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The Limitations of Photography for Recording Inscriptions Photography has severe limitations as an accurate method of recording Egyptian monuments. The strong light and dark shadows created by the intense sunlight of Egypt conspire to hide much information the photographer seeks to record. In the bright afternoon sunshine, even the most pronounced sunk relief carvings are "washed out" by the strong light. Deep shadow does much the same thing. Only when the sun shines perpendicular to the wall, creating a raking light which brings out the details of the carvings, is photography most effective as a recording medium. Even then, there are limits. |
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Shadows and visual distractions like damage to the wall surface obscure details in the photo of a palimpsest relief on the left. It is much easier to see the two different versions of the relief in the drawing on the right. |
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