Framing History through Photography
Photographer Sally Mann once said, “Photographs open doors to the past, but also allow a look into the future.” Photography is a key component of the historic documentation process. New graduate Sam Malnati (MHC/MUP ’25) delved into photography’s role in the field for her thesis, Contemporary Vision: Photography’s Influence on Perception of Places in the Past.
In this episode, producer Willa Seidenberg talks with Sam about the history of photography and its use in the Historic American Buildings Survey, the differences between film and digital photography for historic documentation, and how researching the thesis helped Sam slow down and look at her world.
Fotomat kiosk taken with a Phase 1 camera, Glendale, California, 2024. Photo by Stephen Schafer. 
Fotomat kiosk taken with a Canon $5 camera, Glendale, California, 2024. Photo by Stephen Schafer. 
Official HABS photograph of Fotomat Kiosk in Glendale, CA. October, 2023. Photo by Stephen Schafer. 
Image quality comparison of digital and film (left to right) Google Pixel 7a, Canon RS, PhaseOne IQ4 (large format film), Cambo SC 5×7, 2024. Photo courtesy of Sam Malnati. 
First published illustration of a camera obscura in Gemma Frisius’ book, “De Radio Astronomica et Geometrica,” 1545. 
“View from the Window at Le Gras,” considered to be the first photograph, c. 1826, Joseph Nicepce. 
Student team at work with HAER photographer Jack Boucher. HAER UTAH, 1971.
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Featuring
Sam Malnati is a recent MUP/MHC dual-degree graduate. She currently works as a Heritage Documentation Specialist at AQYER in San Marino, where Sam uses technologies such as LiDAR scanning, photogrammetry, and photography to record and analyze a range of historic structures across the West Coast. She hesitates to call herself a photographer, but certainly appreciates looking and capturing, and owns a few cameras which help with that.
Learn More
Thesis: Contemporary Vision: Photography’s Influence on Perception of Places in the Past
Library of Congress: Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards & Guidelines for Architectural and Engineering Documentation
Stephen Schafer HABS Photographer
Your Hosts
Co-host Trudi Sandmeier is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of Graduate Programs in Heritage Conservation, and Professor of Practice at the USC School of Architecture. Her work centers on the conservation of the recent past and the impact of under-recognized communities on the historic built environment. Read more in her USC faculty bio.
Co-host Cindy Olnick serves as both Associate Director of Heritage Conservation at USC and a communications consultant for heritage conservation, historic preservation, and the built environment. Read more in her USC faculty bio.
Podcast producer Willa Seidenberg taught audio journalism and podcasting at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, while pursuing a USC Master of Heritage Conservation degree. She retired from teaching and earned her degree in 2023. A 20-year broadcast journalist and an inaugural fellow with USC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Willa founded Annenberg Radio News, the university’s radio news operation; and Intersections South LA, a reporting lab and community website for South Los Angeles. With photographer William Short, Willa is the author of two oral history/photo projects: A Matter of Conscience: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War and Memories of the American War: Stories From Viet Nam. She is currently working on a podcast based on A Matter of Conscience.
