A useful transcription photograph makes the lettering readable. It does not need to be an attractive product photograph. Polished metal can reflect the room, curved surfaces can hide the ends of a line, and shallow engraving can disappear under direct light. Check what the photograph actually shows before putting the trophy away.

Prepare a safe place to work

Ask permission before moving a club trophy. Use a stable surface and follow the club’s handling arrangements. Do not experiment with abrasive cleaning, polishing or applying substances to historic engravings. If an object is fragile or valuable, get appropriate handling or conservation advice first.

A phone camera is a reasonable starting point. Clean the camera lens, charge the phone and make sure you have room to save the original images. A tripod or stable support may help if you struggle to keep small lettering sharp, but do not balance a trophy precariously to obtain an angle.

Take a context photograph first

Photograph the complete trophy and its identifying title. This helps you keep close-up images with the correct competition. If the trophy has an engraved bowl, stem, base and separate plates, note those areas before moving to the details.

Keep one trophy’s image set together before starting the next. A clear naming convention in your original photo folders can help the club find the evidence later, even if it changes software.

Move the light or camera to reduce glare

Start with soft, indirect light. Avoid a direct flash reflected straight into the camera. Take a photograph, enlarge it and inspect the letters. If a bright patch hides a surname or date, change the angle and take another view.

Different engravings respond differently to light. Rather than relying on a prescribed angle, compare the results on the actual object. An image with less glare is useful only if the lettering remains sharp enough to read.

Capture curved lettering in overlapping views

Do not expect a single photograph to show a whole band around a cup or plinth. Work around it in sections, with enough overlap to recognise where one image ends and the next begins. Keep the year and its associated name together where possible.

Photograph individual plates closely enough for the letters to be legible. If a plate remains unclear, include a second angle rather than repeatedly enlarging the same blurred image. Retain the original files; heavy filters can obscure the difference between an actual mark and an introduced artefact.

Check the set while the trophy is still available

  • Can you identify the trophy and competition from the set?
  • Is every engraved area included, including the reverse and lower bands?
  • Are years and names in focus when you enlarge the images?
  • Does glare conceal any part of a line?
  • Do curved sections overlap enough to establish their order?
  • Have you taken an alternative view of the entries that remain difficult?

Upload, then review against the originals

Trophy Guru can use multiple source photographs for the same trophy. Your first trophy includes up to 12 saved photographs. Choose a set that provides useful coverage and alternative angles rather than filling it with near-identical images.

Review the proposed names and years against the photographs. AI cannot reliably recover information that the evidence does not show. If a worn or obscured inscription remains uncertain, consult another source such as an honours book or result sheet, or leave the question unresolved.

Continue with the six-step cataloguing guide. To plan a volunteer session, use the club project checklist. To see the eventual member experience, open the example honours board.