Collections Photographer and Asset Manager

Employment Type: Full-Time, Salary, Exempt
Temporary/Permanent: Temporary; Not to Exceed June 30, 2028
Deadline to Apply: This application will remain open for 3 days, ending on February 1, 2025
Rate of Pay: $65,000 annually

Job Purpose

Bishop Museum stewards over 25 million cultural treasures and biological specimens, each of which provides evidence and gives voice to the stories of Hawai‘i and the broader Pacific. These include cultural items, archaeological materials, historical photographs, works of art, audio recordings, books, manuscripts, and more than 22 million specimens of plant and animal life, stewarded across the Cultural Resources, Library & Archives, and Natural Sciences divisions. The Photographer and Asset Manager will work directly with collections teams to lead or assist with the photography of these collections in a studio setting. This role will oversee the entire lifecycle of institutional digital assets, including capture, processing, cataloging, storage, access, retrieval, and dissemination. This position has guaranteed funding for 3.5 years with the possibility of extension.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Photograph museum collections under the direction of collections managers and curators.

• Design or assist with the installation, management, and troubleshooting of digitization equipment, including digital cameras, lenses, and lighting.

• Post-process raw image files for multiple uses, especially for web and publications.

• Digitize physical files and documents related to collections.

• Perform quality control assessments of existing digital assets and corresponding metadata and assist in bringing assets up to appropriate standards.

• Investigate and help implement a Digital Asset Management System.

• Establish, refine, and enforce file naming standards.

• Write user documentation related to digitization workflows, digital asset management, and metadata standards.

• Supervise the digitization work of collections staff, interns, and volunteers on specific projects.

• Distribute assets to internal users and external partners on request.

• Perform other duties as needed to accomplish the goals of the Museum.

Qualifications

• BA/BFA in Photography or related field, or 3 years of photography experience in a studio setting.

• Minimum 2 years of experience working as a photographer, in a studio setting preferred.

• Experience using digital photography equipment, including cameras, lenses, lighting, and scanners.

• Experience using a Digital Asset Management system.

• Experience working with several multimedia types, especially images, documents, sound, and video. 3D imaging a plus.

• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite, especially Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

• Experience with spreadsheets or database systems.

• Familiarity with bulk image processing, automation techniques, auditing/checksum routines, and media conversion.

• Understanding of metadata standards, including Dublin Core, EXIF, IPTC, and XMP.

• Understanding of intellectual property rights, copyright, and similar fair use agreements in relation to multimedia.

• Experience working with cultural or natural history collections, libraries, or archives a plus.

Other Requirements

• Flexibility in working hours, as some evening and weekend work is required.

• Interest in developing skills and following trends in new digitization techniques, asset types and formats.

Direct Reports

Potential to manage Digitization Technicians, interns, and volunteers. Coordinate work of other contract photographers as needed.

Working Conditions

Occasional evening and weekend work required.

Physical Requirements

Occasionally required to stand for extended periods of time, climb stairs, lift heavy objects, and perform repetitive tasks.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbents assigned to this job. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, duties and skills required. The incumbent may be expected to perform other duties as assigned.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at hr@bishopmuseum.org or 808-848-4171 if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status.

Salary : $65,000