How the National Museum of Natural History Photographed Over 600 Objects to Bring a New Exhibition Representing the Entire United States to Life

For “From These Lands,” museum photographers drew on their experience and creativity to document everything from tiny insects to a colossal canoe

A slab of ancient amphibian fossils. A glittering gemstone rarer than gold. A baby bison standing on a makeshift floor covered in printer paper. How do you photograph more than 600 objects like these in less than a year? 

For the National Museum of Natural History’s photography team, the answer involved months of coordination, thousands of image files, countless lighting tests and a willingness to solve some unusual problems along the way. To celebrate National Photography Day, take a behind-the-scenes look at how the museum’s photographers brought a new exhibit into focus.

In October 2024, the team began photographing objects for “From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage,” a sprawling exhibition showcasing hundreds of specimens and cultural objects from across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories where people live. 

While projects on this scale have previously been completed over several years, the photo team had nine months to capture the objects and deliver the images for the exhibition’s companion book, which was published this past spring in anticipation of the nation’s 250th anniversary.  During this period, they photographed 641 individual objects — some requiring hundreds of attempts to get the perfect shot.

“I’ve been here for almost 14 years, and this is the most complex photography project I’ve worked on,” said Kristen Quarles, a digital collections specialist at the museum. “But I think it also had the biggest payoff, and it’s amazing to look back on what we were able to produce.” 

Drawing from each of the museum’s seven research departments, “From These Lands” features an exceptional diversity of objects, each with their own unique photographic and conservation challenges. That meant no two photo shoots were alike. The team photographed tiny insects and enormous mammals, biological specimens and cultural objects. Some objects were shiny, some matte; some were light, some dark.  

Objects had to be photographed in different locations around the museum depending on their size, fragility, conservation needs, and where they were already being stored. Every shoot required decisions about lighting, backgrounds, positioning and how much documentation an object needed. 

“Photographing museum specimens is always a fun puzzle,” said NMNH photographer James Tiller. “And sometimes that puzzle involves making an object look like it was photographed somewhere completely different from where it actually was.”

Take the baby bison (affectionately nicknamed “Buddy” by the photo team). The finished photograph shows the young animal against a seamless white background. But the reality was far from camera-ready. Behind-the-scenes, the bison was stored on a plywood collections platform while awaiting its public debut in “From These Lands.” To create a smoother photography surface, NMNH photographers Brittany Hance and Phillip Lee overlayed a temporary floor with foam core and printer paper. Later, the production setup was digitally edited to create the polished final image. 

Photographing the exhibit’s dugout canoe, built in 1775 by a Wisconsin Menominee community, presented a different challenge. In addition to an overview photograph, conservators needed detailed images documenting specific sections of the canoe, including its underside. The long, heavy object had to be raised on support stands while photographers maneuvered around it to light and photograph portions that would otherwise be inaccessible. The resulting documentation will support future conservation work and research.

In some cases, getting the right shot called for more unusual techniques. 

For one large rock, photographer Brittany Hance was told that wetting the surface would make it shine and bring out more contrast. “To my surprise, the collection manager said ‘yeah, you can get it wet.’ So we were sitting there with towels, dampening this rock to get the shot.” Hance then had to swiftly photograph the specimen before the water dried and the rock lost its sheen.

These behind-the-scenes improvisations were just part of the story. After one of the photographers takes a picture, the image is edited to ensure it is “visually compelling while staying true to the original collection specimen or object,” Quarles said. The edited images are then uploaded and organized onto the museum’s online archives. 

“From These Lands” explores the connections between people, places and the natural world, aiming for each visitor to see themselves reflected in the exhibition. For audiences who cannot experience the exhibition in person, the photographs offer another way to explore its objects and stories.

The photographs also have a life beyond the gallery. They will become part of the museum’s long-term collections documentation. The photo team worked closely with scientists, collections staff and conservators to ensure the images can be published in research papers and used in conservation projects long into the future.

“It's an incredible experience to be able to photograph and work with these objects,” Quarles said. “And our photos will make these objects accessible to the world long past their time on exhibition.”

Emma Saaty | Read More

Emma Saaty is a Science Communications Specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  She brings science to the public by covering natural history research for Smithsonian Magazine's, Smithsonian Voices.  Additionally, she tracks media coverage and coordinates filming activities for the museum’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs.  Emma recently completed her Bachelor of Science in Biological Anthropology with a minor in Journalism at George Washington University where she conducted research on Virunga mountain gorillas with GW’s Life History and Skeletal Biology laboratory.  You can find her here.