Photographing Old Sporting Catalogs Without Damaging Them
Why Old Sporting Catalogs Need a Different Approach
Old sporting catalogs can look strong until they are opened like modern books. Many were printed on inexpensive paper, saddle-stitched or cheaply glued, and meant to last a selling season instead of a hundred years. Even nice ones with embossed covers or thick paper can have weak joints, brittle folds, loose wrappers, or pages that have become stiff because of age and storage. The risk during photography usually does not come from the camera. It comes from flattening, twisting, pressing, and handling the catalog too much while trying to get a cleaner picture.
That is why the best way to think is not, “How do I make this book lie flat?” but, “How do I support it enough to capture what is there?” Libraries and archives use overhead photography and supportive stands for bound material for this exact reason. For someone who collects at home, the simple lesson is clear: keep the catalog in a comfortable position, move the camera to the catalog, and allow a little curve if it means no strain. A perfect rectangle on the screen is not worth breaking a spine, popping a staple, or splitting a centerfold.
This is especially important with sporting catalogs because they often have vulnerable parts that are easy to miss: foldout price lists, tipped-in order forms, glossy inserts, tissue guards, thin paper from the war years, and full-page illustrated spreads printed close to the gutter. The more exciting the page, the more likely it is to invite rough treatment. A careful session starts by accepting that the catalog sets the rules, not the person taking the photos.
Start With a Condition Check, Not the Camera
Before you take the first exposure, spend a few minutes checking condition. Look at the hinges and the way the cover is attached. See whether the text block opens easily or whether it stops at a narrow angle. Check whether there are pages already loose at the center, tears that start from the edges, folds that cover text, and inserts that might fall out when the book is tilted. If the paper feels stiff and crackly, or if the binding does not want to open beyond a modest point, plan for a shorter session with more support and fewer page turns.
This quick check changes everything. A catalog that opens to ninety degrees comfortably may work fine with a V-shaped support. A catalog that opens less than that needs more care and a camera position that adjusts to it, not the other way around. If a foldout is attached but does not want to open, do not tug it free just to get a full image. Take photos in parts if needed, supporting the open section while keeping the attachment point relaxed. If pages are already detached, treat them as separate pieces during photography instead of trying to tuck them back in and pretend nothing is wrong.
A good way to think about it is to split the problems into two categories. The first group includes things you can work around safely: a little page curl, some gutter shadow, or a catalog that only opens partway. The second group includes things that mean you should stop: actively flaking media, severe brittleness, detached boards that shift under their own weight, or tears that will get longer when you turn the pages normally. When a book is in that second group, photography should include only what can be done without causing more damage. If more access is needed later, help from a conservator is a separate choice, not something to improvise in the middle of the session.
Create a Setup That Helps the Book Instead of Fighting It
The safest home arrangement is an overhead setup on a clean, roomy surface with the catalog supported from below. This does not require institutional equipment. It does require thinking in layers: a stable table, a support that matches the opening angle, soft materials that do not abrade the cover, and lighting positioned so you are not tempted to keep shifting the catalog. Foam wedges, rolled supports, or a simple cradle can reduce stress dramatically by carrying the weight of each board and the text block instead of forcing all that strain into the spine.
What should be avoided is familiar but destructive: face-down copying on a flatbed, pressing a lid onto an oversize page, stacking books under one side to fake support, or pinning pages open with objects that create pressure points. A catalog should never need to be pried flat to be photographed. If the page curves near the gutter, let it curve. If the cover rises on one side, support it. If the page is larger than the available support, photograph in sections rather than leaving part of it hanging in the air.
Lighting deserves the same restraint. Bright, hot lamps placed close to the catalog can make a session uncomfortable for both object and operator, which leads to rushed handling. Cooler lights set at a reasonable distance are easier to live with and easier to keep consistent. Glare from glossy paper or coated cover stock should be solved by changing the angle of the lights or the camera, not by pressing a sheet of glass or plastic over the catalog. Archives warn against flattening collection materials under rigid sheets during imaging because that pressure can crack or detach fragile media. The cleaner method is to refine the setup until the page can be photographed as supported, not as forced flat.
Turn Pages Like a Reader, Not Like a Scanner
Most damage happens between exposures. Once you start taking photos, slow the page turning enough that each movement is deliberate. Turn from a stronger edge or corner, not from the weak spot near a tear. Let the page rest on its support before making any alignment adjustments. If an opening has an insert, gatefold, tissue sheet, or order blank, take a photo of the object as you found it, then carefully take another photo of the page underneath instead of trying to handle everything at once. The few seconds you save by rushing are exactly what can lead to snagged staples and bent corners.
