Thread by @BL_MadeDigital

Ever wondered about multispectral imaging or how to photograph manuscripts on location? 🤔

You're in luck, because today we hear from Eugenio, one of our expert heritage photographers @britishlibrary 🤩

Let’s delve right in! #OurDigitalBL

I’m Eugenio, Senior Imaging Technician @britishlibrary

At @BL_Digitisation we produce high quality images of the BL's collection items, as well as for external institutions and customers that entrust us with their cultural treasures to digitise #OurDigitalBL
📖➡️📷➡️💻

The @britishlibrary’s collection is enormous and doesn't just include books, but lots of different items like maps, drawings, paintings & 3D objects

However, the material we digitise most often is manuscripts, which can sometimes be breathtakingly beautiful...
#OurDigitalBL

I’m particularly passionate about recovering information usually left invisible by traditional #digitisation procedures & standards. We've created a new Multispectral and Special Imaging service to help bring this hidden text to life: bl.uk/digitisation-s… #OurDigitalBL

Revealed under UV light, the erased script at the bottom of f.1r proves that Harley MS 45 was owned by Elizabeth Pickering, c.1510-1562, known as the 1st English woman to print books. "Elyzabeth Pickaryng is honor of this boke” bl.uk/manuscripts/Fu… #WomenPrinters #OurDigitalBL

Iron gall ink can be extremely dangerous to documents. Corroding and darkening paper, it makes the page very fragile and difficult to read. We use infrared photography to recover information from this kind of material. As I have with Cotton MS Vespasian C I, f.57r #OurDigitalBL

@BLMedieval Infrared photography on Hatha Yoga manuscript Add MS 24099 revealed substantial changes to the original illustrations. On f.21v the tiger rug was originally in a different position, and the tail on the left was removed in the final version: bl.uk/case-studies/h… #OurDigitalBL

I digitised a manuscript of Elgar’s 'Dream of Gerontius' on location at Birmingham Oratory. On some pages corrections to the text were glued over the original score. By back-lighting the pages I was able to reveal the hidden text beneath: blogs.bl.uk/music/2020/10/… #OurDigitalBL

I really enjoy working on location projects. One of the most interesting was in @MalmesburyAbbey, Wiltshire, to #digitise four volumes of the 15th century Malmesbury Bible preserved in the Abbey: bl.uk/news/2019/octo… #OurDigitalBL

Outside of work I am passionate about art, music and literature. I love backpacking and have visited numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America.

Follow me on Instagram 👇
instagram.com/eugeniofalcion…
#OurDigitalBL

Thanks Eugenio! That was fascinating. We love seeing how items make it online😊

Find out more about @BL_Digitisation services: bl.uk/digitisation-s…

And follow our photographers on Instagram! (because they are just too cool for us 😎): instagram.com/culturalherita… #OurDigitalBL