HABS/HAER/HALS processing services

Photolab can provide complete HABS/HAER/HALS processing services for film and paper. We have extensive experience with meeting Library of Congress & NPS standards. We can assist you with getting your project completed correctly and on time.

The Heritage Documentation Program, part of the National Park Service, administers:

• HABS (Historic American Buildings Survey), the oldest preservation program,
• HAER (Historic American Engineering Record), and
• HALS (Historic American Landscapes Survey).

Film photography continues to be the best way to store visual information about architecture and engineering for the long term, which is why it is still the standard in the HABS, HAER, and HALS collections. Photographs taken and printed for HABS, HAER, or HALS, in accordance with the Secretary’s Standards are made from large-format, black and white film. The images are perspective corrected in the field at the time of capture using a view camera.

Large-format (4x5, 5x7, and 8x10) refers to the size of the negative in inches, not the print.

The large-format negative is preferred for two reasons: longevity of the film and clarity of the image. The material stability of cut sheet film satisfies the archival requirements for longevity (500 years), while the clarity of the resulting image comes from a high level of resolution not possible in smaller film formats.

The photography guidelines necessary for participation in the Heritage Documentation Program can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/PhotoGuidelines.pdf