Derrick wrote:
<< I want to copy quite a number of old photographs that I have
inherited from my mother.
...
Any general advice on copying old photographs would be very welcome.
>>
Derrick,
I have just copied some 150year old tin-types and other old prints
for a neighbour , so offer the following comments as the issues are fresh in
my mind:
Lighting is usually my biggest problem. I like OTF flash for minimising
camera vibration problems but reflections off the paper glossy surfaces are a
problem with all lighting and are not visible till the film is developed when
using flash. You really need two adjustable position light sources at about
45deg to minimise reflections. Thus with flash you land up with a somewhat
complex setup.
If you do use flash you still need a bright light source for accurate
focussing. I use a high intensity (focused) goose neck lamp that I can
position easily. The varimagnifier is helpful for focussing.
You need to use diffuse light sources whether flash or incandescent lamp.
This minmises surface reflections. Thus, I use tissue paper over the flash
heads to cut light and diffuse. The flashes are too powerful for closeup work
alone. An umbrella diffuser might a better diffuser if you own one. I
remember using an etched plastic sheet over the prints to produce a matt
(very low reflectance) effect years ago, but I don't remember where I got it
from. If you use incandescent lamps two long gooseneck lamps with frosted
bulbs should work well.
I prefer bellows over extension tubes. Novoflex bellows can sometimes be
obtained relatively inexpensively used.
Holding the paper flat is often tricky. I use flexible magnets from old
refrigerator
door seals.These hold the edges down while only cropping the smallest amount.
Some commercial enlarger easels use similar magnetic corner holders.
I use my (metal) enlarger easel as backing to hold down the paper with the
magnets. Similar flexible strip magnets are often available from craft stores
for attaching
refrigerator "art". The easel alone is ok for large prints but tends to crop
the edges too much for small prints. I have also (carefully) taped down the
edges of prints using magic tape. I have also used flex magnets on the
refrigerator door to hold prints vertically and then used a tripod to hold
and elevate the camera.
Placing glass over the print paper to keep things flat introduces other
reflections and has not worked for me. Maybe this is necessary for very curly
prints?
Keeping the prints and camera back parrallel is helped if you use a
viewing screen with parallel lines on it. I also find a spirit level on a
setsquare helps keep things parrallel and or vertical while setting up! A
stick on spirit level on the camera may also help.
Some enlargers can have the head removed and the camera mounted in its
place. This is close to a commercial copy stand as it allows easy
magnification adjustment and keeps everything parallel automatically.
Hope this helps,
TimHughes
Hi100@xxxxxxx
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|