OnLine Parish Clerks for the County of -- Lancashire --

Register Photography

We are currently looking for a few more volunteers to help with photographing registers, mainly at Lancashire Archives (Preston) and Manchester Archives, but occasionally elsewhere. This role is about more than just being a good photographer – we need people who can handle the technical aspects of uploading the batches of images, and who have the ability to be capable ‘ambassadors’ for the group in our dealings with the record office staff and the public. You will need:

• a decent digital camera and the knowledge of how to use it effectively
• a reversible tripod or camera stand, if needed (though sometimes one is available there)
• a laptop computer, a connecting cable to the camera, and appropriate remote capture software to transfer pictures as you photograph (in order to check the results)
• the technical ability to crop or otherwise edit the pictures as needed, and to sort, zip, renumber and upload the images, using our preferred file transfer methods at the time
• your own transport to Preston or Manchester
• an eye for detail, great patience, and accuracy
• a willingness to abide by all the guidelines and regulations as set out by our coordinator, and by the instructions of record office staff, and to take great care of the documents
• a team player, who works well with the existing team, with record office staff, and with the public.

In terms of the expected time commitment, we’d expect around a day or half-day every fortnight, though if you can offer more than that it would be very helpful. Full training and support is given and the first few visits will be trial sessions for you and for us when you will be accompanied by our photography coordinator to check things are working well before making any ongoing commitment either way.

If you are interested in assisting with the task of photographing records, please send an email using this link. We look forward to hearing from you!