thumb! Many tombstone images (the flat V.A. markers come to mind) are quite readable in smaller display formats. Large stones with low contrast or small engraving (Woodsman of the World markers come to mind) are not readable on the monitor at twice the size. I have found the most effective way to deal with the large stones is to provide an overall view (with a reasonable display size) and a close-up view (or views) to provide the necessary detail of the engraving.
File Size and Compression: When I process an image file, my target compressed file size is 50kb. Again that is only a rule of thumb. Some tombstone images are quite readable cropped and compressed to 15 kb. Other tombstone images with larger formats and more detail produce files as large as 150 kb after compression. We must also remember that the JPEG compression standard actually throws away photo information in the compression process. Applying too much compression results in an image with fuzzy text and blurred tombstone details. My personal rule of thumb for "normal" JPEG compression is about 15:1 and I change it as necessary.
Scanner Tips:
Scanner vs. Display Resolution: This setting is expressed in dot per inch (dpi) for both media. If you accept your scanner software's default 72 dpi scan resolution for a 3.5 x 5 photograph to be displayed on a monitor, you will wind up with an image that is only about 350x240 pixels. If the original photo was a close-up of a tombstone that had large engraving and few other details, that may be all the resolution that is needed. However, I have found that using 150-200 dpi for the scanner resolution usually provides a better starting point (a displayed image 750-1000 pixels wide before cropping). Your scanner software may provide a separate enlargement setting that can be used to adjust display size instead of changing the resolution.
Small Stones: If the headstone image size is only a small part of the overall print size, scan only the immediate area around the headstone in the print and increase the resolution setting to provide the additional pixels needed for the display. If the headstone is only 2x1 inches in the original photograph, we can set the scanner resolution at 300 dpi, scan only the area with the headstone and produce a clear close-up headstone image that will almost fill the standard 640x480 computer display.
Bottom Line: The more detail in the original scan (consistent with a reasonable compressed file size) the better. We can always throw out pixels that aren't needed in the final image. We can't add pixels without producing a fuzzy image.
Need Assistance Getting Started? An excellent scanner tutorial can be found at A Few Scanning Tips.
Digital Camera Tips:
(To be added)
Finding a Volunteer Photographer:
The project manager does not recommend any of the volunteer photographers found at any of the sites listed. They are listed here solely to assist those who are unable, for any reason, to take their own photos:
The project manager reserves the right to crop, enhance, and resize your image donations to meet the needs of the project. The project manager also reserves the right to refuse, replace, or remove any images due to poor quality or general unsuitability. Your donation will become a permanent part of the USGenWeb Archives.
You retain the copyright and publishing rights for your donated photographs except those noted here. By donating, you grant the Colorado Tombstone Photo Project non-exclusive permanent publishing rights to your photographic work. The USGenWeb notice at the end of this page will be posted on the index page linked to your photographs.
Return to: Colorado Tombstone Photo Project Page
Contributed for use by the Colorado USGenWeb Tombstone Photo Project (http://www.usgenweb.org) and by the COGenWeb Archives Project
USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic photographs may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.