Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) is am imaging technique that can help reveal transcriptions that are hard to read with traditional visual inspection or photography. The results can be dramatic, and can even work on some memorials with lichen on them.

Using standard photographic equipment and freely available software, images can be generated for recording, analysis, publication, public interpretation, and conservation purposes. It is a fun activity providing someone in the group is a competent photographer and another is happy to process the data using the software. The pdf available here to download gives all the details on the equipment needed, and how to go about taking and processing the images.