It also helps to tell the difference between necessary handling and fussy handling. Necessary handling includes opening the next spread, supporting a foldout, or moving a loose sheet to a safe place. Fussy handling is moving the same page over and over to get a tiny bit of symmetry, smoothing a wrinkle with your palm, or opening a stiff spread again and again because the first photo had a small shadow. Old catalogs cannot handle as many repeats as modern books. A photo routine that focuses on getting one good image and a sensible backup instead of making endless refinements will usually keep the object in better condition.
Your hands should be clean and dry, and your workspace should stay free of food, drinks, pens, and clutter. Use clean, dry hands for ordinary paper pages; the Library of Congress specifies gloves for photographs. Cotton gloves can reduce dexterity around fragile paper edges. The important thing is not ritual. It is control. For photographic prints and unfamiliar coated surfaces, follow the material-specific advice from the archive or conservator. Do not assume that the handling method used for plain paper suits every insert.
Handle Foldouts, Inserts, and Loose Pieces as Their Own Mini Projects
Sporting catalogs often become most interesting at the exact point where they become most awkward. A foldout ammunition chart, a regional dealer sheet, a color plate, or a subscription card is not just another page. It changes the support needs and the order of images. When you come to one of these items, pause and treat it as a small separate task. First take a reference picture showing how it sits in the catalog. Then photograph it partly opened, fully opened if that can be done without force, and finally the page underneath if that matters. This sequence keeps the context clear and prevents the urge to keep reopening it later because you forgot how it fit.
Loose inserts should be removed only if they are already free and can be returned without strain. If an item is still attached, keep the attachment intact. If it is fully detached, set it on a proper support and photograph both sides before putting it in a protective enclosure, or back into the catalog only if that storage is still safe. Sliding detached pieces back into a weakened volume may look tidy, but it can cause new abrasion, fresh creases, or simple loss the next time the book is moved.
Oversize pages pose a similar choice. Instead of trying to capture the whole page while part of it hangs unsupported beyond the table edge, take overlapping pictures. That method is less dramatic than a single full spread, but much safer. For researchers or collectors who use the images later, two clear photographs are more useful than one distorted picture that required dangerous handling.
Photograph for Usefulness, Not Just Beauty
A preservation-minded photo session produces images that can stand in for casual rehandling later. That means photographing more than the showpiece cover and center spread. Include the front cover, spine if present, back cover, title or introductory pages, sample page openings that show typography and paper tone, price and ordering information, and any marks that help identify edition or distribution, such as stamped dealers, penciled dates, ownership notes, or mailing labels. A small amount of planning here can spare the catalog from being reopened every time a question comes up.
Consistency helps more than theatrical lighting. Keep the camera as square to the page as the binding allows. Maintain a repeatable distance so scale changes are not distracting. If the catalog is small enough, include a simple neutral measurement reference in a few overall shots, then leave it out of close images if it crowds the page. Take a first frame of each session that identifies the catalog on a slip placed nearby or through a separate cover image, then continue in page order. The files can later be named in a plain sequence that mirrors the object without requiring a complicated cataloging system.
Use a naming pattern you will still understand years from now, and add basic details wherever your photo software allows it: who published the catalog, the approximate year if known, and anything unusual about inserts or missing pages. Backups matter because a lost image file can send you back to the shelf to repeat the whole handling cycle. A simple duplicate on another drive plus an off-site copy is more realistic and more protective than elaborate recordkeeping that never gets maintained.
Know When to Stop and How to Put the Catalog Away
The end of the session is part of preservation. If you notice new stress, more resistance at the hinge, pages starting to come loose, or your own handling becoming less patient, stop right there. Old paper does not reward determination. It rewards short, controlled sessions. Close the catalog gently, making sure any foldouts stay in their natural direction instead of being reversed for neatness. Check that all loose items are accounted for before the book is moved.
After taking photographs, storage should reflect what you learned. A large or damaged catalog may be safer stored flat. A smaller example in good condition may stand upright if it has neighbors of similar size for support. Detached pieces should not be left to move around unprotected. A box, folder, or other archival enclosure can keep weakened parts together and help prevent more damage in the future. Keep the original catalog after digitization as well as the files. Good photographs make it less likely that you will pull the original from the shelf for every small comparison.
There is a satisfying discipline to photographing catalogs this way. It treats them not as props and not as museum untouchables, but as working historical documents with physical limits. A careful overhead session often reveals details that rushed handling misses: penciled dealer notes, subtle changes between editions, paper differences, mailing information, and how foldouts were meant to work. The best images come from working with the object, not trying to conquer it.