Badge and equipment for Mark Avino, Office of Printing and Photographic Services photographer, at the 20th anniversary of the Festival of American Folklife. Smithsonian Institution Archives. Image # 86-7101-02.

Freeze Frame (Freeze Frame)!

It's National Photography Month at the Archives!
May 12, 2022, by Heidi Stover

At the Archives we get to see hundreds and hundreds (technically ~3 million if we wanted) images and photographs. We sometimes lose focus (ahh, get it) of all the amazing people behind the lens. In honor of May being National Photography Month, let’s look at the people who have made some of our amazing photographs.

So let's enjoy pictures of photographers taking pictures!

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A camera bag lays open in a field of grass. A Smithsonian Institution photo ID is attached to the ba

Badge and equipment for Mark Avino, Office of Printing and Photographic Services photographer, at the 20th anniversary of the Festival of American Folklife. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 86-7101-02.

A man stands at the top of a ladder and photographs something from above. The objects being photogra

United States National Museum photographer, believed to be Thomas William Smillie, shoots objects from overhead. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. MAH-4455.

A man wears headphones and holds a camera up to his eye. He is in a helicopter.

Jeff Tinsley and Dale Hrabak, photographers for Office of Printing and Photographic Services, in helicopter. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 83-6413-04.

Two women, wearing white, hold cameras up to their eyes. Their faces are not visible. The camera is

Alice Paul Memorial March in Washington, D.C., August 26, 1977, with Smithsonian Photographic Services (SPS) staff. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 77-11629-17.

A man wearing wide-legged jeans smiles at the camera. He is holding a camera in his hand and he has

Alice Paul Memorial March in Washington, D.C., August 26, 1977, with Smithsonian photographic services staff. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 77-11640-21.

Four men with cameras pose for a photograph. They are standing in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memo

Smithsonian Institution staff photographers, (l-r): Jeff Tinsley, Richard K. Hofmeister, Jeff Ploskonka and Dane Penland, whose work was on view in the SITES exhibition, "Vietnam Veterans Memorial: A National Experience" gather at the wall. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 86-12516-03.

Someone in a Mickey Mouse costume puts a hand on a man's shoulder. The man is holding up a camera.

Donation of six of the earliest drawings of Mickey Mouse as "Steamboat Willie" (1928) to the National Museum of American History (NMAH), with Michael Eisner, CEO of Walt Disney Co., Roy Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, Roger Kennedy, NMAH Director, Smithsonian photographers and Mickey Mouse, on his 60th birthday. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 88-18757-09.

A man photographs lily pads. He is emerged in water.

Photographer Kjell Sandved Captures Close Up Views in a Pond. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 96-927.

Three men stand around a large camera. One man has his eye toward the camera.

Don Hulbert,Photographer with NMNH with Michael Barnes, Digital Imaging and Priniting Specialist, and Richard Strauss, photograph at the Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 2003-24130.

Michael Barnes stands on a rooftop and leans to a camera on a tripod.

Portrait of Michael Barnes, Smithsonian Photographic Services, on the roof of the Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle Bell Tower. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 2003-37942.

A camera stand and ladder on a rooftop.

Carl Hansen, Director of Smithsonian Photographic Services (SPS), photographing funeral procession of former President Ronald Reagan at 12th and Constitution Ave. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 2004-29940.

A man stands over a model airplane. He is wearing white gloves and is holding up a camera.

Greg Bryant, NASM Registrar, photographing model airplanes for NASM's TMS data base (on screen). Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. 2006-18650.

Two men photograph a lake area. One man is standing behind the camera. The other is taking a photogr

Two unidentified men with photographic equipment by the U.S. Fish Commission fish hatchery ponds for the production of carp, golden ide, and tench, located near the grounds of the Washington Monument. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image no. MAH-4474.

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