Smithsonian Institution is hiring: Photographer in Washington

***POSITION TYPE: Trust FundAPPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary, Not-To-Exceed 5-YearsSCHEDULE: Full TimeDUTY LOCATION: Washington, DCPosition sensitivity and riskExample: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low RiskOpen to all qualified applicants.What are Trust Fund Positions?Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.OVERVIEWThis position is located within the Registrar’s Office, Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI). Photographs are used for object documentation, scholarly publications, exhibition catalogues, research projects, reproductions, publicity, commercial merchandise, and social media.DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES· Photographs a variety of two- and three-dimensional objects—paintings, sculpture, decorative objects, graphic artworks, etc.—in color with various digital technology.· Contributes to the digital photography needs of the museum, including photography of SAAM’s ever-growing collection and robust exhibition program.· Photographs hundreds of artworks per year with various medium format digital cameras including those that are fragile, light-sensitive, and often extremely valuable works of art from miniature size to contemporary over life-size objects which belong to the museum or are on loan from other institutions or private individuals.· Responsible for selecting appropriate equipment, cameras, lenses, lights, filters, studio props and views to capture aesthetic quality of the object and to achieve desired objectives of the assignment.· Plans assignments; selecting appropriate cameras, props, backgrounds, and views; and consults with Senior Photographer and curatorial professionals to communicate technical problems and to develop solutions to achieve objectives of photographic assignments.· Exercises artistic ability, technical accuracy, and aesthetic judgment in planning and composing photographs to achieve desired result.· Retouches, edits, color corrects, and composites photographs as required.· Manages digital files, digital archiving, and metadata embedding as required by the needs of the staff and external clients. from an accredited four-year college or university and 3-5 years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.Experience required for this position is as follows:· Specialized knowledge and experience in documentary photography for art reproduction and/or studio photography, including knowledge of a variety of cameras, lenses, software/hardware, lighting techniques, color management, and calibration and profiling.· Specialized knowledge of techniques used for art reproduction and documentation in order to plan creative shots, to manage specialized set-ups, to overcome special handling problems, to problem solve with a creative team.· Knowledge of digital imaging and digital asset storage technologies as they apply to photographic image archiving and active image files.· Knowledge of the methods, materials, and platforms necessary to achieve digital archival permanence for photographic materials.· Skill in the use of photography software available on computer operating systems in order to edit photography and/or graphics (e.g., Macintosh and Windows operating systems).· Skill in the use of a wide range of photography tools to take pictures for a wide range of objects and art subjects, such as medium format camera systems (Hasselblad and/or Phase One camera systems), camera/software tethering (Phocus and/or Capture One Pro/Cultural Heritage software are a plus), Nikon DSLR cameras, color measurement and profiling products and software, FileMaker Pro, QuickTime, digital asset management systems, Canon and Epson printers.· Skill in communicating information to others, both verbally and in writing, in a clear and concise manner.· Skill to work as part of a photography team and ability to work independently on projects.· Ability to keep up with advances in digital technology and cultural heritage standards due to rapidly changing nature of the cultural heritage imaging and museum fields.· Knowledge of art documentary photography and art in order to understand objectives of assignment, to balance technical limitations against art historical concepts to be conveyed, to plan special props and background set-ups, and to achieve photographic effects as required.· Skill to handle rare and fragile works of art in order to place objects for photography, plan desirable views, improvise props or set-ups, etc.· Artistic ability in order to arrange aesthetically pleasing compositions, illustrate art historical points or concepts, and to produce publication-quality photographs for long-term digital preservation of museum collections.Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.Relocation expenses are not paid.The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate.