Photography Series, GS-1060 TS-120 October 1992
Illustrations:
- The employee provides photographic support to the organization's public information
activities by photographing or videotaping award presentations, official portraits,
buildings and grounds, and staged or candid shots of equipment and work operations.
The subjects of the photographs or videotapes are typically identified at the onset of the
assignments. The employee applies knowledge of the appropriate cameras, lights, film
type, lenses, and exposures needed to photograph indoors and outdoors, in confined and
spacious areas, in natural and fluorescent lighting, and at night.
- The employee photographs museum artifacts, equipment components, medical
specimens, or other stationary objects for documentation, diagnostic, or training
purposes. The assignments pose special technical problems related to the illumination of
small spaces, the reflective properties of the surfaces, or the need to show fine details or
exact color renditions. The employee applies knowledge of how special lighting
techniques, such as fiber optic, axial, or ring lighting, can be used to illuminate cavities
or minute parts, and what special filters will eliminate glare and reflections, adjust colors,
or enhance contrasts.
- The employee develops black-and-white and color film; makes prints, photographic
reproductions of drawings, charts, or printed material; and produces duplicate negatives,
internegatives, slides, and viewgraphs. The employee evaluates the photographic
characteristics of the source materials and selects corresponding films, filters, exposures,
and papers based on their reproductive capabilities. The employee applies knowledge of
how the developing process can be manipulated (e.g., by changing chemical solutions,
timing, exposure, or agitation) to compensate for deviations from normal film quality.
The employee also applies skill in using techniques such as dodging, burning, cropping,
and retouching to reduce obvious flaws in the material, and in applying sensitometric and
densitometric tests to evaluate and adjust color balance and density.
Level 1-6 -- 950 Points
In camera work, employees use knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of specialized
photographic equipment, films, and processes to adapt equipment to compensate for physical
stresses and special wiring requirements. They also use knowledge of specialized photography
requirements, such as high-speed cameras, special films, wired or photoelectric triggering
mechanisms, or other specialized equipment or techniques to complete assignments requiring
unusually high degrees of detail, critical timing, or critical focus. Some employees apply
knowledge of the operations or characteristics of a specialized subject matter field, such as
anatomy, forensic science, or a category of technical equipment, or of a program area or topic
being depicted to plan the photographic coverage of subjects, events, or activities.
Employees use knowledge of the organization, the photographic objectives, and viewer reaction
to various types of images to select or stage scenes and events that will evoke the desired
responses.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management 7